Komisarek would have been good choice, too

Hockey Betting Lines

06/15/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fans of the Maple Leafs are a long-suffering sort.

The Leafs now have the longest Cup-less streak in the NHL, having not won since May 1967. The Chicago Blackhawks heaved the weight of going Cup-less since 1961 off their backs last week in Philadelphia.

Every Original Six team has now won the Stanley Cup in the modern era. Boston last won it in 1972; Montreal, in 1993; New York Rangers, 1994; and Detroit, 2008.

Judging by their 29th-place finish in last year's standings, the Leafs are still light years away from ending their silverware-free skein, but there is hope.

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished 29th in the standings in 2005-06 and then went to two straight Stanley Cup finals, winning it all in 2009.

The Chicago Blackhawks tied for 25th in the standings in 2006-07. Last week, there was a ticker-tape parade for the Cup champions.

The Philadelphia Flyers were dead last in the standings in 2006-07 and were two wins from the Stanley Cup this spring.

The Pens, of course, have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Hawks have Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. And the Flyers have Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Note that all of these players are with the teams that originally drafted them.

The Leafs aren't so much into player development - a holdover from the mortgage-the-future-in-order-to-lose-now mentality that pervades the organization. Why develop players when you can buy them?

That is not a bad strategy per se. The Flyers didn't develop Danny Briere or Chris Pronger; the Hawks didn't develop Marian Hossa or Brian Campbell. But in the age of the salary cap, a team needs a core of talent that it has raised on its own, so as to keep labor costs down.

The announcement Monday that Dion Phaneuf was named captain of the Blue and White comes as a surprise to no one. He's brash, he's confident and, since he came into the league in 2005-06, he leads defensemen in goals (77) and power play goals (48). And he's a devastating body checker.

He's what Leafs GM Brian Burke calls "truculent." He's a good choice for captain of a team that has a lot of room to grow.

Let's hope a healthy Mike Komisarek responds well to the news. Before the acquisition of Phaneuf at the end of January, there was a lot of talk about Komisarek becoming captain. Despite his public deference to management, Komisarek would only be human if he had his eyes on the captain's C.

Phaneuf and Komisarek are two pillars of a Leafs team that is looking to get off the mat. For the sake of Leafs fans, let's hope that duo can get along.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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