Thursday, April 7, 2011

Turco, Gambling on NHL Games & 14.2 of the CBA

It is being reported that Hawks goalie Marty Turco allegedly made several bets with a fan Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. A man claiming to be a Montreal Canadiens season ticket holder said he made several wagers with Turco while the game was in progress. Turco at the time was playing backup to Crawford.
The man said he was sitting next to Turco in the stands and said friendly wagering started after Habs forward Mike Cammalleri scored in the second period.

“I bet him, after the Canadiens scored, that Chicago wouldn’t score again. When they scored, I gave him five bucks - I slipped it through the glass - he took it with no questions whatsoever. Into the overtime, I went, ‘Marty, I’ll give you 5-to-1 the Canadiens win the game. He took the bet. When the Canadiens scored in overtime, he handed me back a wad of five-dollar bills.”

The NHL CBA at Exhibit 14.2 provides as follows: "Gambling on any NHL Game is prohibited."

Perhaps it could be argued that 14.2 prohibits gambling on the final outcome of a game rather than on any singular event during a game, such as whether a goal will be scored. However, this is a strained interpretation.

Look for the NHL to minimize the incident. However, given the gambling issues that have surfaced in baseball and basketball, look for a clear message to be sent to Turco and all other players that they can't engage in this kind of stuff. Period.

Here's the part of the CBA that applies:

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