What up, sportsbook hockey bettors. The last time we spoke, it was regarding the Jonathan Toews hit. What’s happened since then? Well, Toews still hasn’t played (though he hopes to suit up tonight) and we’ve seen half a dozen more NHLers fall to concussions, not to mention an OHLer go into intensive care.

To me, the scariest hits of the ones we’ve seen recently aren’t the fluky (Iginla on Souray, who happened to fall just as he was getting hit) or the dirty (the Mike Richards on David Booth hit, perhaps?). It’s the clean ones. Starting with Toews, were’s seeing guys get concussed — KO’d — with clean, crisp hits. I still wonder if the vicious OHL hit was even dirty, as the perpetrator was forechecking a defenseman who had the puck and was facing him.

The truth is that the NHL betting landscape is changing because the game is so fast — Autobahn fast. The obstruction rules are gone and the guys are just flying out there — so much that collisions are more devastating than ever before. Defensemen can’t pick guys or grab sweaters or do anything to slow anyone down. The result is a more exciting and finesse-oriented game — but also a more dangerous one.

Damien Cox in the Toronto Star today had an interesting idea. If we can’t do anything to stop clean but hard hits, we can find other ways to protect guys from brutal hits — like removing the puckhandling anti-goalie trapezoid. If goalies could play the puck in the corner, defenseman wouldn’t get crushed as often in races for the puck.

NFL betting fans know what it’s like to have their league institute rules to protect the vulnerable (like punters and quarterbacks who get hit while performing their tasks). Maybe it’s time for hockey to undergo similar changes.

If nothing changes, expect hockey odds to fluctuate throughout the year as one big star after another goes down to a head shot.

I’ve been immersed in sportsbook betting lately, with hockey back, the baseball playoffs and the NFL in full swing. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have time to dis the guys I don’t like for 2009-10!

Here are some guys who could cost you money in your hockey odds betting this season. Some will be busts with new teams, some are getting old, others are just douchebags. Here they are, in random order.

Niklas Backstrom (the goalie) — Not to be confused with Washington’s stellar playmaking center. Let’s see…locked up cushy long-term contract…defensive-minded head coach Jacques Lemaire left town…yep, that’s a recipe for way more shots — and goals — on Backstrom. (Side note: last year in my fantasy hockey pool, I had the No. 32 and No. 33 picks overall. I took Niklas Backstrom and Nicklas Backstrom back to back. Was I the first guy ever to do that?)

Marion Gaborik — One healthy season didn’t convince me that Chad Pennington’s NFL odds of getting through 2009 healthy were good. Gaborik will be lucky to play half the year with that groin of his.

Jamie Langenbrunner - Career year last year for a first-line guy with second or third-line talent. Don’t expect a repeat with Lemaire back behind the bench.

Alexander Ovechkin — Just kidding! Wanted to make sure you were still reading.

Pekka Rinne - Nashville goalies are cursed; every friggin’ last one of ‘em wins the job midseason only to lose it to the backup the next year.

Nicklas Lidstrom - Sacrilege! Don’t get me wrong — I rank him as the second-best defenseman ever to play the game — but he’s almost 40. Niklas Krownwall is getting really good really fast, so Detroit can start cutting back Lidstrom’s ice time.

Marty Turco - He’ll never be a star No. 1 goalie again. He’s older than you may think — 34 — and I’d be shocked if Dallas re-signed him. Who takes the plunge on him next year? Seems like a Philly thing to do. I’m betting management considers it.

Jonathan Cheechoo — He was miscast in his short-lived sniper role in San Jose. He’s more of a blue-collar player who can chip in occasional offense now with his speed and ability to drive to the net. I wouldn’t expect a major performance spike in Ottawa.

A shorter list, but I stand by my picks.

If you bet at a sportsbook, you know there’s nothing wrong with stealing ideas. You overhear a guy make a compelling argument as to why the Lions will be the Redskins in NFL betting, you place a wager. No harm, no foul. Well, I’ve taken it upon myself to steal another idea — “Guys I like” and “Guys I don’t like” for the upcoming NHL season.

