_________________ “You’re good kids, stay together. Trust each other and be good teammates to one another. I believe there is a championship in this room.”
-Ernie Accorsi in his final address to the NY Giants locker room before retiring as GM in January of 2007
Wow, he is a legend around here. When he was in his prime he was the most popular sports figure in Philly. (Because chicks loved him).
even more popular than Barkley? Randall?
_________________ “You’re good kids, stay together. Trust each other and be good teammates to one another. I believe there is a championship in this room.”
-Ernie Accorsi in his final address to the NY Giants locker room before retiring as GM in January of 2007
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:26 am Posts: 7994 Location: Philadelphia
Ricardo Tubbs wrote:
jimmac24 wrote:
Wow, he is a legend around here. When he was in his prime he was the most popular sports figure in Philly. (Because chicks loved him).
even more popular than Barkley? Randall?
As crazy as it sounds, yes.
Randall was loved but being Jawarski's replacement, and pushing him out out of a starting job here really hurt his image. Plus all the "black qb" stuff at the time hurt his popularity a bit. There were probably 5-6 players from the Eagles D that were more popular than Randall. Reggie, Jerome Brown, Andre Waters, Seth Joyner, Byron Evans, Wes Hopkins......they were all loved. Randall was popular because of his unbelievable ability but so many people thought he was the reason they couldn't get over the top.
Barkley was very popular too but he came in when Doc was still playing. He was probably one of the 2-3 most underappreciated players ever in this town.
It's hard to believe with how the Eagles are now far and away the most popular team in the city but back in the mid-late 80's and early 90's the Flyers were THE team in Philly. Tocchet was the most loved guy on those Flyers teams. An entire generation was raised to love the Flyers which the city embraced in the 70's with the Broad Street Bullies. You'd go anywhere and there would be tons of kids playing Hockey with their Tocchet jerseys on, girls loved him. He was one of the rare players that was a very good offensive player who would also kick people's ass in fights. He was a brutal hitter and you could count on him to have an big impact on every game whether it was scoring, hitting or taking someone out.
While the Flyers are still very popular, I believe Philly was rated the best hockey town in the US by the Sporting News in 2005 (could have been espn, i dont remember), the Eagles overtook them with that Reggie White led defense and their polularity went off the charts ever since. I guess thats why its hard for people to believe how popular Tocchet really was.
_________________ Something tells me that the first mousetrap wasn't designed to catch mice at all, but to protect little cheese "gems" from burglars.
Wow, he is a legend around here. When he was in his prime he was the most popular sports figure in Philly. (Because chicks loved him).
even more popular than Barkley? Randall?
As crazy as it sounds, yes.
Randall was loved but being Jawarski's replacement, and pushing him out out of a starting job here really hurt his image. Plus all the "black qb" stuff at the time hurt his popularity a bit. There were probably 5-6 players from the Eagles D that were more popular than Randall. Reggie, Jerome Brown, Andre Waters, Seth Joyner, Byron Evans, Wes Hopkins......they were all loved. Randall was popular because of his unbelievable ability but so many people thought he was the reason they couldn't get over the top.
Barkley was very popular too but he came in when Doc was still playing. He was probably one of the 2-3 most underappreciated players ever in this town.
It's hard to believe with how the Eagles are now far and away the most popular team in the city but back in the mid-late 80's and early 90's the Flyers were THE team in Philly. Tocchet was the most loved guy on those Flyers teams. An entire generation was raised to love the Flyers which the city embraced in the 70's with the Broad Street Bullies. You'd go anywhere and there would be tons of kids playing Hockey with their Tocchet jerseys on, girls loved him. He was one of the rare players that was a very good offensive player who would also kick people's ass in fights. He was a brutal hitter and you could count on him to have an big impact on every game whether it was scoring, hitting or taking someone out.
While the Flyers are still very popular, I believe Philly was rated the best hockey town in the US by the Sporting News in 2005 (could have been espn, i dont remember), the Eagles overtook them with that Reggie White led defense and their polularity went off the charts ever since. I guess thats why its hard for people to believe how popular Tocchet really was.
Interesting. It's been kind of the same in NY with regard to hockey falling into the background. And I would never have thought that Barkley would have been underappreciated - but I guess Dr. J is a tough act to follow. What would you say was worse for Philly fans: Jerome Brown or Pelle Lindbergh?
p.s.
the fact that Andre Waters is on your list of popular Philly athletes speaks volumes about that city j/k I
_________________ “You’re good kids, stay together. Trust each other and be good teammates to one another. I believe there is a championship in this room.”
