J.R.: My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey by Roenick Jeremy & Allen Kevin

Author:Roenick, Jeremy & Allen, Kevin [Roenick, Jeremy]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Triumph Books
Published: 2012-10-25T05:00:00+00:00

12. The Gambler

It’s fair to say that coaches didn’t like it very much when I was gambling in the offensive zone, and general managers didn’t like it very much when I was gambling in casinos.

Although I never found myself in any legal trouble through gambling, my life was put under a microscope twice because I liked to bet on NFL and NBA games.

My gambling problem probably was most out of control when I was playing in Philadelphia. When I got a new deal worth an average of $7.5 million per year, I purchased a new $150,000 Porsche. But what the deal really meant to me was that I could bet more money. My $500 bets became $2,000 wagers, and I was betting on more games.

The most distressing gambling situation I had involved my relationship with Rick Tocchet, who was then an assistant coach in Phoenix. In 2005–06, when I was playing for the Los Angeles Kings, the story broke that he was being investigated by the New Jersey state police for financing a sports gambling operation. That was a difficult time, because I’ve said for many years that Tocchet was among the best teammates I’ve ever had. He epitomized what a good NHL player should be about. He had leadership, grit, tenacity and skill. He knew when to open his mouth and when to keep it shut. Tocchet always stood up for his teammates, and he was very proud to be an NHL player.

The investigation involved some betting I had done when I was playing with the Flyers. Initially, I assumed the investigation was misguided; my impression was that Tocchet was simply placing bets, just like I was. Knowing I like to bet on sporting events, Tocchet had hooked me up with a way to lay bets over the phone. I liked to bet on football games, and I would regularly bet a thousand dollars or so on three or four games a week. Occasionally, I would bet on some college and NBA basketball, but I preferred to bet on the NFL. Tocchet introduced me to New Jersey state trooper James Harney. He was the betting connection, as far as I knew. There was another man involved, named James Ulmer, whom I didn’t know. But the state police painted a different picture. The media reported that Tocchet had to answer charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy. They called it a New Jersey–based betting ring and said their investigation showed that at least a thousand people had placed bets, worth a total of more than $1.7 million, on professional and college sports. State police colonel Rick Fuentes called it a “highly organized sport betting system.”

The press reported there were six active NHL players who had placed bets with the New Jersey ring, but none had bet on hockey. I was certainly happy to see that fact reported.

Never was I worried that I would be in any trouble, because I knew that placing a bet was not a criminal act. I had checked that out before I ever started betting.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.