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2008 NHL Hockey Betting at betED.com Sportsbook

2008 NHL Hockey Betting preview from the couch at betED.com Sportsbook. The NHL, struggling to get a foothold back in the North American sports marketplace, opened up their new season over the weekend in that local hockey hotbed, Sweden.

2008 NHL Hockey Betting

Oct 7th, 2008 – Keeping an Eye on the NHL

The NHL, struggling to get a foothold back in the North American sports marketplace, opened up their new season over the weekend in that local hockey hotbed, Sweden.

Yes, it’s looking like it could be another one of those years for the NHL.

Seemingly forever the easiest to pick-on sport amongst the big four, hockey has suffered from bad press, bad TV ratings and an increasingly bad reputation.

Now it is about to suffer from its own bad practices.

After the disastrous strike two seasons ago, one would have thought both the player and the power brokers in the game would have their respective houses on order and march to a fiscally responsible drum.

Think again puckheads.

Remember, most of the guys who are making the money decisions in the NHL, the GM’s, are ex-players who have been punched in the head hundreds of times over the years. Not exactly what you would call creative, typically they have one solution and one solution only to any problem they have – throw enough cash at it to make it go away therefore keeping themselves employed for as long as possible.

That’s why pretty much every team in the league have pushed their salary cap envelope and have been getting creative with their accounting to cram in just a few dollars more.

But those were the good old days – like three weeks ago.

Now with this ongoing financial catastrophe, the money is about to dry up big time. See, the thing that distinguishes the NHL from the other major league sports is, owners do have to be rich to buy a team, but not psychotically filthy stinking rich.

The majority purchased their teams as play things or as money losing tax shelters for their other businesses, or both. However, now they are facing the prospect of having 10, 15, 20 or 50% of their net worth going bye-bye as Wall Street eats itself alive. As of Monday a full nineteen NHL clubs were committed to over $50 million in salary in 2008-09.

Where are they gonna find the money?

Increased TV revenue? The NHL has to pay NBC to cover their games.

Increased ticket sales? Overall season ticket sales are up 4% across the league. That is a deceiving number unfortunately as teams have had to slash ticket prices to attract sales. The Toronto Maple Leafs may be able to charge $272 a ticket for their home season opener but you can get a seat for $13 at Chicago’s, or $12 for Philadelphia’s or $17 for both Tampa Bay’s or Phoenix’s.

What about corporate boxes? There aren’t as many corporations as there were yesterday, and those that are left, certainly the last thing they are thinking is, “Hey, let’s get a box at the Sommet Center to watch the Nashville Predators play the Minnesota Wild. That’ll impress our clients!”

No, what could well happen this season is this: the NHL may have to be prepared to take over teams whose owners have failed financially and either find a new buyer, (ya, good luck with that), move them to a new market, (how many teams can fit in Oklahoma anyway?) or simply fold them.

That’s not exactly the best news going into a season now is it?

That could be the nightmare that overshadows everything else, but there are few great stories on the ice to keep the beleaguered fans pacified if and when it does.

First, Wayne Gretzky might not be such a crappy coach after all. With few exceptions, (like his wife’s apparent gambling addiction and his assistant coach being her bet-pimp), anytime No. 99 is in the press, it’s a good thing for the NHL. Since he went behind the bench the media has taken it easy on the greatest of all the greats, but last season the gloves kind of came off a bit in Phoenix, wondering why he couldn’t put it all together. This season with Peter Mueller, rookie Kyle Turris and former Florida Panthers captain Olli Jokinen joining the team, the Coyotes could finally be a force out west. Well, for as long as Gretzky and the other owners can keep the doors open that is. And Janet doesn’t bet on him.

Next, the youth movement in the NHL has revitalized the game. Once upon a time the old-boy mentality had youngsters seasoned either in the minors or at the end of the bench. Now it is these free-wheeling kids who are dominating the scoring sheets and the press. Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, and Evgeni Malkin are joined this year by the next should-be super star Steve Stamkos. The kids apparently are officially all right all over the league because in the most staid (some say stupid) of places, Chicago, they just named 20-year-old Jonathan Toews their captain.

And finally there is the d-word, or “dynasty” being thrown around. The Detroit Red Wings had a relatively easy time of it winning the Stanley Cup last June. In the off season what they did was pretty amazing considering the era of the salary cap. Not only did they not lose any significant players, they actually acquired the most coveted free-agent there was available, Marian Hossa.

As a result not only are they the team to beat, they should be the team to beat in the NHL for a while.

That is if there is an NHL for a while.

Cheers and enjoy the season while you can – Gavin McDougald – AKA Couch

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Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"