Oh Canada, we are really, really freaking good at Olympic hockey. It’s one of the few things we really get to hold over our neighbours to the south. That, Drake, George St Pierre, and not having a batshit crazy Head of State. We have all these things going for us. Which is nice.
Canada has won 2 out of 3 gold medals at the Winter Olympics this century (we ain’t talkin’ about 2006, so don’t bring it up). We’ve also won the last two, and 3 out of the 5 Olympiads since NHL players were allowed to represent their home nations.
But, that doesn’t mean oddsmakers are ready to just gift wrap the gold for us. Here are the odds, according to industry leader.
To quote a very famous Canadian hockey fan m“Ex-Squeeze me? A Baking powder?” Team Russia is ranked over team Canada. No disrespect to Team Russia. But какого черта, comrade?
The NHL will not play these Olympic games, due to an ongoing pissing match between the NHL and the IOC. Great job, guys.
Anyways, consider the team that Canada would have to face in Russia. Russia would have the NHL’s third-leading goal scorer in Alex Ovechkin, and the (current as of today) goal leader in Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov is also 2nd in points. So they clearly would have firepower. But they would also have Sergei Bobrovsky in the pipes, the league’s leader in save percentage and goals against.
Hard to say who this ban/boycott/stupid thing hurts more. Canada or Russia?
No Crosby and no McDavid. No problem? We shall see for Team Canada.
We’re not going to talk about the team we could be sending. It will only anger up our polite Canadian blood. But let’s focus on what we do have. From the roster projections we’ve seen, Canada would send a battle-tested group of wily vets with tonnes of international experience to China. The Youngest bodies being around 26, or 27 years old. The irony is most of these guys are currently playing in Russia’s KHL.
But there will be a good mix of World Cup, World Juniors, and NHL experience on the squad. For example, we’d look at 35-year-old Rene Bourque, of Lac La Biche, Alta. He’s got over 700 NHL games under his belt, splitting his journeyman career between Chicago, Calgary, Montreal, Anaheim, Columbus and Colorado. He was also a big part of Montreal’s run to the conference finals in 2014.
Not a lot of love being given to the Yankee hockey team, with Sweden, The Czech Republic, and Finland all being ranked above Team USA in the early rankings. If things swung suddenly, and they could field an Olympic team, they could be formattable. But most of their best talent is in the NHL and off limits.
They don’t have the depth of talent that most international teams (including the ones we’ve mentioned) have in minor league teams, and overseas. You could certainly make the case that this Olympic ban is hurting them the most. And we’re all missing out on the chance to see Auston Matthews on the world’s biggest stage. Which is criminal. He would have been their youngest player since 1992 and the unquestioned heat source on that team.
But alas, it will take a rule change for us to see that happen. Maybe in 2022?
If you’re not sure where to place your futures Olympic hockey bets. Right now they have an amazing promotion for first-time bettors, as you can get a 100% bonus on your first bet, up to $200.00. Their interface is super-easy to use, and creating your account is free. Just sign up, make your initial deposit using any number of payment options, and start winning.
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