The Secret 304 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 But the gangsters had the Kostitsyn-brothers credit card info and stuff, so they've probably been doing more than just hanging out. Apparently Canadian gangsters are very high tech... you can buy your cocaine using cash, credit or American express & if I am not mistaken they will provide you with a receipt of purchase income tax purposes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BeeRYCE 2 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 Being a superfan of Scorsese movies... I now love the Kostitsyn brothers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ManLuv4Clears 7 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 Or they may call you "guy" in a stern tone if they're mad, as in "look, guy, this stuff ain't pure, eh." It would be similar to this: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-TownWing 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 But the gangsters had the Kostitsyn-brothers credit card info and stuff, so they've probably been doing more than just hanging out. You're probably right, but still...wake me up when you're making an arrest. Even in the worst case, it's just a couple grossly underachieving players who don't strike me as the brightest guys ever (just ask Mikhail Grabovski) getting caught up in something stupid. Hardly anything that will "rock the Canadiens' foundation to its core" or whatever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-TownWing 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 It would be similar to this: Exactly what I had in mind with that. Nice work Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dominator2005 558 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=267916&lid...os=topStory_nhl As many problems as the Canadiens have had on the ice lately, they potentially have a greater one off the ice. A suspect arrested last week in a police operation targeting organized crime is an acquaintance of Montreal Canadiens players Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn and Roman Hamrlik, according to a report in Friday's La Presse. The police reportedly recorded conversations between the arrested man, Pasquale Mangiola, and at least two of the players. La Presse adds that the three Canadiens stars are not suspected of any criminal activity. Pasquale was arrested on charges of drug trafficking last Thursday as part of an operation called ‘Project Axe.' The news is the latest distraction for a team that finished 1-4-1 on a crucial road trip and is in danger of missing the playoffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dominator2005 558 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 http://sports.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/abc/New...treal-canadiens Habs silent on La Presse report CBC Sports 20/02/2009 11:28:41 AM The Montreal Canadiens are not commenting on a report in Friday's La Presse linking two players to a man arrested in a recent sting operation by city police. According to the Montreal newspaper, 38-year-old Mangiola Pasquale allegedly made a number of services available, including girls and luxury cars, to Canadiens forwards Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn at bars. Pasquale was arrested on charges of drug trafficking Feb. 12. When contacted by CBCSports.ca, Dominick Saillant, director of media relations for the Canadiens, declined any comment on the La Presse story. Montreal police are also not commenting on the anti-gang operation, called Project Axe, that led to Pasquale's arrest, or the La Presse report on the Canadiens players' alleged ties to Pasquale. The Canadiens, who host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, are scheduled to hold a regular team practice Friday at 2 p.m. ET. Saillant said they expect to answer questions about the La Presse report after practice. Earlier this week, the Canadiens assigned Sergei Kostitsyn to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Kostitsyn, 21, has eight goals and 15 assists in 52 games for the Canadiens this season, his second in the league. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dominator2005 558 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 http://www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/269591.html Le quotidien "La Presse" publie aujourd’hui un dossier embarrassant sur les frères Andrei et Sergei Kostitsyn qui auraient des liens avec un membre présumé du crime organisé qui a été arrêté dans le cadre de l’opération policière Axe. Ce présumé criminel, Pasquale Mangiola, 38 ans, a été arrêté pour des accusations de trafic de drogue et il aurait servi d’intermédiaire entre plusieurs groupes criminalisés. Durant l’enquête policière qui a mené à l’opération Axe, la police a enregistré plusieurs conversations téléphoniques de Mangiola à son insu. Plusieurs de ces conversations auraient eu lieu avec les frères Kostitsyn. Les joueurs du Canadien sont revenus de Pittsburgh autour de minuit et aucune arrestation n'a été effectuée. Selon La Presse, Mangiola serait un grand ami des frères Kostitsyn. L’homme de 38 ans rendrait plusieurs services aux deux joueurs du Canadien quant à leurs sorties dans les bars, les filles et les voitures de luxe. Le défenseur Roman Hamrlik aurait également des liens avec Mangiola, toujours selon le quotidien de la rue St-Jacques. Hamrlik aurait été vu en compagnie de Mangiola et des Kostitsyn dans des bars de Montréal. La Presse a questionné Andrei Kostitsyn sur ses relations avec Mangiola au terme de la partie contre les Penguins à Pittsburgh. L'aîné des frères Kostitsyn a confirmé qu’il connaissait Mangiola, mais qu’il ne savait rien sur lui. Don Meehan agit en tant qu’agent pour les deux frères Kostitsyn et il a précisé qu’il ne connaissait pas cet individu. Par ailleurs, Meehan et la direction du Canadien ont tenu à préciser que le renvoi de Sergei Kostitsyn à Hamilton était purement lié au hockey. Nobody arrested... