Faceoff Factor

NHL Mocking NFL?

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

Aug 20, 07:26 PM | Hype this story!

Hockey is a physical and sometimes violent sport, as is football. The difference between the two, however, is that one is immensely popular in the United States and the other, well, is struggling.

So how can the National Hockey League remedy the problem?

How about imitation?

As it turns out, NHL players are doing just that.

In a little more than a year, at least six NHL players have been taken in by the authorities. Ironically, four of them have ties to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hockey player arrests:

• February 2006: Rick Tocchet (gambling)
• July 4, 2006: Ryan VandenBussche (assault of an officer)
• 2006: Mark Bell (drunk driving)
• July 21, 2007: Jordan & Eric Staal (disorderly conduct)
• August 16, 2007: Billy Tibbetts (traffic-related violations)

Sure, none of these compare to, say, dog fighting, but these players have to start somewhere, right? Rome wasn’t built in a day, and NHL players can’t be known as convicts overnight.

But seriously, someone should tell these players that if they plan to mock the National Football League, they should pick better areas, such as better game production or better telecasts.

Jail-Bound Bell
Mark Bell, of the Toronto Maple Leafs, plead no contest to drunk driving with injury and hit-and-run charges stemming from a car accident last year. As a result, the offenseman has been sentenced to six months in jail, though the sentence could be reduced by up to four months.

He is scheduled to begin his sentence in San Jose after the 2007-08 season comes to an end, and possibly won’t be forced to miss any hockey at all.

Gambling With Tocchet’s Future
Former Penguin and Philadelphia Flyer tough-guy Rick Tocchet is scheduled to be sentenced today for his involvement in a sports gambling ring.

After pleading guilty, Tocchet could be sentenced to 10 years in prison and $50,000 in fines.

Up To His Old Games
One of Maxim Magazine’s “Sports Felon Hall of Fame” members has struck again. Billy Tibbetts was arrested after leading police on a chase. He faces charges of speeding, a marked lanes violation, failure to stop for a police officer, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest.

Tibbetts is known as a rebel with a temper who can’t seem to stay out of trouble, both on the ice and in his personal life.