Habs-Leafs double-dip

Hockey Betting Lines

03/22/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In between naps, I was trying to watch the Leafs and the Canadiens on Saturday and, well, it had about as much zip as soggy bread.

Although the Leafs and Habs' rivalry goes way back, it's just not what it used to be, and it was no match for second-round March Madness hoops.

As a hockey geek, I also happened to watch a good chunk of Game 4 of the 1979 quarterfinals between the Leafs and Canadiens on ESPN Classic. Montreal swept Toronto, 4-0, in the best-of-seven series, with the Leafs losing 5-4 in overtime in what turned out to be the last match of the series.

At the final buzzer, Tiger Williams is going nuts, prowling around the Maple Leaf Gardens ice, looking to get a piece of the referee. Teammate Ian Turnbull desperately tries to corral him before he does something really dumb. In the end, Larry Robinson puts a bear-hug on Tiger to help him regain his senses. It was a touching scene; one that you're not likely to see today with all the extra-curricular crap/posturing/cheap shots/trash talk after every whistle.

But what really struck me, aside from the advertising-free boards, was the slow nature of the game. Today's game is so much faster. Yet, for all its speed, today's game is often about frantically dishing off the puck before some guy barrels into you at high speed. The result, while thrilling for a certain segment of fans, is a scarcity of quality scoring chances.

The NHL of yesteryear may have been a bit slower, but the frequent scoring chances made the game worth watching.

Was watching Dominic Moore skate for the Canadiens and Mikhail Grabovski skate for the Leafs and got to wondering about players who have played for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's not exactly like playing for the Yankees and Red Sox in one's career - hello, Bucky Dent, Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon - but pretty close, for some.

Here's a start, using only my deteriorating memory: Doug Gilmour, Darcy Tucker, Dave Manson, Jyrki Lumme, Shayne Corson, Mathieu Schneider, Vincent Damphousse, Sylvain Lefebvre, Scott Thornton, Rob Ramage, Rick Wamsley, Russ Courtnall, Gary Leeman, John Kordic, Paul DiPietro, Sergio Momesso, Gilles Thibaudeau, Lucien Deblois, Gaston Gingras, Dan Daoust, Frank Mahovlich and Jacques Plante. I know the list is a lot longer. If you have some more names to add, e-mail me at knightgroove@yahoo.ca and I'll make a comprehensive list later on. No cheating.

CROSS-CANADA CHECK-UP

OTTAWA SENATORS: The good news is Jason Spezza is finally starting to shoot the puck more. The seventh-year forward potted a hat trick on Saturday against Dallas after scoring just two goals in his previous 10 games. The bad news is the Sens still managed to lose 5-4 courtesy of some unsteady goaltending by Pascal Leclaire.

Maybe owner Eugene Melnyk's pre-game telephone call in support of his troops spooked the young netminder.

Left-winger Milan Michalek missed the game with a left leg injury and is day- to-day. He suffered the injury March 18 in Atlanta. Defenseman Filip Kuba missed the game with a lower body injury. He is listed as day-to-day.

CALGARY FLAMES: The Flames lost 4-3 to the Wild on Sunday, but the worst part was a bizarre play in which Calgary forward Daymond Langkow ended up leaving the ice on a stretcher. Langkow was checked from behind and fell forward head- first. As he was falling, he was hit in the neck by a puck fired by teammate Ian White.

Langkow was taken to a local hospital where he regained motion in his extremities. The Flames have lost three of their last five and are life-and- death to make the playoffs. They are two points behind Detroit for the final Western Conference playoff berth. Three games this week against inconsistent Eastern Conference teams - the Islanders, Bruins and Capitals - might be a chance for Calgary to make up some ground.

EDMONTON OILERS: Despite this train wreck of a season, there is cause for optimism in Edmonton. The Oil are on a mini - some might say massive - two-game win streak, including rookie goalie Devan Dubnyk earning his first win following 10 consecutive losses.

He beat the Red Wings in a shootout on Friday, then backstopped the Oilers to a 5-1 win over San Jose on Sunday. Shawn Horcoff, on the other hand, is earning $7 million this season and is well on his way to his worst season since 2001-02.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS: The Canucks helped lighten any lingering Olympic disappointment on the part of American silver medallist Ryan Kesler by signing him to a six-year, $30-million contract extension.

The sixth-year power forward from Livonia, Mich., has already posted career- bests in assists (45) and points (66) in just 72 games. The Canucks celebrated the signing with a gut-wrenching 4-3 overtime loss to the desperate Detroit Red Wings in which Henrik Zetterberg scored the winner with one second left in the extra frame.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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