As Rick Tocchet continues to pace the corridors, his coaching career in limbo, I have to wonder why Gary Bettman is dragging his feet bringing the gambling case to any sort of resolution.
Surely something, anything, could have been decided by now.
If nothing else, Tocchet deserves closure. Delaying the decision is pathetic.
According to hockey writer Scott Morrison, something called the Cleary Report will be delivered to Bettman this week, at which time he is expected to put in a call to Tocchet. No one knows if a further suspension is coming, let alone how long it could be if the hammer falls.
If Janet Gretzky is looking to drop a 20-spot, she may want to take the over.
Not all that long ago, Bettman dropped a laughable 15-game suspension on Mark Bell after the troubled winger was sentenced to half a year in jail.
Tocchet could only be so lucky.
We know Rick Tocchet made bets. So does the judge who handed down a sentence of two years probation. Tocchet did the crime and is doin' the time, so to speak.
But, still, the NHL cannot decide on Tocchet's short-term fate in the league. Apparently, they need a detailed report to do that, even though the facts of the case are already public knowledge.
Whether or not you feel Tocchet should be banished for life, one thing cannot be denied. Rick Tocchet had his day in court and was punished.
One way or another, he still has to earn a living.
That living may or may not come in the NHL.
I have a hunch an extended suspension is coming Tocchet's way, simply because Bettman feels his power overshadows anything a judge can hand down.
Call it little man's syndrome.
Perhaps it makes him feel important. Who knows, but the fact remains Tocchet has been out of the game since this story became news.
Tocchet deserves an answer.
And he should have had it by now.