Hard to believe sportsbook betting on the Winter Olympics is so close…close enough that we’ll start seeing major nations announce their rosters in the coming weeks.

I had a funny thought today — one that contradicts my earlier opinions. As much as were used to seeing half a dozen teams battle hard for the gold — Canada, Russia, USA, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia — I’m suddenly wondering if two teams are head and shoulders above the competition.

Naturally, the two main contenders are Canada and Russia. I’ll save a comparison or discussion about them for another day. Instead, I want to focus on why the other teams’ sports betting prospects suddenly seem slimmer.

For whatever reason, it seems the Czechs, Slovaks and Finns haven’t produced as many top-flight NHL prospects of late. In fact, in the last two drafts combined, none of those nations has produced a first-round pick. That’s a far cry from the days when Teemu Selanne and Marian Gaborik topped draft boards.

For the Americans and Swedes, the problem is purely temporary. They’re producing boatloads of elite youngsters — Erik Johnson, Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson, Peter Mueller, and so on — but many of their top players will be a bit young to compete with the big boys. Sure, the Americans have Patrick Kane and Zach and the Swedes have Henrik Zetterberg and the Sedins, but those elite players wouldn’t even be first liners on Canada or Russia, who can ice Crosby, Iginla, Malkin, Ovechkin and so on.

It’s also worth noting that many key contributors from the 2002 and 2006 Swedish and American Olympic teams — Markus Naslund, Mats Sundin, Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk — are either retired or well past their prime.

As NFL betting teams will eventually do with the Green Bay Packers, Canada and Russia will have major competition on their hands for 2014 and beyond once the Swedish and American youngsters grow up a bit. In 2010, though, hockey odds suggest the gold will go to Canada or Russia.

Online betting fans finally saw Allen Iverson sign a contract today, proving that he does not in fact have cooties. However, the jury may still be out on Marc Savard.

Here’s a guy who gets it done year after year in the NHL yet continuously gets shipped out of town. New York sent him to Calgary. The Flames dealt him to Atlanta. He blossomed as a Thrasher, hitting the 97-point mark, yet walked as an unrestricted free agent. Now, after seasons of 96, 78 and 88 points, he enters his final the final year of his contract as a Boston Bruin and I’ve heard no buzz about him re-signing.

Savard is like…hmm…Jeff Garcia in NFL betting? No one wants him even though he consistently plays pretty darned well. The worst snub of all: Team Canada. He’s never sniffed an Olympic invite and wasn’t even considered at the big camp.

Here’s a speedy, feisty, creative offensive player, capable of making noise in international play, yet Canada doesn’t even give him a chance. Though he’d be hard-pressed to make the team, It’s hard to believe he didn’t earn a shot over Andy McDonald, Dan Cleary or even washed-up Ryan Smyth.

Well, Marc, I guess you’ll have to just keep doing what you do best — rack up points on a first-place team and keep boosting its hockey odds.  2009-10 will be kind to you anyways, as you may very well win a Stanley Cup. I’m betting management for Team Canada will look silly if (when?) that happens.

If this was an NFL betting blog and I said something like “Cowboys will go 0-16 this season,” would I risk as much negative backlash as I am with today’s Pucking Bets headline?

It’s too early to truly commit to an Olympic prediciton without rosters fully set, but I have a few growing concerns. Here are a few reason why Canada could disappoint in Vancouver.

BAD, BAD HISTORY AS THE OLYMPIC HOST

Canada hosted the Summer Olympics in 1976 (Montreal) and the Winter Olympics in 1988 (Calgary). Guess how many gold medals it won? ZERO. In both Olympics combined. For whatever reason, Canada has an embarrassing history of totally choking as the host nation. The Canadians are dumping money into their development program this time around, but don’t you think they worked hard the last time they hosted? Now, the hockey team faces more pressure than perhaps any Canadian team since the 1972 Summit Series squad. Would it be that big of an online betting shocker if they crumbled in 2010?

BIG-GAME EXPERIENCE AT FORWARD

Perusing Canada’s list of candidates to make the team, it suddenly seems like the forwards could be  short on Stanley Cup experience. Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards, Eric Staal — all are cup winners and all are considered long shots to make the team right now. Aside from Sidney Crosby, many of Canada’s big guns haven’t won the big game yet, including Jarome Iginla, Rick Nash, Mike Richards, Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry have Cups but weren’t depended upon to be the top stars on the Ducks that season.

QUESTION MARKS IN GOAL

Martin Brodeur is the only “sure thing” between the pipes for Canada but age and injuries are starting to creep up on him, as he missed significant time to injury last season. Roberto Luongo hasn’t gone deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs; Cam Ward is battling back pain; Marc-Andre Fleury has a cup now but has choked in international play before. There’s no shortage of talent, but dont’ you think Sweden (Henrik Lundqvist) and USA (Tim Thomas) seem at least more secure right now?

THE RUSSIANS ARE ATTACKING!

I’m betting management of team Canada is having nightmares about the Russia forwards. There are just…so…many…superstars. It’s hard to imagine Canada stopping all of Ovechkin, Malkin, Datsyuk, Kovalchuk, Semin, Kovalev and so on…someone will find the net.

There you have it — a few reasons why Canada’s hockey odds aren’t so stable for the Olympics just yet. Something to consider.

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. 

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!