Unfortunately, as is the nature of sports betting, things don’t always go according to plan. Punters in Canada most likely learned this the hard way with wagers placed on any of the matches we look back upon here. From losses to teams that Canada has never lost to before, Olympic meltdowns and everything in between, ice hockey in this country has seen some truly alarming moments in sporting history.
If you are keen on developing a sports betting strategy for ice hockey betting, you will have to be patient and accept that age old adage: you win some, you lose some.
1998 Winter Olympics
The Olympics always attracts some incredible action, and this was no doubt the case when it came to the Canadian ice hockey team’s participation the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. With a semi-final match at stake and Canada attempting to advance to the first gold medal game involving NHL players, a decision was made to bench star forward Wayne Gretzky, a decision which many think cost Canada the match to the Czech Republic.
However, this wasn’t the only mistake made by the management team during the 1998 Winter Olympics, and many agree that Canada was doomed before they even set a skate on the ice. Unpopular decisions were made regarding the Canadian Olympic team picks, and many of the NHL star players retired ahead of the Olympic season, marking a transitional time for team Canada. No matter what the cause was, Canada ultimately suffered a 3-2 defeat to the Czech Republic and then lost the bronze medal match to Finland, ending their 1998 Olympic dreams for good.
Canada versus France at 2014 World Championships
There were surely some Canadian dollars on the line during the opening match of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Championship between Canada and France in 2014. Sports betting is a risky, albeit often rewarding affair, and many didn’t see the French defeat of the Canadian team coming. Team Canada was locked in a tight match with France right from the get-go, but unfortunately the Canadians never seemed to quite find their feet.
The Canadian team took many penalties and committed numerous turnovers during the match which ultimately ended in a 3-2 loss by shootout to the French team. The 1st and last time Canada had been defeated by France in the same tournament was in the 1995, and Canada was the favourite to win as they were running on an 8-1 all-time hot streak against the French. This was deemed Canada’s most shocking defeat at the IIHF World Championships since coming up short against Norway in Russia, circa 2000.
Heavy Blow for Women’s Ice Hockey
The 2017 IIHF Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship took place Michigan, United States and unfortunately the Canadian women’s team suffered two devastating losses in a row. When team Canada experienced a 2-0 loss to the USA, the match was described as a ‘wake-up call’ for the losing team, but unfortunately they weren’t out of the wood just yet.
Just a day later, Canada experienced a shocking and entirely unexpected loss to Finland, breaking their 20-0 lifetime domination over the Finnish ice hockey team. In what should’ve been a breeze of a match, the loss was perhaps the result of not considering a lesser opponent as a serious threat, and surely had sports betting enthusiasts tearing out their hair in frustration.
An important lesson can be learned from these 3 defeats: when it comes to sports betting whether it is land based or online here, a sure thing isn’t always so sure.