If you’re the type of bettor who factors individual performances into your hockey odds betting, remember these names as potential contributors to your success this season.

Anaheim’s top line — Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry. My pick to be the NHL’s most dominant first line this season.

Blake Wheeler — For all the hype Milan Lucic gets in Boston, Wheeler has fantastic hands and agility for his size. Maybe he’s the next Cam Neely.

Derick Brassard — He really looked like he belonged as Rick Nash’s centerman last year. This season, he’ll have better injury luck and help take Nash to new heights.

Valtteri Filppula - Somebody has to eat up all those power-play minutes and ice time with Datsyuk and Franzen in Detroit after Hossa and Hudler blew town.

Drew Doughty — I think he can make the leap into true offensive relevance as a sophomore.

Claude Giroux — Could see first-line duties with Simon Gagne good for an injury every year.

Chris Kunitz — A heady, well-rounded player who can be a defensive conscience on Crosby’s line.

Mikael Samuelsson — Only a matter of time before Vancouver puts him with the Sedins.

There you have it — some guys to think about. There aren’t the only guys I like — Jonathan Toews and Alexander Ovechkin are clearly good at hockey — but just some names you may be forgetting who could surprise this season. Remember that when you do your betting management.

I know I should be following NFL odds like a good citizen right now, but what can I say? I’m a die-hard hockey guy and I can’t help but notice that teams are starting up their Olympic camps.

Some thoughts on the major contenders…

The Canadians are the obvious online betting favorites at home but, believe it or not, I wonder about their goaltending stability. Pretty much every option has question marks; Martin Brodeur has health and age concerns, Roberto Luongo crumbled when it mattered most in the 2009 playoffs, Steve Mason runs the risk of a sophomore jinx, Carey Price is an enigma, Cam Ward is inconsistent year to year…

Crazily enough, the U.S. tandem of Tim Thomas and Ryan Miller seems sturdier. Sure, those two have much lower ceilings, but you really know what you’re getting with them.

I don’t expect much from the defending champion Sweden at Vancouver. Many of their key contributors from the 2006 gold medal team — Mats Sundin, Markus Naslund, Nicklas Lidstrom, Daniel Alfredsson — are past their prime or retired. The Swedes will rock again in a few years when guys like Patrick Berglund, Victor Hedman and Sven Karlsson reach their potential, but I think the 2010 team will be a young, raw, rebuilding group.

To me, the Russians are Canada’s greatest threat. Ovechkin, Malkin, Datsyuk — that’s arguably three of the top four forwards in the world and doesn’t even include Ilya Kovalchuk or Alex Kovalev.

Remember when the Czech Republic was a powerhouse? Seems to me like the country’s hockey program has sagged this decade.

So, while I’m not as accurate of a predictor as top-of-the-line betting software, that’s my two cents about Olympic sports picks. 

The American betting community lost one of its beloved figures to retirement today. Well, beloved is probably an overstatement — it’s not like hockey gets the love that NCAA football betting or basketball or even poker gets in the U.S. — but the bottom line is that Jeremy Roenick is one of the best hockey players ever to hail from the Land of the Free.

Here’s hoping he goes into broadcasting. While he sometimes seemed to be an attention hog, Roenick was a great personality for the game. He was honest yet charming and that lends well to a good color commentary guy in the mold of Brett Hull. I’m betting management in Chicago and Philadelphia TV stations try to nab him for color work very soon — maybe even in time for the 2009-10 season.

Congrats, Jeremy. You’ve had a great career and, while you never got that Stanley Cup ring, I’ll make a sports prediction that you make the Hall of Fame. We’ll miss ya, bud.

Sad day. Not an offshore sportsbook kind of sad, where all the bettors who made money on the Colorado Avalanche over the years cry into their drinks because the Avs are rebuilding.

Sure, Burnaby Joe Sakic helped many of us win those parlays, but the main story of today is how much we’ll miss him as hockey fans. He was a class act — a quiet guy who led by example and was an ambassador for the sport (like Georges St-Pierre on this weekend’s UFC fight card. Hint hint, Canada — you have a gold mine in that kid. Stop ignoring him!). He gave us many memorable clutch moments — playoff overtime winners, winning Gold with Canada in the 2002 Olympics (he was MVP). And of course, there’s the wrist shot — the heaviest, most deceptive, most famous wrister in NHL history.

