Vancouver Olympics: Canada Favored In Ice Hockey

Sports News - February 9th, 2010 - Written By John Ritter

The Men's Ice Hockey tournament for the 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in the home stadium of the Vancouver Canucks. It is the only time since National Hockey League players were allowed to compete, that the host city is also home to an NHL team. Additionally, the size of the ice rink the match ups will be held on will differ from previous Olympics. The players will compete on a regulation size NHL rink, which is 10-feet narrower than Olympic-style rinks.

Because of the Olympic tournament, the Canucks will be taking the longest road voyage in the history of the NHL. The trip began on January 27th for the team, and will last through March 13th. They will play 14 road games over the six week period. The NHL breaks beginning February 14th for the Olympic competition.

Twelve Teams from Nations around the world will compete for the gold medal. They qualified from their 2008 IIHF (International Ice Hockey) ranking. Those ranked in the top nine in the world received an automatic invitation to the tournament. Teams situated 10th through 30th place were able to compete for the remaining three spots. Online Sportsbook have begun to field wagers on the favorites to claim the gold medal for their country.

The Host country Canada is the leading favorite to claim the gold. The Canadian hockey team claimed the gold medal in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. They failed to medal in 2006, finishing in seventh place. NHL player Sydney Crosby will lead the team heading into the tournament. According to Olympic Betting Lines, Canada has been installed as 11/10 favorite by Bodog Sportsbook.

Following Canada in the order of favorites is Russia. Russia is currently the top-ranked team in the IIHF. The team finished in fourth at Torin in 2006, just outside the medals. They are headlined by NHL All-Star Alexander Ovechkin, who was elected as the NHL MVP for 2009. The top three finalists for the 2009 NHL MVP are members of the Russian National team. Russia has been established as a 21/10 favorite to take home the gold medal.

The defending gold medal champions from Torin fall in behind Canada and Russia. Sweden comes to Vancouver sporting odds of 11/2. They currently rank third in the IIHF. Sweden defeated Finland in the gold medal game in 2006.

The United States hockey team received an automatic bid due to their fifth place ranking among the IIHF. It has been 30 years since the American team last won the gold medal. In Torin, the team finished in eighth position. They have been installed with odds at 7/1.

The preliminary Group games begin February 16th.