The NHL needs a hug

Awesome logo, use this NHL!



I've written extensively about why the NHL isn't more popular.  Seriously, it's been a lot.  No, really, A LOT.  Scroll down that last one, it's #6.  You're welcome.  I used to be more wordy, you see... oops. 



But then it occured to me I'm not thinking logically about this at all.  Those reasons up there, that's all well and good, and genius and right.  In reality, it comes down to two simple reasons:

1.  You can't play with one other person in less than five minutes.
2.  It's really hard to gamble on.

Lay off the video games, dude.

Let's say I'm a 10 year old kid, hanging out with my friend, brother, whoever, and I'm bored on a sunny day.  I'm not like all the fat kids sitting at home playing video games, I want to go outside, yo!  I can play three of the four major sports right now.  Baseball?  Two gloves, a ball, done.  Basketball?  Ball, hoop, done.  Football?  You get the idea.  Hell, I can even play baseball or basketball on my own... baseball with a ball and a wall, for you non-creative types.

If I'm a 35 year old man, 55 year old Mom wanting to play ball with her kid, a drunk 20-something tailgating anything I can tailgate, I can play all three of these sports pretty darn easily.  Hockey?  Minimum four guys to make it interesting, everyone needs sticks, minimum one net (or something to serve as a goal), and a puck/hockey ball.  This takes effort, even back in the day before that kid up there got lazy.  And let's be honest... our beloved ol' American public doesn't really do "effort" anymore.



Do your part and lock out.

On to the second point.  You're in Vegas/your local bookie/local offshore gambling website.  Or, maybe, if we're lucky one day, you're here.  What games are you checking out?  What futures are you betting?  Are you saying to yourself, "man, the Red Wings are only giving 5.5 pucks to the Flyers?  I'm on that!"  Uhhh, no.  And you shouldn't.  Hockey is a highly unpredictable game, and should not (usually) be gambled on.  It's what makes the playoff so great:  all bets are off, pun intended.



I say if we who love the NHL want to see it back in the spotlight, the best thing we can do, other than praying for an NBA lockout, is to gamble like hell on the NHL.  They won't do the NFL thing, where you pretend you're against gambling and discourage it by posting the lines everywhere imaginable.  They'll just ignore it and laugh it off, "no one gambles on hockey, are they crazy?"  Yes, sir, we hockey fans are.

Do the NHL a solid.  Bet on the Stanley Cup.  I'll get you started:

1.  Bet on the Canucks and Flyers in every game in Round 1.

2.  Bet the following Stanley Cup winners - Vancouver (2.5 to 1), Boston (5 to 1), Flyers (5 to 1), and value bet the Coyotes and Canadiens (18 to 1).

3.  If the Canucks get to the Finals, bet on them every game, regardless of opponent.  In turn, if the Flyers get to the Finals, and it's not against Vancouver, do the same thing.
4.  Bet Flyers, Canucks, and Coyotes on the money line to win their first round series.
5.  Email LB, thanking me for winnings and offering to send 10%.

Side note - making fantasy hockey huge would help, too, but there aren't enough fans to make it big. Just keep it in mind if you're not willing to wager on the playoffs.  Start a league next year and talk it about more than you talk about your fantasy football team.  Nobody will care, just like nobody cares about your other fantasy teams, but it will get them thinking about it.  Trust me.


Quick playoff picks:  West - Canucks over Coyotes.  East - Flyers over Capitals.  Finals - Canucks over Flyers.

Five minutes, boys.  Good times.

Outside of the NCAA tournament, these are the best playoffs around.  If you don't believe me, go to your local watering hole, find someone wearing hockey apparel, and ask them about this year's playoffs. Be prepared to sit awhile.  And, to quote a friend, you get to carry a stick, hit people, and then get in a fight, and you only have to sit for five minutes.  How can you not love this game?

Contact Logical Betting at logicalbetting@gmail.com and twitter.com/logicalbetting.