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dominator2005 558 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3921050 Security probes Canadiens' connection The NHL on Friday will send security officials to Montreal to meet with local police following reports linking a number of Montreal Canadiens players with an organized crime investigation, sources said. French language newspaper La Presse of Montreal reported Friday that Pasquale Mangiola, who faces weapons and drug charges, is close to the Canadiens' Kostitsyn brothers, Andrei and Sergei. The three have often been seen together at Montreal bars and restaurants, the paper reported. The paper also mentioned veteran defenseman Roman Hamrlik as also being linked to Mangiola, who is alleged to have acted as an intermediary between a number of rival criminal gangs in Montreal. Police officials would not comment to La Presse when asked about the ongoing investigation. The NHL is aware of the reports and is in the process of gathering additional information. A spokesman for the Canadiens said Friday morning the team had no comment on the reports. They were scheduled to practice at 2 p.m. ET Friday. The reports are another blemish on a season that began with such promise -- the Canadiens are celebrating their 100th anniversary and hoping for a long Stanley Cup playoff run this spring. The team has played poorly -- a 3-11-1 record in their last 15 games including a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday. Earlier this week, general manager Bob Gainey told slumping forward Alex Kovalev he would not accompany the team on a two-game road trip this week. Gainey also shipped 21-year-old Sergei Kostitsyn to Montreal's American Hockey League affiliate in Hamilton earlier this week, although it's believed this was strictly a hockey decision. Sergei Kostitsyn is the younger of the brothers and is in his second season with the Canadiens. Andrei Kostitsyn, 24, was the 10th overall pick in the 2003 entry draft but has been slow to mature into a top player, having bounced between the AHL and the NHL in the last two years. Montreal has fallen to sixth place among Eastern Conference teams and is just four points from falling to ninth and out of the playoff picture. Its play, coupled with its off-ice distractions, have become the talking point for the entire province. Segments on radio and TV talk shows have incorporated the full range of the Canadiens' issues. Scott Burnside covers the NHL for ESPN.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dat's sick 1,002 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 Apparently Canadian gangsters are very high tech... you can buy your cocaine using cash, credit or American express & if I am not mistaken they will provide you with a receipt of purchase income tax purposes. It doesn't have to be drugs. And if the rumors going around about Price are true, holy s***. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 If this is the whole scandal, wow. There must not be much going on up there in Montreal. Why would Bettman fly to Montreal for this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Secret 304 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 If this is the whole scandal, wow. There must not be much going on up there in Montreal. Why would Bettman fly to Montreal for this? I think Bettman wants to make sure his tab has been cleared with this gangster to avoid any neg press on him too. I hope he isn't dumb enough to pay with Credit like the others. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edicius 3,269 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 You could always have a hockey movie starring Hamrlik where Hamrlik transforms into a tractor-trailer... Ideas, intriguing, newsletter, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NHLrules? 32 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 First Bettman is into shromms not coke. Second, hes not your guy; buddy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coolio Mendez 7 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 (edited) Theodore was caught on camera at a hells angels party in a Hells angels clubhouse. The loan sharking operation was his father and brothers, well they did the jail time anyway- he probably financed the operation although that was only speculation and never charged or proven. I think NHL games could be fixed especially by younger players who have significant roles on the team but are still paid a low entry level salary. The mess there is getting crazy, although as more players look like bad guys some pressure comes off Gainey and Carbonneau. Maybe you can fire the team and keep the coach. Mtl definitely have some leadership issues. Hamerlik's name implicated surprises me- not the other two. Anybody remember this The Riberio video reminds me of the last troublesome trio there in Mtl who were partying too much and associating with the wrong crowd. Riberio Theodore and Pierre Dagnais. All three were moved out by Gainey. I wonder what the fallout with these will be, this is the team that got rid of Carbonneau after giving a reporter the finger on a golfcourse. La Presse is one of the more respected papers in the city. The Journal de montreal is the tabloid that people at least I take with a grain of salt. La presse usually have facts to support their stories. Although I think it was La Presse that wrote the Basilie said that Gillete said that Habs were for sale story. There I think it was probably something taken out of context. This one I think there is something too. At the end of the day they can rent a room at Chez Pare if they want, associate with any criminal the want as long as the show a little effort an Heart on the ice. The off ice stuff is affecting the on ice product I'm sure but as a fan I only care about the 12 losses in 15 games. Fix that!! If that means fixing off ice issues go for it but its time for the men on this team if there are any to step up and be accountable. Lets see if Kovalev is one, does he have any pride left? Edited February 20, 2009 by Coolio Mendez Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjlegend 155 Report post Posted February 20, 2009 I know Montreal never really struck me as a cohesive team, but I wonder who in management knew what and when. Basically: did Gainey knew about this and sent Sergei to Hamilton to try to hide the problem? