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from ottawasun.com
"He's no Angel
Flyers enforcer stands behind biker cousin
WINNIPEG -- A banner supporting the Hell's Angels in Winnipeg. A link to a family member who Is a full-fledged member of the outlaw motorcycle club.
These are the things you'll find on the MySpace page of Flyers enforcer Riley Cote.
Cote has used his fists to earn a living in the National Hockey League this season. But he also is a co-winner of the Flyers' most improved player award and has been nominated for an NHL award for humanitarian and community service.
Still, the head of the Winnipeg Police Association and a university criminologist say he hasn't used good judgment on his internet site.
There, you'll find a banner that reads, "Support Red and White, Winnipeg" -- a moniker for the Hell's Angels. There is also a link to his cousin, Sean Wolfe, a member who has had several run-ins with the law.
"It certainly makes you wonder about the suitability of the guy as a role model for aspiring hockey players," Winnipeg Police Association president Mike Sutherland said yesterday.
"I don't think having a Hell's Angels member or associate as a pal is something to be proud of," said Dr. Robert Gordon, the director of criminology at Simon Fraser University. "This is not the kind of image the NHL needs to be portraying."
Cote, reached in Pittsburgh late yesterday, stood by his decision to support a man he described as his "big brother."
"I do not have a criminal record," he said. "I've never been charged with anything. I'm not involved in the Hell's Angels. He supports me, I support him.
"I'm not hiding it. You've got to support your family. That's probably where my role is coming from -- an on-ice version of what he is doing."
Cote, 26, was one of the NHL's busiest fighters, having amassed 202 penalty minutes.
"If you do any kind of research on me, it's all positive," Cote said. "My cousin happens to be involved in that. It's a lifestyle. In a perfect world, I'd probably wish something different for him."
Cote says the banner and link have been on his page for at least two years, and he's never heard a complaint.
"What do you want me to tell you -- I live in a fairy-tale life?" Cote said"
from ottawasun.com
"He's no Angel
Flyers enforcer stands behind biker cousin
WINNIPEG -- A banner supporting the Hell's Angels in Winnipeg. A link to a family member who Is a full-fledged member of the outlaw motorcycle club.
These are the things you'll find on the MySpace page of Flyers enforcer Riley Cote.
Cote has used his fists to earn a living in the National Hockey League this season. But he also is a co-winner of the Flyers' most improved player award and has been nominated for an NHL award for humanitarian and community service.
Still, the head of the Winnipeg Police Association and a university criminologist say he hasn't used good judgment on his internet site.
There, you'll find a banner that reads, "Support Red and White, Winnipeg" -- a moniker for the Hell's Angels. There is also a link to his cousin, Sean Wolfe, a member who has had several run-ins with the law.
"It certainly makes you wonder about the suitability of the guy as a role model for aspiring hockey players," Winnipeg Police Association president Mike Sutherland said yesterday.
"I don't think having a Hell's Angels member or associate as a pal is something to be proud of," said Dr. Robert Gordon, the director of criminology at Simon Fraser University. "This is not the kind of image the NHL needs to be portraying."
Cote, reached in Pittsburgh late yesterday, stood by his decision to support a man he described as his "big brother."
"I do not have a criminal record," he said. "I've never been charged with anything. I'm not involved in the Hell's Angels. He supports me, I support him.
"I'm not hiding it. You've got to support your family. That's probably where my role is coming from -- an on-ice version of what he is doing."
Cote, 26, was one of the NHL's busiest fighters, having amassed 202 penalty minutes.
"If you do any kind of research on me, it's all positive," Cote said. "My cousin happens to be involved in that. It's a lifestyle. In a perfect world, I'd probably wish something different for him."
Cote says the banner and link have been on his page for at least two years, and he's never heard a complaint.
"What do you want me to tell you -- I live in a fairy-tale life?" Cote said"