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.

So I made my BetOnline.com wager and turned on the Canucks/Hawks game last night. Picked Chicago, of course. Midway through the third period…

BAM!

Willie Mitchell hops out of the box and brutalizes Jonathan Toews, goes Gambino Family on him. Massive hit but it was crisp and clean, so it was nice to see that Mitchell wasn’t indicted by the league and coaches. The BetOnline.com odds of that happening are usually pretty slim — seems every big hit these days is “dirty” in someone else’s mind.

All the big hits today show a weird trend; it used to be that only blatant cheap shots started big brawls. Now, any big hit gets you jumped by the other team and you end up with the post-whistle scrum you usually see in NFL betting after a fumble. What gives?

I long for the olden days — even 10 years ago — when the answer to a good clean hit was another good clean hit. I totally understand that teams have to respond in some way to show they can’t be pushed around — but why not answer hits with hits?

OK, offshore sportsbook lovers, it’s time to play…PANIC/DON’T PANIC!

It’s easy to have knee-jerk reactions to certain teams or players’ slow starts just a few weeks into the season. I’m here to sort through them for you.

PANIC: Detroit is banged up and starting slowly

Do I think Detroit will miss the playoffs? Of course not. Do I think the Wings will take a step back and possibly even lose home ice in the first round? You bet. After Johan Franzen’s serious knee injury, the Wings are now missing four of their top six goal scorers from last season. Gulp.

DON’T PANIC: Buffalo is the no-scoring zone

Aside from their outburst against Detroit, the Sabres have struggled to find the net early in 2009-10 and that’s ironic, because scoring should be one of the only things they do well this season. They still have plenty of speedy, soft-handed forwards, so the goals will come. So will the losses (Craig Rivet is their top defenseman).

PANIC: The Toronto Maple Laughs

The Leafs aren’t nearly as bad as their record suggests, but they’re in a hole already. I envisioned them as a fringe team, on the cusp of finishing eighth or ninth in the East, but a start this slow could put them too far back in the pack to contend already.

DON’T PANIC: Bruins aren’t so big and bad

Boston has stumbled out of the gate and people are turning on their NHL betting odds already. Relax, everyone! Boston opened with five straight home games, which could be a curse instead of a blessing. Road trips, especially early in the season, give players crucial bonding time. Expect the Bruins to rally now that they’re hitting the road.

PANIC: Caps getting scored on as much as they score

As flashy Washington’s offense is, the Caps have lost four of their first six games. Ovechkin, Semin and company will keep the Caps’ Stanley Cup odds afloat but Washington seriously lacks blueline depth and neither Jose Theodore nor Simeon Varlamov looks like a clear-cut No. 1 goalie right now. Unless the Caps acquire some help, they’ll stay stuck in neutral. I’m betting management considers making a move soon.

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.

If you bet horses, you probably never expected that the name Rachel Alexandra would matter this season. If you bet hockey, you probably haven’t noticed the Los Angeles Kings for over a decade. Sure, they had those brief blips of success with Ziggy Palffy, Matthieu Schneider and Jason Allison, but let’s face — the Kings haven’t been relevant since Wayne Gretzky centered Luc Robitaille and Tomas Sandstrom.

That’s about to change. I may be off by one year, tops - but the Kings are about to ascend back into the playoffs. They pulled a Chicago/Pittsburgh/St. Louis and stockpiled great prospects when no one was looking. Suddenly, their top six forwards turn online sports betting fans’ heads. Check it, yo:

Anze Kopitar

Alexander Frolov

Ryan Smyth

Dustin Brown

Justin Williams

Michael Handzus

Plus Jarret Stoll, Oscar Moller and Wayne Simmonds are in the mix. Then there’s first-rounder Brayden Schenn on the way. Not bad at all.

Defensively, the Kings have the league’s next great rushing defenseman in Drew Doughty, plus Jack Johnson, who still has plenty of potential. Blue chipper Thomas Hickey is on the way, though I’m betting management brings him along slowly.