-Ernie Accorsi in his final address to the NY Giants locker room before retiring as GM in January of 2007
Wow, he is a legend around here. When he was in his prime he was the most popular sports figure in Philly. (Because chicks loved him).
even more popular than Barkley? Randall?
As crazy as it sounds, yes.
Randall was loved but being Jawarski's replacement, and pushing him out out of a starting job here really hurt his image. Plus all the "black qb" stuff at the time hurt his popularity a bit. There were probably 5-6 players from the Eagles D that were more popular than Randall. Reggie, Jerome Brown, Andre Waters, Seth Joyner, Byron Evans, Wes Hopkins......they were all loved. Randall was popular because of his unbelievable ability but so many people thought he was the reason they couldn't get over the top.
Barkley was very popular too but he came in when Doc was still playing. He was probably one of the 2-3 most underappreciated players ever in this town.
It's hard to believe with how the Eagles are now far and away the most popular team in the city but back in the mid-late 80's and early 90's the Flyers were THE team in Philly. Tocchet was the most loved guy on those Flyers teams. An entire generation was raised to love the Flyers which the city embraced in the 70's with the Broad Street Bullies. You'd go anywhere and there would be tons of kids playing Hockey with their Tocchet jerseys on, girls loved him. He was one of the rare players that was a very good offensive player who would also kick people's ass in fights. He was a brutal hitter and you could count on him to have an big impact on every game whether it was scoring, hitting or taking someone out.
While the Flyers are still very popular, I believe Philly was rated the best hockey town in the US by the Sporting News in 2005 (could have been espn, i dont remember), the Eagles overtook them with that Reggie White led defense and their polularity went off the charts ever since. I guess thats why its hard for people to believe how popular Tocchet really was.
Interesting. It's been kind of the same in NY with regard to hockey falling into the background. And I would never have thought that Barkley would have been underappreciated - but I guess Dr. J is a tough act to follow. What would you say was worse for Philly fans: Jerome Brown or Pelle Lindbergh?
p.s. the fact that Andre Waters is on your list of popular Philly athletes speaks volumes about that city j/k I
the thing with barkley is - he was loved as much as he was hated. the spitting on the kid thing, the fact that he had a sense of humor about race relations, and the fact that talked so honestly really rubbed a lot of (morons) the wrong way. if you "got" charles, you loved him, but i lot of people didn't get him.
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:26 am Posts: 7994 Location: Philadelphia
Ricardo Tubbs wrote:
Interesting. It's been kind of the same in NY with regard to hockey falling into the background. And I would never have thought that Barkley would have been underappreciated - but I guess Dr. J is a tough act to follow. What would you say was worse for Philly fans: Jerome Brown or Pelle Lindbergh?
p.s. the fact that Andre Waters is on your list of popular Philly athletes speaks volumes about that city j/k I
I loved Barkley, he was my favorite player when he was here, and I rooted for the Suns and Rockets after he left. His mouth turned alot of people off.
I think Lindbergh was worst because 1. It happened during the season 2. he was considered the best goalie in the NHL at the time of his death. (vezina winner in 84-85) 3. The fact that he survived the crash but was taken off life support days later. He was supposed to be the next Bernie Perant, the guy who was gonna lead them to the Cup.
Jerome's death was terrible but it was in the offseason and he wasn't known as the "key" guy to take them to a title. I remember when he died, I was on a trip to Great Adventure and was told about it when I got home. I remember not believing it was true and flipping on espn to see if the reports were wrong. I was devistated.
_________________ Something tells me that the first mousetrap wasn't designed to catch mice at all, but to protect little cheese "gems" from burglars.
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:43 am Posts: 18418 Location: Anytown, USA Gender: Male
one of my buddies named his dog tocchet when we were in 5th grade.
he died a few years ago. that is all.
_________________
stip wrote:
In five years, when you get laid and grow up, you should go back and read some of these posts and if you've turned into a decent person you'll realize how much of an asshole you sound like right now
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:47 pm Posts: 13660 Location: Long Island Gender: Male
Tocchet better hope he doesn't get whacked. I expect him to cop a plea and name some of the mafia people he was dealing with(although the FBI probably knows most of the info anyway).
As for this being bad for hockey, gimme a break. Do hockey fans really care if some players bet on other sports? Check out the poll on espn.com. 90% don't care if athletes bet on sports that they aren't involved in. Hockey has it's problems but this isn't gonna lead to the sport spiraling out of control. To me it's a non-story, the only reason people will read it is because they gamble themselves and think it's funny
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:54 am Posts: 10731 Location: The back of a Volkswagen
Gretzky's wife is now cited in connection with the gambling ring.
