Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Anyone who marveled at Wayne Gretzky's abilities on the ice, baffling opponents with deft passes and creative genius, knows that his greatness wasn't the result of uncanny size or speed.

His gift was his vision. Gretzky saw the ice like no other. What appeared as a blur to teammates and opponents presented itself in slow motion to Gretzky, who utilized that gift to become the National Hockey League's all-time leading scorer.

And now that Gretzky is embroiled in a sports-betting scandal, the greatest hockey player of all time is claiming blindness. He saw no evil.

``I did nothing wrong, or nothing that has to do with anything along the lines of betting. That never happened,'' Gretzky, now the coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, said last week. ``I'll say it one more time: I didn't bet, didn't happen, not going to happen, hasn't happened, not something I've done.''

The Great One, as Gretzky was known in his playing days, comes off as the tarnished one in the scandal that also implicates his wife, the actress Janet Jones, as well as his top assistant coach, Rick Tocchet, who will be arraigned Feb. 21 on charges of, among other things, money laundering and promoting gambling.

New Jersey police alleged in a Feb. 7 indictment that Tocchet helped operate a $1.7 million gambling ring with ties to organized crime. The Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey, on Feb. 8 said Jones bet $500,000 over a six-week period. Gretzky didn't know? What do they talk about at dinner?

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Jones, in a Feb. 9 statement, said she never placed bets for her husband. Gambling on sports is illegal in all U.S. states except Nevada.

This imbroglio sullies a league still recovering from a work stoppage that wiped out last season. It also threatens to overshadow the Winter Olympics, where Gretzky serves as the executive director of Hockey Canada, which is among the favorites to win the gold medal.

As of now, there has been no indication that Gretzky was directly involved in the betting ring.

Early last week, when news of the gambling ring broke, Gretzky told the world that he had no knowledge of the endeavor or of his wife's penchant for bets until Tocchet told him about it on Feb. 6.

Wiretap

The Star-Ledger, citing a law enforcement official that it didn't identify, on Feb. 9 reported that Gretzky was recorded on wiretaps talking to the alleged financier of the gambling ring about how to keep his wife from being implicated.

That news set off a firestorm of controversy for Gretzky. The timing of the wiretap conversation supports Gretzky's claim, the Associated Press reported today, citing a person with knowledge of the investigation whom it didn't identify.

``The reality is, I'm not involved,'' Gretzky told reporters on Feb. 7. ``I wasn't involved, and I'm not going to be involved.''

Should Gretzky or his wife be called to testify in the matter, he'd probably have to acknowledge some level of involvement at that point, don't you think?

In the worst-case scenario, authorities prove that Jones not only placed bets for her husband but that he wagered on NHL games. It would be the ultimate disgrace for hockey's golden child. Gretzky would be no better than Pete Rose, who is banned from baseball for life for placing bets on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds.

Athletes and sports betting is nothing new.

Through the Ages

Eight members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, including batting leader ``Shoeless'' Joe Jackson, were barred for life after being indicted for throwing the World Series.

Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung, the National Football League's Most Valuable Player in 1961, and All-Pro Alex Karras of the Detroit Lions were forced to sit out the 1963 season after Commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended them for betting on NFL games and associating with gamblers.

The Super Bowl drew a record $94.5 million in legal wagers this year. How much do you think was bet illegally? Even Las Vegas oddsmakers say they can't offer an accurate estimate. Next month, college basketball tournament brackets will dominate offices. Your head would have to be buried deep in the Earth's crust to think folks don't bet on sports.

We have state lotteries. Poker dominates television. Betting on sports is only a mouse click away.

And just because the NFL won't discuss football's symbiotic relationship with gambling doesn't mean it isn't so. The shock here isn't that athletes bet on sports but that more of it hasn't been uncovered.

If Tocchet were the only hockey figure involved in the mess, this story wouldn't be front-page news. But this is Gretzky, hockey's unofficial ambassador, whom the New York Post is calling ``Betzky.''

This isn't going away anytime soon. Gretzky is involved and so is his wife.

Surely Gretzky sees that now.

To contact the writer of this column: Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: February 13, 2006 12:49 EST