I’m back, hockey betting fans. Did you miss me? No, I wasn’t off cavorting with basketball betting fans. suppose I should’ve told you I was leaving North America for a week. Well, here I am, having missed the beginning of the Penguins vs Hurricanes odds and the Red Wings vs Blackhawks odds and trying to catch up.

I’ve noticed something interesting. Something that happened 25 years ago in hockey betting.

The year: 1984. The budding dynasty known as the Edmonton Oilers reaches the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year. The season prior, the young Oilers lost to the powerhouse New York Islanders, who captured their fourth straight Stanley Cup odds crown. In 1984, though, the Oilers, led by legendary superstars Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, faced the Islanders again and took the next step forward, triumphing over the Isles in five games.

The year: 2009. The budding dynasty known as the Pittsburgh Penguins is up 1-0 in the Conference Final after losing in last year’s Stanley Cup final to the Detroit Red Wings, who captured their third cup in 11 seasons. Now, the Wings and Pens are on a collision course to meet again in the final, and something tells me the result will follow the path of the ‘84 Oilers, as Crosby and Malkin take the torch from Gretzky and Messier.

I’m saying it now: the Penguins will win the Stanley Cup odds this season. Make a sports wagering pick now, why don’t ya?