Gretzky in the loop
TRENTON, N.J. – Wayne Gretzky was recorded on a wiretap talking to the alleged financier of a gambling ring, discussing how the hockey great’s wife could avoid being implicated, a person with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Gretzky, coach and part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, can be heard on wiretaps made within the past month talking about his wife with assistant coach Rick Tocchet, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
After Phoenix’s game on Thursday night, Gretzky did not take questions or talk about the wire taps during a brief news conference. He reiterated that he had never bet and said he planned to stay with the Coyotes and attend the Turin Olympics as Team Canada’s executive director.
“I’m still going to coach the Phoenix Coyotes. I did nothing wrong, or nothing that has to do with anything along the lines of betting; that never happened,” he said after the Coyotes’ 5-1 loss to Dallas in Glendale, Ariz.
Gretzky’s wife, actress Janet Jones, allegedly bet at least $100,000 on football over the course of the investigation by the state, the person said.
There is no evidence that Gretzky placed any bets, according to the person.
“At no time did I ever place a wager on my husband’s behalf, period,” Jones said in a statement provided by the Coyotes on Thursday night. “Other than the occasional horse race, my husband does not bet on any sports.”
Authorities say from Dec. 29 through last Sunday – the day of the Super Bowl – bettors placed a total of $1.7 million in wagers with the ring run by a New Jersey state trooper, Tocchet and a South Jersey man. All face charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy and are scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court in Mount Holly on Feb. 21, the state Attorney General’s office said Thursday.
Jones has not been charged.
Elliot Mintz, a spokesman for Jones, said in a statement that she may be called as a witness before a grand jury.
“Janet is merely one of a number of witnesses and there is no allegation whatsoever that Janet has violated any law,” he said.
Investigators are looking into whether anyone involved in the 5-year-old ring, which authorities say had a connection to organized crime in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, bet on NHL games. Gretzky is not the main focus of the probe, the person said.