What comes to mind when you think of ice hockey? Zambonis? Canadians? Blood and teeth on the ice? However you like this sport, there’s always time to pop on your big jersey and get a little ice hockey betting going with Betsson.
We have dozens of ice hockey betting markets to choose from ahead of your big match. Betsson will make sure that all the ice hockey odds are the best in the business. As well as picking out the winners, you could also predict the total number of goals, last team to score, or the race to three goals. Then you could break your ice hockey betting predictions down into sections of the game. We have ice hockey odds for full time and per period, so you can mix up your ice hockey betting.
This is one of the most popular winter team sports in the world, with enormous legions of fans across America and Europe.
Big trophies
Is there any other trophy as ostentatiously big as the Stanley Cup? When Canada has been playing ice hockey for over a century, they have to keep adding more space every time they run out of room to engrave the winners. The result is a cup that sits on one of the biggest bases in sporting history.
It’s not just Canada that gets behind the Stanley Cup every year. All over the world, fans tune in to see who is the best NHL team, and many take part in ice hockey betting. Early in the season, everyone is watching the ice hockey odds and following how they develop.
Fierce rivalries
Canada is the home of all things ice hockey so when it was added to the Winter Olympics in 1924, Canada played passionately and hard. After six gold medals in the early Olympic years, the Soviet Union started to raise their level on the ice. These teams were government-supported and drew on talent from all over Eastern Europe, leading to almost complete domination of the gold medals in the mid to late 20th century. This rivalry, which involved Canada, the USA and the USSR, seemed to mirror tensions in the Cold War. Oh to see what ice hockey odds the bookmakers had back then!
Ice Hockey History
Team games from time immemorial have often involved goals and variations on balls that are thrown around with hands, feet or implements of some kind. Hockey, or field hockey as it is known in countries that prefer ice hockey, has been played in one form or another all over the world. And that doesn’t even include related games like hurling or lacrosse. When people who played these games found themselves in parts of the world that froze over for months of the year, it seemed natural to take these games onto skates and use a frozen lake as the playing field.
Just as you would expect, Canada is hailed as the home of modern ice hockey. Montreal held the first organised ice hockey game in 1876, introducing the puck to keep spectators safe. Balls were much more likely to go flying through the air, whereas the flat puck stayed close to the ice.
It would become a sport that completely took over Canada before spreading to the northern states of the USA. The early 20th century saw the first professional hockey leagues emerge, with the Western Pennsylvanian Hockey League hiring professional players. Soon, the best players from Canada were travelling all over the world to bring their talent to teams in America and Europe, a trend that can still be seen in global hockey line-ups today.
Five for fighting
Ice hockey is notorious for its use of the penalty box as a punishment for players who commit fouls or infractions. It’s like a time-out or the naughty step, only it’s used on grown ice hockey players who can’t keep their sticks to themselves. For minor penalties, the offending player will get two minutes in the penalty box and their team has to play with one player fewer until the time is up. Major penalties result in five minutes, while the most serious offences receive a match penalty and the player is ejected.
With such a long list of fouls to contend with, you’d think that ice hockey players would be a cautious bunch, keeping their tempers and sticks in check. It seems a long list of rules had to be drawn up for a reason, and that reason is that hockey players are very prone to fighting, much to the frustration of anyone calculating ice hockey odds.
Committing fouls is not just a matter of crossing a line in ice hockey. In football, most players try to stay within the rules as much as possible, with most fouls resulting from oversights or brief lapses of temper. Ice hockey has developed a whole culture of game strategies that revolve around using penalties to your advantage. Most fights end with both participating players being sent to the box, so they do not necessarily disadvantage the team that initiated the fight but may disrupt the flow of the game enough to create an advantage. Some players are even well known for committing infractions without being detected, or for provoking opponents into taking a penalty. These players are known as ‘pests’. This type of gameplay is often considered unsportsmanlike and can give players a reputation for playing dirty.
When it comes to your ice hockey betting, there may not be a market for who goes in the penalty box, when and for how long, but it is something to consider. Are you up against a team known for underhand tricks? Or is there a pest or two on your own side? The ice hockey odds may say one thing, but human nature is unpredictable. If you think a wildcard player is heading for trouble on the ice today, trust your instincts when placing your ice hockey bets.
FAQ
✅ What ice hockey leagues can I bet on?
All major ice hockey leagues are part of Betsson's offering, including the NHL, KHL and SHL.
✅ What does the puck line mean in ice hockey betting?
The 'puck line' is ice hockey's version of handicap betting, handing a team a virtual advantage or disadvantage before the match starts.
✅ Are there betting markets for overtime and shootouts?
Yes, you can place ice hockey bets which either factor in overtime and shootouts or focus solely on them.
✅ Is live betting suitable for ice hockey?
It certainly is, and it's available at Betsson. With momentum shifts, tight scores and fierce competition, in-play betting is perfectly suited to ice hockey.
