Calling Canuck fans everywhere

Hockey Betting Lines

07/09/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The word "frenzy" is often used to describe the NHL's free agency period, but sitting here today on July 9th, the word "flop" might be more appropriate in describing the excitement level amongst hockey fans.

In the first two days of free agency there were 52 new contracts handed out, and there have been only seven since.

It would seem that general managers are playing a waiting game, holding their cards close to the vest in order to see how the landscape will look once superstar Ilya Kovalchuk decides on a new home.

After the Russian sniper signs, effectively taking this year's stud off the market, one can expect the deals to start hitting the news wire at more of a brisk pace.

For now, it will be the smaller stories that get some attention, and the Vancouver Canucks are serving up some fodder for the hockey world in that regard.

It was announced earlier in the week that the Canucks would be partnering with Rogers Communications, Canada's largest cable and mobile phone provider, in a sponsorship deal.

By acquiring the naming rights to the team's downtown stadium on Tuesday, the concrete behemoth at 800 Griffiths Way, previously known as General Motors place, will now be Rogers Arena.

Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini and Rogers president and CEO Nadir Mohamed agreed on the 10-year deal that will not only result in the name change, but also some exploration into using the media giant to reach out to Canucks fans.

"We will partner with the Canucks to explore new and revolutionary ways to use wireless technology to engage Vancouver fans any time, any place," said Mohamed, who grew up a Canucks fan in British Columbia.

By the sound of it, some interesting new digital outlets could be developed to enhance the franchise's relationship with its rabid fan base.

The Canucks already have an extremely successful iPhone application on the market, showing how they value the opportunities to connect with people in this digital age. This new partnership is an expansion of that media savvy.

Rogers can add this relationship with the Canucks to their already-impressive resume in pro sports ownership, management and marketing.

The media giant also owns the Toronto Blue Jays franchise and their home turf (Rogers Centre), as well as the naming rights to the ATP pro tennis tour's Canadian pit stop the Rogers Cup.

On the hockey front, the Canucks have made some moves that should contribute to their on-ice success as well.

By signing free agents Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malhotra and trading for the Florida Panthers' Keith Ballard the Canucks have beefed up at both ends of the ice.

Hamhuis, 27, turned down more lucrative offers to play in his home province and will be the lynchpin of the defensive corps, while Ballard, also 27, will join Hamhuis among the top four on the back end and will be an injection of quickness and durability. The move to get Ballard could also allow the Canucks to explore the possibility of moving oft-injured defender Kevin Bieksa for some more scoring punch up front.

With the signing of Malhotra, the Canucks add a gritty third-line center who won more than 60 percent of his draws last season. The face-off specialist will take a leading role on the penalty kill that finished 18th in the league last year.

The Canucks have sent a strong message to the rest of the league, that they believe the window for a Stanley Cup is wide open.

And by partnering with Rogers, it looks like there will be even more ways for Canucks fans to enjoy the ride.

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.