Don Cherry and Ron McLean host Coach’s Corner on Saturday, December 19 on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada. In this episode, Grapes talks about: Ottawa Senators goalie Mike Brodeur Tactics Armoured Skate Socks to protect players from blade cuts World Junior Team and cuts of prospects like Brandon Gormley and Tyler Seguin Toronto neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Tator Colorado Avalanche LW David Koci’s hit on Washington Capitals D Mike Green Los Angeles Kings D Matt Greene Nashville Predators LW Steve
The following is a three-team parlay for Friday, December 18, 2009. The odds for the two British sportsbook, Bet365.com and Bwin.com, apply to regulation time only. Proline’s odds shown below (Atlantic Region) apply to regulation time plus overtime, but not shootouts (Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada that includes shootouts). Matchup Pick Proline Bet365 Bwin Senators at Devils Senators 2.80 3.50 3.30 Hurricanes at Panthers Panthers 1.75 2.10 2.00 Bruins at Blackhawks Blackhawks 1.65 1.83 1.90 Payoff on a $10 bet $80.85 $144.30 $125.40 In this chart, the odds for the two British sportsbook, Bet365.com and Bwin.com, apply to ovetime and shootouts. Proline’s odds apply to regulation time plus overtime, but not shootouts. Matchup Pick Proline Bet365 Bwin Senators at Devils Senators 2.80 2.70 2.55 Hurricanes at Panthers Panthers 1.75 1.68 1.67 Bruins at Blackhawks Blackhawks 1.65 1.58 1.55 Payoff on a $10 bet $80.85 $72.40 $66.01 Both Bet365.com and Bwin.com are safe, reliable, licenced sportsbooks that accept Canadian players (unfortunately they currently don’t take Americans). I have accounts at both books and the user experience is top notch. I highly recommend both of them. To open an account, click here for Bet365.com or click here for Bwin.com.
Note: This article applies to Proline bettors in all jurisdictions except Ontario. Thank you to Puckline.net reader Jon for pointing out that in Ontario shootouts are included in final game results. Canadians love playing Proline because of it’s convenience – you can go to the corner store and place your sports bets while you’re picking up some munchies. There also the illusion that you’re getting value since the payoff off on a cheap five dollar Proline bet can be significant. This is especially appealing for notoriously conservative (cheap?) Canadians who are adverse to taking big risks – this is one of those subtle difference we have with Americans. Of course, there’s a huge catch when betting with Proline – you have bet on a minimum of three games and all three games have to win. This is what we call a “parlay”. Bookies like the Canadian Government love parlays because they are so hard to win – it’s tough enough to predict the outcome of one game, let alone three. Everyday millions of $5 Proline tickets across Canada inevitably lose and fill the government’s coffers with cash. (I guess that’s why they call Proline a sports “lottery”.) Of course, the Proline revenues don’t stay in the coffers very long – they’re quickly vapourized by our fat and inefficient government bureaucracies. But I digress… Any sharp bettor worth his salt avoids parlays and bets on games individually, which is something the Canadian Government won’t allow you to do via Proline. Online sportsbooks and bookies in Vegas will certainly allow you to bet on individual games, and this is really the smartest way to go. What I’ve said here is nothing new, and I’ve written on this subject in the past. Inevitably I receive emails from bettors who swear by Proline, who say that they’ve made lots of money and that the only reason they come to this site is to do research for their Proline ticket. They also say they trust the Proline system, which is basically like saying you trust the government with your money, which is absurd. That said, let me be the devil’s advocate to my better judgment. Admittedly, there is an allure to the parlay ticket that’s hard to ignore.
As long as they have existed, Americans have bet on college sports, particularly college football and college basketball. In Canada, most Canadians have a passing interest in college sports, and as far as betting is concerned, one would be hard-pressed to find an online sportsbook with odds on games involving Canadian universities. But that doesn’t mean Canadians don’t follow sports played by college-aged kids. In fact, they have a huge passion for amateur hockey. Specifically, Canadians across the country are passionate about a brand of hockey played at the highest reaches of the amateur level, often referred to as major junior hockey. This level of hockey, much like Division I college sports in the U.S., feeds the pros. Top hockey players in Canada usually play major junior hockey because it’s the quickest route to the NHL. There are three major junior hockey leagues in Canada – the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL). All three fall under the direction of an umbrella organization called the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Top players are typically drafted directly out of these three leagues and often start the next year on NHL clubs. Sidney Crosby, for instance, played on the Rimouski Océanic of the QMJHL before joining the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. There are 18 teams in the QMJHL representing cities throughout the Province of Quebec and Canada’s four Atlantic provinces – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Newfoundland. The league also has one team representing Lewiston, Maine. The OHL has 20 teams representing cities across Ontario as well as two cities in Michigan (Plymouth and Saginaw) and one in Pennsylvania (Erie). The WHL has 22 teams representing cities in Canada’s western provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) as well as five U.S. cities (four in Washington and one in Portland, Oregon). While extremely popular, betting on major junior hockey is relatively unheard of. Even the Canadian government, the country’s largest bookmaker, doesn’t take action on major junior hockey in its popular Proline sports betting “lottery”. (Proline offers parlay betting on NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB and other sports. Bettors can place bets at convenience stores, pharmacies, gas stations, etc.) Recognizing an opportunity, Bwin.com, a publicly-traded company based in Vienna, Austria, is now posting odds and accepting wagers on all three Canadian major junior hockey leagues. For instance, a hockey bettor could wager on tonight’s WHL game between the visiting Kelowna Rockets and the Prince Albert Raiders.
Keith Jones and Brian Engblom tee up two NHL games that will be shown on VERSUS this week: Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres visit Tomas Plekanec and the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, then Coach Peter Laviolette and the Philadelphia Flyers face off with Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. The Sabres are listed as -125 favorites on the moneyline and -1 1/2 +230 on the puckline, and the total is listed at 5 at
Don Cherry and Ron McLean host Coach’s Corner on Saturday, December 12 on CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada. In this episode, Grapes talks about the curve on Alex Ovechkin’s stick, New York Islanders C Rob Schremp, Montreal Canadiens C Glen Metropolit, Calgary Flames D Aaron Johnson, Edmonton Oilers RW Zack Stortini and LW Dustin Penner, and Atlanta Thrashers Assistant Coach Randy Cunneyworth and the team’s penalty killing success.
Courtesy of Handicapper Tom Freese The Devils are 7-0 when playing with no rest and they are 21-7 their last 28 games overall. The Devils are 42-16 vs. losing teams and they are 36-16 their last 52 home games. The Flyers 19-44 their last 63 road games vs. a team with a home win percentage of over 60 percent and they are 16-37 when playing their fourth game in six nights. The Flyers are 0-7 their last seven games vs. a team with a winning record and they are 9-26-4 their last 39 games at New Jersey. Play on New Jersey. To see more NHL picks, click
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