from Gary Craig of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle,

National Hockey League star Thomas Vanek was worried and was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to irate bookies.

He thought his name was being kept from others in the Rochester-area gambling circles where he wagered upwards of millions of dollars and now it appeared some angry debt collectors knew just who he was.

“I thought my name stayed anonymous,” Vanek said in a Feb. 27, 2014 text message to his Rochester bookie, Joseph Ruff. “Guess not.”

Minutes later Ruff texted back, forgoing punctuation: “Hey man I’ve tried my hardest to keep your name out of it 3 guys showed up at my house today And start threatening me infront of my fiancée She of course flips out and is scared.”

The text exchange between Vanek and Ruff, now public in unsealed court records from a local gambling investigation, provides some insight into the significant debts Vanek owed for his gambling. And, the records of text exchanges — messages between February 2014 and April 2014 — also add clarity to the odd extortion plot involving Vanek.

continued