Hartford (AP)- Hartford Whalers owner Jeremy Chrabascz apparently wasn't hiding
from anyone as we reached him for comment at his home in suburban Glastonbury,
Connecticut. Said Chrabascz, "I'm appalled by these allegations and my legal
team has jumped right on it. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of these
falsehoods and prosecute. I only have one thing to say regarding what has been
claimed, You're all just jealous." When asked to expound on that, Chrabascz
replied, "Well, we went into the playoffs last year with the worst record of
them all and won it all. And we won in style, sweeping the first ever
championship series. Then, plagued this year with more injuries than anyone
and struggling with unhappy players, we made some moves. Now, we've got
wonderful young talent, we're winning, we've got 8 picks in theupcoming Free
Agent Draft and we are even in sole possession of second place in the McCoy.
Hell, I don't blame them all for being jealous. I would be too. The thing is,
when am I ever going to get credit or my franchise for making some of the best
moves? Probably never. But until then, they'll just play their petty little
jealous games. In the meantime, unlike other teams that would have crumbled
under similar circumstances, we'll move on...and win." It has also been
reported that for his off-the-cuff remarks, ESPN anchor Dan Patrick has been
shown the door. Chrabascz owns ESPN and all its affiliates as well as NESN and
Sportschannel (Northeast subsidiary) and a significant share of Disney and ABC.
Patrick has not commented on his release and has apparently scheduled an
interview with the struggling cable networks Comedy Central and E!. In the
meantime, Chrabascz continues to deny any wrong doing as does everyone
connected with the organization. As far as the "lewd act" is concerned,
Chrabascz simply said, "Hey, it's a free country. It's not like I'm George
Michael or anything." Chrabascz has reportedly cooperated fully with
authorities who have yet to find any significant evidence. The Whalers have
surrendered all stock of Gatorade and Powerade for testing, although Chrabascz
is confident that, "they'll find it to be nothing but an extremely tasty and
energizing beverage used by millions across the globe." However, to be sure
he's prepared, Chrabascz has retained lawyers Cochrane, Shapiro, and Spence.
