Ice Hockey is the king of all ice-based sports and is one of the most popular sports in Canada and the United States. The pinnacle of club-based ice hockey competition is the National Hockey League (NHL), which sits with the NBA, NFL, MLB as the most famous sporting leagues in the United States.
Don’t be mistaken, though, because ice hockey is also played in central and eastern Europe, the Nordic countries, and Russia. In areas such as Croatia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and more, ice hockey is the most popular winter sport. It’s popularity led to inclusion in the 1924 Olympic games, and it has been a consistent feature of the Olympics ever since.
At Sports Betting Online, we’re fully fledged fans of ice hockey, and you’ll find us celebrating every October when the beginning of the NHL season swings around. So, if you’re looking to back another underdog performance (much like the Washington Capitals in 2017-18) with confidence, you’re going to want to pay close attention to what our expert team of tipsters here on-site are saying.
With the wide variety of domestic and international leagues, it’s essential to find an ice hockey betting site that offers markets for all competitions – not just the Stanley Cup finals! Here’s why we recommend the several outstanding bookmakers below:
Betting on ice hockey follows a similar pattern to betting on other sports like football, but there is a clear distinction between the two most common types of betting market.
Let’s look at a brief example from the Swedish Hockey League, where Djurgarens IF is up against Frolunda HC:
The odds for regulation time betting are set as follows:
Djurgarens IF –
+110
Frolunda HC –
+200
Tie –
+310
The prices for full game betting remove the possibility of a tie, and are expressed as follows:
Djurgarens IF –
-143
Frolunda HC –
+120
It’s very straightforward but many a punter has fallen into the trap of betting on the wrong market and losing out on what they thought was a winning bet. In general, betting on ice hockey includes overtime unless otherwise stated. Let’s look at some of the other markets for ice hockey betting in more detail.
As the sport is so popular, especially in Northern Europe, bookmakers are keen to offer ice hockey fans a variety of ways to bet on a huge choice of games from Sweden to Germany, and Finland to Denmark. Some of the more common markets include:
Those are the most common secondary markets but bookmakers also offer a wide variety of exotic and futures markets for those who enjoy betting on ice hockey. For instance, you can bet on the puckline and totals in the first period and most bookmakers also offer in-play betting for each period as the game goes on. Other bets include the first team to score, the time of the first goal, the correct score, the winning margin, the team to score last, and markets such as ‘will the game go to a shootout?’
The Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR) offers the following definition of the game:
Hockey is a game played on an ice rink in which two opposing teams of skaters, using curved sticks, trying to drive a small disc into or through the opposing goals.
Ice Hockey, recognizable to this definition, originated in the mid-to-late 1800’s in Canada. James G. Creighton, of Nova Scotia, is widely credited with bringing the ‘Halifax-rules’ to Montreal in the 1870’s, where they were developed to become the ‘McGill-rules’. Creighton is also credited with coordinating the first ever organized game of ice hockey, on March 3rd, 1875.
In Europe, the first recorded games of ice hockey were played at the Prince’s Skating Club in Knightsbridge, England, in 1902. A few year later, in 1905, France and Belgium played two international games and a further three years on, the LHIG – which later became the IIHF – was established in Paris, France.
This is not an exhaustive list of the many competitions the world over, but some of the top tournaments and competitions for ice hockey betting (European and international) are described below. Along with the US and Canada’s NHL, several European countries have their own national leagues, including Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Finland.
When it comes to betting on ice hockey, there are several general tips worth thinking about. First is to find a suitable sportsbook which offers a wide range of betting markets on the various competitions. Ice hockey betting, as with any kind of betting, is all about finding an edge over the bookmaker and taking advantage of ‘false’ odds. We recommend searching around the different sportsbooks to find the best odds on any games you wish to bet on. By taking the best available price on a given bet, you maximize profits – in the long run, this strategy will serve your betting bank well.
There is no substitute for knowledge when it comes to gambling. If you like betting on ice hockey, the chances are that you are a fan of the game. Use your knowledge of teams and players to pick out the best bets and the best odds. This can give you a real edge over the bookmaker if you have reason to believe that a particular match will be high-scoring, or if you think a team has been underestimated by the oddsmakers. Feel free to browse our strategy pages to pick up betting tactics, systems, and advice to help you make shrewd bets, and ultimately, big profits. Good luck with your ice hockey betting!
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