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Tucker
February 4, 2010

There are just eight days until the world’s best hockey players take to the ice to represent their country in the 2010 Winter Olympics.  BetUS is offering odds.

Most might be gearing up for Valentine’s Day as the days of February while away, though we here at OnlineGambling.com are gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics.  It’s time to take a look at some of the upcoming events, starting with my favorite – ice hockey.

When it comes to ice hockey, the 2010 Olympics will be unique for a couple of reasons.  First, it may be the last year that NHL players get to compete in the winter games.  The rule to exclude them was lifted for the 1998 Nagano games.  Since then, three countries have taken the gold.  Unfortunately for professional players, the NHL is thinking twice about putting a halt to their regular season to allow the players to represent their countries.  The NHL has not yet made a final decision regarding the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia.  A plan to allow the players to compete would have to be included in the new bargaining agreement as the current CBA expires in 2011.  So, we better get all we can take of professionals players in the Olympics because this could be the last year.  

Second, these 2010 games will be unique in that this is the first time since the 1998 Nagano games that the hockey teams will be competing on NHL sized rinks.  As Vancouver – home of the Canucks – is the host city this year, all Olympic hockey will be played on 200 x 85 foot rinks rather than the standard 200 x 98.5 foot rinks of past winter games.  This could be beneficial for team Canada and USA as the team members will be accustomed to the smaller surface.  Though Russia and Sweden should do well also as they too have plenty of players competing in the NHL.  

The Men:
There will be 12 teams competing in these games: Canada, United States, Czech Republic, Finland, German, Latvia, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and Belarus.  The early frontrunners appear to be Canada, Russia, and USA with Sweden and the Czech Republic following close behind.

It’s obvious why the Canadian team should do well.  Not only is this the birthplace of ice hockey, but the Canadians have the home ice advantage.  They haven’t won a gold medal since 2002, but this year’s team is boasting such talented names as Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, and Dan Heatley – all of which have scored 50 goals in a season – and much more heavy offensive talent.  Though, it is in the net that Canada holds the most power.  Martin Brodeur (holds the record for most shutouts), Mar-Andre Fleury (2008-09 Stanley Cup Champion), and Roberto Luongo (ranked 5th in the NHL for wins) will be between the bars, making it nearly impossible to run up the score on this team.   

Though Team USA is lacking when it comes to Olympic experience, they are boasting plenty of talent.  One of the big names that plenty will be watching is Patrick Kane.  The youngster has been cutting up the ice, leading the Blackhawks to the top of the rankings.  Also joining him is a group of forwards aged 25 and younger: Zach Parise, Phil Kessel, and Bobby Ryan.  They may be young, but they have been testing the veterans in the NHL.  Should be interesting to see if they can handle the pressure of this world wide competition.  Fortunately, the goalies are looking a bit stronger than in years past.  League leaders Ryan Miller and Tim Thomas will be minding the net for the US, giving the team a bit of extra experience.

You can’t talk about the Winter Olympics without mentioning the Russians.  They haven’t won gold in quite some time, but the team this year will be featuring both Alex Ovechkin and Evengi Malkin – possibly the two most talented forwards in the NHL.  There is certainly an over abundance of power as far as the forwards go, but the Russians are lacking depth when it comes to defense.  They have Evgeni Nabokov in the net, though that is about the extent of the big names on defense.  

The Women:
Since its inclusion into the winter games in 1998, only the Canadian and USA’s women’s teams have won the gold medal.  Once again, these two countries look like they will be battling it out for gold and silver.  

Team USA will feature 12 first time Olympians, but with Angela Ruggiero and Jenny Potter returning for their fourth appearances, Julie Chu and Natalie Darwitz returning for their third, the US has created a team that has a good balance of youth and experience.  Minding the net is first timer Jessie Vetter, who helped the US to a gold in the 2009 Worlds.  

The Canadian team sees 14 players returning from previous games with Hayley Wickenheiser once again leading the pack.  Many of these women will be making their fourth Olympic appearance, giving this team plenty of experience.  They also have veteran Chaline Labonte in the net.  With such a group of talent and the home ice advantage, the Canadians are going to be the team to beat this year.         

It’s going to be interesting to see how both the men and women fair once they take to the ice this February.  As always, BetUS is offering on the games, including the following:  

Canada: -200
Czech Republic: +1000
Finland: +1800
Russia: +200
Slovakia: +4000
Sweden: 500
USA: +700

Be sure to check out these odds plus all of the others being offered for the 2010 Olympics before the games get underway on February 12.