Quote:
Gretzky's Wife Cited in Gambling Ring
By CHRIS NEWMARKER, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago
EWING, N.J. - Wayne Gretzky's wife and about a half-dozen NHL players placed bets — but not on hockey — with a nationwide sports gambling ring financed by Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet, authorities said Tuesday.
Gretzky, hockey's greatest player, is in his first season coaching the Coyotes and is a part-owner of the team.
Actress-wife Janet Jones was among those implicated, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because no bettors have been publicly identified.
State police Col. Rick Fuentes said an investigation into the New Jersey-based ring discovered the processing of more than 1,000 wagers, exceeding $1.7 million, on professional and college sports, mostly football and basketball.
The developments came at a sensitive time for the NHL, which is trying to win back fans after a season-long lockout and just days before many of its best players will showcase their talent at the Turin Olympics.
Tocchet was served with a criminal complaint Monday and was expected to travel from his Arizona home to answer charges of promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy, Fuentes said.
"It's not a hockey-related issue, it's a football thing. And at this time I can't comment any further," Tocchet said after the Coyotes practiced Tuesday.
Gretzky said Tocchet would be on the bench for Tuesday night's home game against Chicago, and it would be "business as usual."
"Everyone in the world is innocent until proven guilty," Gretzky said. "He's a great guy and a good friend. He's just going through a tough time right now, obviously, and we've got to let it run its course. It's a situation that's obviously a concern for the organization at this point."
Gretzky did not comment about his wife, and did not return a call from the AP.
Tocchet acknowledged that a New Jersey state trooper arrested in connection with the gambling ring case is his friend. Tocchet said he would cooperate with the investigation but didn't answer when asked if he'd surrender to authorities.
"We understand that Mr. Tocchet's conduct in no way involved betting on hockey," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. "And, while betting on football or other sports may be the pervasive issue, it in no way justifies poor judgment or otherwise alleged inappropriate conduct."
Authorities said Tocchet and state police Trooper James Harney were partners in the operation, with the ex-NHL forward providing the financing.
"Tocchet received illegal sports bets from wagers and funneled money back to New Jersey," Fuentes said.
Tocchet, one of three associate coaches on the Coyotes' staff, took over the head coaching duties for 10 days in December while Gretzky was with his dying mother.
The 41-year-old Tocchet played 18 years with six teams, including three seasons with the Coyotes from 1997-00. He is one of only two players in NHL history to collect 400 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes.
Tocchet was a fan favorite during his two stints with the Flyers (1984-92, 2000-02). Flyers star center Peter Forsberg on Tuesday described Tocchet as "a good guy, a funny guy."
"I think everybody is surprised," Forsberg said. "It's definitely not good for the sport to hear something like that."
Flyers forward Simon Gagne played briefly with Tocchet in Philadelphia and called him "one of the best guys I knew."
Harney, 40, was arrested Monday and has been suspended from the force. The eight-year police veteran was charged in an arrest warrant with official misconduct, promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy. Another man accused of taking bets is James Ulmer, 40, who was charged with promoting gambling, money laundering and conspiracy.
Both men were free after posting 10 percent of their bail. Harney had $100,000 bail; Ulmer had $50,000 bail. The two men were expected to be arraigned in state Superior Court in Burlington County within two weeks.
Craig Mitnick, a lawyer representing Harney, said his client hadn't decided whether to contest the charges in court.
The police investigation into the ring started in October 2005 after authorities received a tip on Harney's sports wagering from his Marlton home, and taking phone calls during his patrol job based out of the agency's Moorestown station, Fuentes said.
Fuentes did not disclose the bettors' names and said charges against more individuals were possible. He described one of them as a "movie celebrity."
The gambling ring had a connection with organized crime in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, Fuentes said.
Starting Monday night, authorities seized property from Harney and Ulmer. State police seized $27,000 in currency, "voluminous" amounts of sports betting information and bank accounts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, Fuentes said.
A search of Harney's house recovered more than $250,000 worth of Rolex watches and nine plasma-screen televisions, including two from his bathroom.
In 1,144 NHL regular-season games, Tocchet had 440 goals, 512 assists and 2,972 penalty minutes with Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington and Phoenix. Tocchet won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and appeared in the Stanley Cup finals with Philadelphia in 1987. He appeared in four NHL All-Star Games: 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1993.
The NHL veteran was also hired by the Colorado Avalanche as an assistant coach in 2003
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2004 3:26 am Posts: 7994 Location: Philadelphia
On the train on the way home from work I am sitting there with my eyes closed and hear 2 guys talking next to me. I hear one guy say "the day Pelle Lindbergh died" in the middle of a conversation. Wierd
_________________ Something tells me that the first mousetrap wasn't designed to catch mice at all, but to protect little cheese "gems" from burglars.
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