Betting on junior hockey? My word!

Ever go to a junior hockey game and think about how much more exciting the game would be if you could bet on it?

Well, European sportsbook Bwin.com posts odds on Canadian junior hockey, so for fun I thought I’d post a three-team parlay involving games scheduled for tonight in the Western Hockey League (WHL).

But before we get to the picks, I’d be remiss if I didn’t touch on the ridiculous “moral and ethical” questions that some people undoubtedly have about the prospect of betting on junior hockey.

First off all, I’ve never understood moral and ethical questions when it comes to betting on sports by consenting adults. It’s on this illogical plane where Bible-thumpers and bleeding-heart do-gooders converge.

One group thinks betting is a sin (for the record, there is no mention of gambling in the Bible, not that I give the Bible much credence. And no, “money changers” don’t count.) The other group thinks it knows what’s good for us and that it must protect us from ourselves.

Poppycock, I say to both.

Secondly, junior hockey is a money-making business which hides behind the facade of good sportsmanship, athleticism and healthy living, much like college sports in the U.S.

When I was a web editor at TSN.ca in the so-called “mainstream media,” former NHLer and television personality Nick Kypreos told me that junior hockey was essentially “semi-pro”. I couldn’t agree more.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s no innocence in junior hockey, if there ever was.

Besides feeding their massive egos, millionaires, rich families and corporations own teams in order to sell us peons beer, coffee, cars, electronics and insurance.

And while junior hockey players are only supposed to get a small weekly stipend, they are paid handsomely (which they should) in the form of other things such as university scholarships.

So, being that junior hockey is a professional, moneymaking enterprise, I see nothing ethically wrong with consenting adults betting on the outcome of a game, especially when it’s controlled through a licensed and regulated sportsbook like Bwin.com.

In fact, even if junior hockey was lily white and innocent, I still wouldn’t have problem betting on it. But that’s an argument for another day.

Let’s look at the picks:

Here is my simplistic reasoning for the picks: The Warriors are on a seven-game unbeaten streak, the Silvertips have won six straight and the Cougars have the worst record in the league.