That's essentially NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's punishment for former Phoenix Coyotes associate coach Rick Tocchet's role in a betting ring.
Though Tocchet, whom everyone concedes is a decent man and one of hockey's "good guys" might not see it this way, he got what he deserved and he got off easy.
Let's start with the deserving part.
Tocchet made some bad choices in his post-playing career and being a participant in a betting ring was one of them. That there is no apparent evidence that the ring bet on hockey or that Tocchet took bets on hockey or in any way, shape or form contributed information to anyone who might have used it to bet on hockey works in his favour, but he still took under-the-table bets on sporting events. He still did something that he knew wasn't legal and he knowingly and somewhat openly associated with people who knew they were doing something illegal.
That's why he didn't walk away clean from his brush with authorities in New Jersey. That's why he worked out a deal and copped a plea that saw him avoid jail time but left him with a criminal record nonetheless.
That's also why Bettman extended what is technically a "leave of absence" for another half year. Two years probation, two years out of the game, all and all, a just result.
One can only hope Tocchet "gets it."
After all, even though he didn't bet on hockey or take bets on hockey, he did drag the league through a prolonged period of scrutiny and criticism. He also clearly showed how ridiculously easy it is to allow professional gamblers and perhaps even people who would seek to alter the outcome of a professional sporting event into the game.
His well-documented second stupid act, signing in for a legal poker tournament at a $10,000 entry fee while under scrutiny from both the law and the NHL, also made it clear that he is a man susceptible to the lure of gambling and while that isn't a crime that would come before the courts, it was and still is judged in the court of public opinion. In the Commissioner's office, where even the appearance of being influenced by gambling can have an impact on how people perceive the integrity of the game, it raised a flag every bit as large as the initial charge.
Bettman drove that point home when he stipulated that Tocchet, should he chose to be associated with the NHL, "can never gamble again, legally or illegally, in any manner and without exception" and that "he may not engage in any conduct that may reflect adversely on NHL hockey" and that "he must submit himself for evaluation by the NHL substance abuse and behavioural health program doctors to determine if he suffers from a compulsive gambling addiction and if so, undergoes such treatment as the professional counselors require."
That's the kind of warning first-time offenders get when they stand before a judge having done something that was wrong but also mostly stupid.
And, like a reasonable judge, Bettman put forth a reasonable warning.
Violate his terms and the consequences will be severe and without compassion.
Now I can understand parts of the argument that Tocchet didn't really do that much wrong, that this was "a football thing" and had no bearing on the game he truly loves and loves being a part of. I can also understand if Tocchet and his supporters (and they are legion) would claim that Bettman has gone too far and that an additional six months of time away is over the top in terms of justice and/or fairness.
But look at it from Bettman's point of view. He's not doing a legal proceeding here he's doing a perception thing and the perception is that he needs to show Tocchet, and anyone else who might consider doing what Tocchet has done, will not be tolerated.
They won't be tolerated because they can't be tolerated.
We all know that sports and gambling are intrinsically linked, but the dividing line, the line that people inside the game can never cross is the line that fans have drawn. They don't care if you play cards. They don't care if you play cards or other forms of legal gambling and do it for money. They probably don't even care that you embarrassed and ensnared Wayne Gretzky and his wife, Janet Jones Gretzky.
What they do care about is that you never give even the impression that a person who is in position to influence the outcome of a sporting event be associated with sports betting. It may be true that a hockey person didn't bet on anything but football or at least took bets but not on hockey, but that's not good enough for the people who run the sporting league and the people who watch them.
They need to know to an absolute certainty that the game they watch and perhaps even bet on themselves is above reproach. Failure to do so can do serious damage to the fan base.
The NBA is now an example for that. Having one referee gone bad opens the door to fans thinking that there must be more than one and even though the league and Commissioner David Stern have done a decent job in trying to minimize the damage, there is damage. It's hard to look at an NBA game today and not wonder if the fix is in. Likely it's not, but every time there's a missed basket down the stretch, a rebound that bounces off an out-stretched hand or a time clock that mysteriously malfunctions, fans are going to wonder.
They'll wonder every time a whistle blows for an infraction they didn't see. They'll wonder every time one player whispers to another during a television time out or any time a coach lifts a clipboard to cover his mouth. It will be the same whenever they see Tocchet tap a player on the shoulder and send him out onto the ice.
That's the legacy of having betting corrupt a sport. It may go away after a time, but it will be a long, long time.
One gets the sense that Tocchet never grasped that and Bettman seems to have reason to believe that perhaps he never will.
But he should at least get the message that the league can't just look the other way. Bettman could have made a fair and sensible argument that on appearances alone, he could have and should have suspended Tocchet for life.
That he didn't indicates that he at least buys the argument (and his internal investigation would seem to back it up), that Tocchet did not bet or take bets on hockey.
That leaves him some leeway in regards allowing Tocchet to eventually return to the game, but it also leaves some room to up the ante so to speak if Tocchet missteps or if someone takes things one step farther.
Rick Tocchet did a stupid thing. He compounded it by not adhering to all the terms of the arrangement he had with Bettman when he first stepped aside and he made it even worse with his senseless error in judgment in entering a poker tourney.
In being banished for two years, he got what he deserved, but he also got off easy.
One can only hope he'll come to understand why.