Goaltending — featuring Jonathan Quick and Erik Ersberg — could be a temporary hindrance. Eventually, though, Jonathan Bernier, a Canadian World Junior champion, will get his shot to start.

Is that not a blue print for a playoff team? Can that not match what St. Louis or Columbus iced last year?

Don’t forget about the Kings when you make your hockey picks this year.

Ugh. If you online betting fans follow my blog, you’ll know that I’m a Leafs fan, though I try not to let that bias leak out or take over all the talk here (that’s what Canadian news media are for, right?). It thus pains me to say that…I think the Senators are a pretty good sleeper to make the playoffs this season.

Blech.

What were the main problems plaguing the Sens during their contending years? Weak goaltending, no scoring depth. While I thought they would’ve gotten a better return for Dany Heatley, I do think the trade makes them a better team. When you include the Kovalev signing, the Sens essentially dealt Dany Heatley for Alex Kovalev, Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo. That trio joins Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Mike Fisher and Nick Foligno. Is it just me or do the Sens have two scoring lines for the first time since before the lockout?

From the goalie standpoint — Pascal Leclaire is still an injury risk but he’s like Jay Cutler to the Bears’ NFL odds — he may be the most naturally talented goalie the Sens have ever had and I’m betting management feels that way in Ottawa. If he stays healthy, who knows what he can do?

They’re not crazy sports picks to win the Cup or anything, but they could bounce back to respectability.

Hockey betting fans weren’t exactly on the edge of their seats, but Dany Heatley’s press conference today was a topic of interest. After weeks of hockey brass and disgruntled fans putting words/soothers in this mouth, he broke his silence.

Did we learn anything? Hardly. Breaking news! Heatley wanted more choices for trade destinations! What a bombshell!

So he wanted to go to California. What player wouldn’t want that versus Edmonton, by far the northernmost city in the NHL?

What interests me most about Heatley’s situation isn’t his next home. It isn’t his diminished role on the Senators or possibly losing the “A” from his sweater or any of that mumbo-jumbo.

It’s that “between the lines” theory that always hides behind any seemingly out-of-nowhere trade request in hockey. Think about it. Why would Heatley sign a multi-year deal and hit the ejector seat after one year?

I don’t want to make any accusations or claims that what I’ve heard is true. But, based on what I’ve heard through the grapevine, something may have gone down between Heatley and Spezza. Something similar to what may have happened between these players:

- Eric Lindros and Rod Brind’Amour

- Gary Leeman and Al Iafrate

- Tony Amonte and Jeremy Roenick

- Theo Fleury and Doug Gilmour

- Mike Comrie and Tommy Salo

- Shayne Corson and Alexander Mogilny

Reportedly, in each of those cases, one of the players found himself traded, requested a trade, or left the team. Again — I don’t want to drag any names through the mud. But let’s just say the rumors involved a certain biblical commandment about coveting thy neighbour’s wife. And we know Heatley jumped ship on Spezza’s wedding.

Sure would explain why Heatley wants out of town so badly, wouldn’t it?

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.

I suppose I should discuss offshore sportsbook picks, but c’mon, it’s the offseason. Let’s riff a little, have some fun at retired NHLers’ expense.

I’m betting, unless you’re a real dieheard hockey fan of 20-plus years, that you haven’t heard of Chris Nilan. Well, he was one of the more prolific goons of the late 1980s and early 1990s, playing with Montreal and Boston.

Apparently he was just arrested for trying to steal a bathing suit, which he was wearing under his clothes at a retail outlet. He apparently took a swing at a security guard and wrestled with cops on the ground before proclaiming he “just wanted to save a few bucks.”

I can’t begin to process the sadness of this scenario. Former tough guy, beaten down and forced to steal a bathing suit and rumble with cops? I feel bad even writing about it after he made so many hockey games worth the price per head in his career.

Thanks for at least defying any sports predictions I could’ve made this summer, Chris.