We’ll miss you, Joe. Let’s hope this ain’t the last of you in hockey. According to my sports predictions, you’ll be back in some capacity. Think of the price per head they’d charge in Denver if you got behind the bench with Pat Roy!

Hmpf. Many of the online betting fans following the Blue and White are happy with Brian Burke’s offseason but I have to wonder if they’d be saying the same if it weren’t for one key signing — the Mike Komisarek deal, of course. That’s a great deal but it’s the only major move the Leafs have made so far.

In my sports predictions, I have to wonder if there’s a bit of collusion happening against Brian Burke. He’s always been a colorful, brash, in-your-face speaker, but he did so in West Coast markets or in Hartford, which may as well have been Greenland. Now, every sound bite he gives has a much bigger ripple. Saying stuff like “we’re trading up, we’ll aggressively pursuing so-and-so” — almost daring the league to stop him — may have ruffled a few feathers.

Overall, I like Burke’s style and I’m willing to accept the consequences that go with his actions. But I’d bet at the offshore sportsbook that more than one GM said “You know what? He made me a good offer but I’m sick of his antics and don’t want to get pushed around, so I’m not trading with him.:”

Am I crazier than someone picking Roddick’s Wimbledon odds Sunday? Maybe, but I’m betting management in several NHL cities could prove me right.

I’m betting most of you NHL fans knew who rounded out my top five before I posted, as Brayden Schenn is a consensus pick to go No. 5 on almost every mock draft board.

The comparison i’ve seen most is Bryan Trottier — pretty lofty. Scouts say Brayden is a power forward/playmaker hybrid, reportedly driving to the net hard, getting physical with defenders, and extremely tough to move from the front of the net. He also is said to have a quick release and great passing skills. Sounds to me like he projects to have a Mike Richards-like impact on daily sports picks in the NHL.

The front-runner to get Brayden is, naturally, the Los Angeles Kings, who hold the No. 5 pick. However, the Toronto Maple Leafs may consider making a play to acquire the No. 5 pick and pair Brayden with brother Luke on the same team. Will he be worth the price per head (speaking of which — how much are UFC 100 fight card tickets?) ? Only time will tell.

Plenty of MLB odds to keep an eye on this week, but we winter-sport guys are already looking ahead to the NHL draft. Today’s prospect to discuss: Victor Hedman.

If Tavares is the X-Factor type of player, Hedman is much more the physical specimen teams are salivating over in the draft. Since it’s been proven (more so in the NFL) that some teams like talent over polish, I wouldn’t necessarily bet at your offshore sportsbook that Hedman automatically slips to the No. 2 overall position.

The scouting report is pretty awesome — he’s 6′7″, giving him the size of Chara or Pronger, but he supposedly skates and positions himself like Lidstrom. So instead of Chara 10 years ago, he already has the scouting report of Chara in his prime, though I’m not convinced he has the mean streak/killer instinct of Chara. We’ll have to wait and see on that.

It wouldn’t be a huge stretch for the Isles to go with Hedman, as I’m betting management sees a hole at pretty much every position there (including “owner” and “general manager.”) If they do and Tavares slips, it’ll throw a crazy wrench in the draft. If I’m making my daily sports picks for the draft right this second, though, I still think Hedman slips to second or third.

While some NFL odds action may top it before the end of 2009, I think I found the hit of the year…while there were some doozies in the NHL this year, I don’t think it comes from the ice…

It comes from — the Tony Awards??? Yessir. Check out what happened to poor, poor Brett Michaels:

WOOOO! I am a better person for having seen that. Aren’t you? I’m betting management of the stage production got a little paycut after that one. Can the hit be topped? There was a pretty sweet hit by the security guard at the U.S. Open when that guy rushed Federer — maybe it’ll be topped in the Wimbledon odds? You never know.

Of all the awesome hitters we imagined making waves in our sports predictions this season, who knew they’d all be topped by a giant stage prop?