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casey 145 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 Is there any further news? Rumors about Price are still swirling on CBS Sportsline, but no confirmation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord Stanely 39 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) Even this seems to be a bigger "scandal". http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3240754 I had never heard about this when it happened- almost like it came from the onion. Edited February 21, 2009 by Lord Stanely Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shoreline Report post Posted February 21, 2009 I don't think this is a huge scandal at all unless some hugely defaming evidence comes out that one of them is involving in the killing of dogs (read: Vick) or babies. The only thing I can see is it's simply some bad press for the Habs (and maybe NHL) for making Montreal look like the French Quarter of New Orleans with all the parties and personal recklessness. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 You're probably right, but still...wake me up when you're making an arrest. Even in the worst case, it's just a couple grossly underachieving players who don't strike me as the brightest guys ever (just ask Mikhail Grabovski) getting caught up in something stupid. Hardly anything that will "rock the Canadiens' foundation to its core" or whatever. Exactly. Guilt by association doesn't work in the courts. Sure they've been associated with this shady guy, but that doesn't prove that these young hockey players had any idea the degree to which this guy was shady. I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't more than a bit naive about the whole situation. I mean it's one thing to be suspicious of someone but it's another to have the instincts to know something shady is going on. That's just something you learn over time. I don't think these kids are automatically innocent because they're young and naive but I'm not going to slide my judgment all the way to the other end of the scale either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 I don't think this is a huge scandal at all unless some hugely defaming evidence comes out that one of them is involving in the killing of dogs (read: Vick) or babies. The only thing I can see is it's simply some bad press for the Habs (and maybe NHL) for making Montreal look like the French Quarter of New Orleans with all the parties and personal recklessness. NHL players are held to a much higher standard than NFL players. Until very recently it seemed like NFL players could do whatever the hell they wanted with impunity... the NHL has always demanded high standards of ethical conduct from its players. I think this case is a mix of the ethical conduct thing and a healthy mix of sensationalism brought on by the fact that it's a story about the Canadians and it's written in French. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shoreline Report post Posted February 21, 2009 NHL players are held to a much higher standard than NFL players. Until very recently it seemed like NFL players could do whatever the hell they wanted with impunity... the NHL has always demanded high standards of ethical conduct from its players. I think this case is a mix of the ethical conduct thing and a healthy mix of sensationalism brought on by the fact that it's a story about the Canadians and it's written in French. Huh, always? It wasn't even long ago that players would come to the rink coked up and ready to kick ass. One prominent player being a widely known decent Red Wings / Blackhawks fighter. I bet there are plenty of players who smoke weed now or did within the last year or two -- what's the problem? We have far too much a fascination with celebrities and athletes and too often watch every move they make outside of the venue they play the game at. I think this image nonsense is exactly what is overblown. Someone posted a Charles Barkley video that would be quite appropriate for now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GMRwings1983 8,804 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 I'm rather disappointed. I was hoping the scandal would have something to do with Robert Lang stealing food from the team refrigerator or something like that. Instead, it turned out to be about some Montreal newspaper's paranoia over the Russian mob. Seriously, don't they have anything better to do over there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 Huh, always? It wasn't even long ago that players would come to the rink coked up and ready to kick ass. One prominent player being a widely known decent Red Wings / Blackhawks fighter. I bet there are plenty of players who smoke weed now or did within the last year or two -- what's the problem? We have far too much a fascination with celebrities and athletes and too often watch every move they make outside of the venue they play the game at. I think this image nonsense is exactly what is overblown. Someone posted a Charles Barkley video that would be quite appropriate for now. Well first of all- weed is a less damaging drug than alcohol (socially and personally), so I don't care about that. As far as coke use goes- that's part of the reason why Detroit parted way with him and certainly one of the reasons why the league was always looking to distance themselves from him. The coke probably made him a better fighter, though Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dominator2005 558 Report post Posted February 21, 2009 I'm rather disappointed. I was hoping the scandal would have something to do with Robert Lang stealing food from the team refrigerator or something like that. Instead, it turned out to be about some Montreal newspaper's paranoia over the Russian mob. Seriously, don't they have anything better to do over there? :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
