Puck Off - Sports Bet Extra

The sport of hockey, arguably, has the most grueling schedule in all of sports. From the start of training camp, it takes about 9 months to win the holy grail of all sports trophies, the Stanley Cup. As time progresses, injuries, trades, etc, change the outlook for all teams. It takes a little bit of skill, mixed with a lot a bit of luck in order to be the team that gets to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. The luck is extremely important for not only the players vying to be the best, but also for the gamblers looking to win big. Having basic knowledge of the sport does not help win money, unless you’re lucky, or you’ve been betting on one team for the last 35 years. This isn’t a hockey blog, so I won’t bore you with Sidney Crosby’s jock strap, or Alexander Ovechkin’s…..these. What I will give you is the information you need to formulate an opinion on how to best spend your money. Thus, I present to you my NHL team breakdown for gambling purposes.


The West:

The only 3 teams worth looking at are the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, and Detroit Red Wings.

Everybody else:

As far as the 3 teams I’ve listed as potential winners are concerned, the real team worth betting on is the Detroit Red Wings. The Vancouver Canucks spent millions this year upgrading their defense, but when push comes to shove in Roberto Luongo’s crease, he won’t be able to handle it. Teams already know the way to beat them is by crowding his crease. Therefore, they won’t make it beyond the conference finals. The San Jose Sharks are a perennial cup contender that just can’t cut it come April. However, the kink in their armor (Evgeni Nabokov) is finally gone, and they have a proven cup winning goalie with a chip on his shoulder signed for this upcoming year in Antti Niemi. However, their defense is not nearly as deep as in past years, and this is what will make them fall short. The Detroit Red Wings, in my opinion, are the deepest, most cup capable team that can come out of the West. With the additions of Veteran, American, and former Olympian Mike Modano (a.k.a. Mr. Willa Ford- seriously, google her), as well as Jiri Hudler, who’s back from Russia, the Red wings are 4 lines deep, with the defense and goaltending from their win 3 seasons ago. Personally, I believe this is the team to bet on. The Champions of this past season, the Chicago Blackhawks were at 6 to 1 odds, but this is a sucker bet. They’re bringing back 12 of the 22+ players it took to win the cup, and replacing them with rookies and low priced veterans that nobody else wanted. There is no possible way they make it past the first round.

Where I put my $100- Detroit Red Wings (13 to 1 odds on bodog.com)

The East:

There are multiple teams in the Western Conference that can be deemed powerhouses, however very few have the makings of a Champion. There are 4 potential teams that can make it out of the East; the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, and Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils are often considered part of this group, but aside from Zach Parise, Martin Brodeur, and Ilya Kovalchuk (big assumption, I know), theres nothing there. They will make the playoffs because they’re the New Jersey Devils, but after that, don’t buy any round 2 tickets for Newark. Of the 4 previous teams listed, the Capitals are a sucker bet. Last season, they couldn’t make it past the first round even though they had 28+ NHL ready players on their roster. Last I checked they were 7.5 to 1, which is a sucker bet to go along with the Blackhawks in the west. Once the opposing team shuts down Ovechkin, they shut down the Capitals. Next please…The Boston Bruins are definitely going to be among the best in the East. They have 3 lines of offensively capable players, and the goaltending of a contender, but the defense is suspect. Without any midseason acquisitions, they won’t be playing for the Cup come June. Therefore, its down to the Pennsylvania boys; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Any team looking to win the cup will have to come through Pennsylvania first. Both teams have great defenses, quite easily top 3 in the league. Forwards are about even; The Penguins have two of the best players in the league, but the Flyers are deeper on the wings, so that’s a wash. Goaltending is going to make or break both teams. It’s difficult to choose between both teams, and it will all be based upon luck as far as injuries are concerned.

Where I put my $100- $50 on Pitt, $50 on Philly.

So there you have it, it’s a 3 horse race; Detroit, Philly, and Pittsburgh. With separate bets on each team, you should come out ahead. Again, trades, injuries, contract cancellations, hot streaks, etc, could all have bearing on what happens to any of the 30 teams. Hopefully with this breakdown, you should now be able to make an informed decision on where you want to put your money.