I live in Edmonton, so this is obviously a huge deal out here, as Gretzky is still an icon, probably the most famous athlete who ever lived/played in this city. He is still universally loved out here.

That being said, he is either incredibly naive and blind, or everyone is doing their best to try and deflect attention and blame away from him to save his reputation. Either way, I can't see it ending well. Is he the next pete Rose? Will people remember him not for his amazing accomplishments on the ice but for the scandal off it?

It is a shame, because he has a reputation of not only being an incredible athlete, but a genuinely nice person. But even nice people make bad judgement calls sometimes. I hope that this is nothing more than what it appears to be (i.e. a small group of people betting on sports) and not some sort of huge conspiracy/fix situation.

Anyway, it is just another example of why hockey is a second-rate professional sport. Too bad. I also hope it doesn't detract from the Olympics, but it will, sadly.