Updating the Hockey Scandals

There's no reason why the cycling world should have all the fun. Hockey has a few scandals of its own. Anybody remember this story?

Nearly six months have passed since (Phoenix Coyotes') associate coach Rick Tocchet was linked to an alleged gambling ring based in New Jersey following a law-enforcement investigation dubbed "Operation Slap Shot."

Apparently, a decision whether to indict Tocchet will come within a few weeks.

That's a rather mild update for a story that was supposed to represent hockey's downfall (again) and the end of Wayne Gretzky's world as he knows it. The Operation Slapshot feeding frenzy will not go down as one of sports journalism's finest moments. It got so feverish that Larry Brooks of the New York Post was quoting from The Godfather.

On other scandalous fronts, a man in North Carolina has been issued a citation for injuring the personal property of the state. Davis Jones is unrepentant, saying it was his duty to strip the Hurricanes jersies from the state monument in Raleigh. "Do you think Andrew Jackson, sitting majestically on his horse while wearing a Hurricanes jersey was awe-inspiring and thought-provoking?" he demanded of the N.C. Historical Commission.

The case raises some interesting questions about the role of public monuments, whether they ought to be "awe-inspiring" and what we take from seeing ancient public figures portrayed in the town square. But it will have no effect on the team, because an aging clutch-and-grab plugger like Andrew Jackson isn't suited to the new NHL anyway.