Wayne Gretzky vowed to remain with the Canadian men's Olympic hockey team last night, amid a growing controversy over his wife's alleged connection to an illegal gambling ring.
Mr. Gretzky said he will not step down as the executive director of the team, despite unconfirmed reports that he has been recorded on police wiretaps discussing how his wife, Janet Gretzky, could avoid being implicated in the alleged gambling operation.
"The bottom line is I didn't do it," Mr. Gretzky said last night of speculation that his wife placed bets on his behalf. Mr. Gretzky, who is coach of the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes, was speaking prior to last night's game against the Dallas Stars.
"No way," he said emphatically when asked whether he planned to resign from the Olympic team. "If I had ever bet so much as a penny on sports, I would call Bob Nicholson and resign." Bob Nicholson is the president of Hockey Canada, which oversees the Olympic team.
Shortly after Mr. Gretzky said this, his wife issued a statement saying she never placed bets for her husband. "Other than the occasional horse race, my husband does not bet on any sports," the statement reads.
Ms. Gretzky will not appear in public to address the situation, on the advice of her lawyer, Coyotes officials said.
Mr. Gretzky, who also co-owns the NHL club, vigorously denied any involvement in the ring, which was allegedly headed by one of the club's assistant coaches, Rick Tocchet.
The Associated Press, citing unnamed police sources, reported yesterday that wiretaps had picked up Mr. Gretzky talking to Mr. Tocchet about his wife's involvement in the alleged ring. However, the report said there was no evidence that Mr. Gretzky placed any bets. There are reports that Ms. Gretzky bet more than $100,000 (U.S.) with Mr. Tocchet.
Mr. Gretzky brushed aside the wiretap reports and said he had no knowledge of Mr. Tocchet's alleged involvement in gambling before this week's news. "If I did one thing that would embarrass Team Canada, or the country or hockey, I would resign," he said. "It didn't happen."
After his team lost last night's game 5-1, Mr. Gretzky held a brief news conference in which he repeated he had done nothing wrong and would not resign from any of his hockey roles. He declined to take any questions, saying the past few days had been too draining.
"I hope you appreciate the three days have been horrible and I'm too tired, mentally and physically, to talk any more about it," he said. "If you have any questions for people who are involved in this, you should contact them."
New Jersey State Police have charged Mr. Tocchet and two other men, including a New Jersey State Police officer, with money laundering, conspiracy and promoting gambling.
Police allege the officer, James Harney, and Mr. Tocchet ran an illegal gambling business that operated up to the Super Bowl last weekend and pulled in more than $1-million in January.
None of the allegations have been proved.
Mr. Tocchet, 41, has taken a leave of absence from his coaching duties, and his lawyer said he will fight the charges. Mr. Harney's lawyer called the allegations "unsubstantiated."
Police have made it clear that merely placing bets with the alleged ring is not necessarily illegal. Profiting from illegal gambling is a crime in New Jersey, and police say they are primarily interested in those who acted as agents for the operation, which may have had ties to organized crime. Officers added that they are still investigating whether any bets were placed on hockey games.
"If I bet on sports -- I would never embarrass Team Canada, or the country or hockey -- I would phone Gary Bettman and Bob Nicholson right now and say, 'you know what, I resign, it's over,' even if I made a $1 bet," Mr. Gretzky said yesterday, referring to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
"I wouldn't even go into a sports book in Vegas," Mr. Gretzky said. "Even though it's legal, I would never do that. That's how serious I am."
Mr. Gretzky added, "It's been a tough couple of days."
Yesterday, the hockey world, even Prime Minister Stephen Harper, rallied around Mr. Gretzky and his decision to remain with the Olympic team. When asked about Mr. Gretzky and the Olympic team, Mr. Harper said, "I'm sure he'll do us proud over there."
Several Team Canada players also voiced their support.
"I think he should go [to Turin]" said Jarome Iginla, the captain of the Calgary Flames and a player on the Canadian Olympic team. "At this point, it's just allegations."
Phoenix goaltender Curtis Joseph added: "He should be there. It's his team."
"We have to keep things in perspective a little bit," said Trevor Linden, the president of the National Hockey League Players' Association. "They're [alleging that there has been]betting on football, not an uncommon thing. I don't think we should get too carried away with throwing people under the bus. It's an unfortunate situation and something that will be taken pretty seriously. Wayne Gretzky is a pretty well-respected guy and he deserves that."
Some of the companies that use Mr. Gretzky as a pitchman also said they had no plans to change their ties to the hockey star.
Gina Gehlert, a spokeswoman for Ford of Canada, said Mr. Gretzky has been a spokesman for Ford and for the Ford Dealers Association of Canada for the past four years.
"Our relationship does continue with him today. . . ." Ms. Gehlert said. "We have him as a spokesperson. He's continuing that relationship. That's all I can say about dealings with him at the moment."
McDonald's Restaurants of Canada released new Olympic-themed advertising last week featuring Mr. Gretzky. McDonald's spokesman Ron Christianson said the company has an "amazing, long-standing relationship" with Mr. Gretzky. "We value the relationship that we have with him."
New Jersey police are continuing their investigation, which includes up to a dozen current and former NHL players, coaches and management officials.
The NHL has hired prominent New York lawyer Robert Cleary to conduct its own investigation.
Paul Waldie