Olympic Hockey Betting – Canada, Russia, Sweden best bets for gold
Online betting players only get do it every four years, but betting on Olympic hockey is one of the most challenging, yet entertaining, things you can do. Sweden pulled out the gold in Turin in 2006, but they’ll have their hands full defending their title against 2002 winners Canada, as well as Russia.
Olympic Hockey Betting – Canadians look for home-ice advantage in Vancouver
Canada -110
Russia +225
Sweden +500
USA +800
Czech Republic +1400
Finland +1600
Slovakia +4400
Switzerland +22500
Germany +40000
Latvia +100000
Belarus +100000
Norway +200000
Canada – The Canadians are favored at -100 in your sportsbook, and they can trot a list of NHL stars, led by Sidney Crosby and a trio of San Jose Sharks, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau. There were a couple of controversial omission on the blue line like Dion Phaneuf and Jay Bouwmeester, but captain Scott Niedermayer leads a capable corps. Goaltending is in good hands with Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo.
Russia – The Russians come in at +225, and in Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeni Malkin, they could have the scariest line in Vancouver. Sergei Gonchar leads a mobile back line, while Ilya Bryzgalov and Evgeni Nabokov will battle for the No.1 spot in nets.
Sweden – The defending gold medallists have Olympic Hockey betting odds of +500, and they surprised everyone by including Peter Forsberg, who plays in Sweden now, on the squad. Forsberg joins a talented group led by twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who will have some crowd support as they play in Vancouver, and Detroit stalwarts Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom and Nicklas Lidstrom. Henrik Lundqvist has the No.1 spot in goal sewn up.
USA – The Americans are rated at +800, and they’ll be looking to follow the performance of their junior team, which ended Canada’s run of five straight gold medals in Saskatchewan. Team USA could definitely cause an Olympic Hockey betting upset with Ryan Miller in goals as he’s played out of his mind this year in Buffalo. He’ll need to be great, because there isn’t much scoring outside of Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan and Phil Kessel.
Czech Republic – The Czechs are the top longshot at +1400, and North American fans will get to see Jaromir Jagr once again as the former NHL MVP has played in Russia for the last couple of seasons. They’ll need his offense, along with Martin Havlat and captain Patrick Elias. Tomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina will pace the blue line, while Tomas Vokoun should be the No.1 netminder despite a slow start in Florida.
Don’s Pick: It should come down to Canada and Sweden, as the Russians aren’t that big at the back, while the Americans don’t have much offense. Canada and Sweden are the most well-rounded teams in the tournament, and it should be a thrilling final. But with the crowd behind them and a host of players that can score goals at big times, Canada is the smart play here. Bet on Canada in Vancouver.
BetOnline has all your sports betting props, odds and lines for the 2010 Winter Olympics, so check out our sportsbook, as well as the Betting Edge for tips on the way to the gold medal.
