Forsberg gives Predators instant credibility

Hockey Betting Lines

02/16/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The city of Nashville is known primarily as the country music capital of the world, but come this June, the town could be pulling double duty as the center of the hockey universe.

That's how significant landing a player of Peter Forsberg's caliber could be for the still-blossoming Predators franchise.

The Predators pulled off the biggest trade of the NHL season so far on Thursday, when they acquired Forsberg from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for right wing Scottie Upshall, defenseman Ryan Parent and first-round and third-round draft picks in the 2007 NHL draft.

Nashville has already impressed with its play this year and is currently leading the Western Conference with 81 points, but this is just the franchise's ninth year since joining the league and the Preds are still finding respect hard to come by.

That's why this deal makes complete sense for the Predators -- it forces the rest of the league to take this expansion club seriously. Forsberg brings instant credibility to a team that was lacking a superstar.

Critics will say that Nashville gave up too much young talent for an injury- plagued player who may become a free agent or even retire at the end of the season. Yet, if the Predators wind up hoisting the Cup in June, Nashville isn't likely to be heartbroken by Forsberg's short stay in the Music City.

After all, the franchise began play as an expansion club during the 1998-99 campaign and to bring a championship to Tennessee in less than a decade would be quite an accomplishment for general manager David Poile and head coach Barry Trotz -- both of whom are the first and only people to hold their respective positions in club history.

To the uninitiated, Forsberg comes with quite a pedigree, having won the Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 1995 and the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2003. He has also played in five All-Star games, won a pair of Olympic gold medals with Sweden and lifted two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche.

The 33-year-old is a national hero in Sweden and is the only hockey player ever to be honored with a postage stamp in his native land.

As for Forsberg's time in Philadelphia, it was clearly diminished by injuries, but the guy is still one of the most valuable players in the NHL. He registered 115 points in 100 games since signing a two-year deal with the Flyers before the 2005-06 season. Forty of those points in a Philadelphia uniform came in his 40 games this year.

This season it was particularly evident what Forsberg's presence meant to the Flyers. Sure the team is on its way to possibly the worst campaign in franchise history, but the club had all 15 of its victories with Forsberg in the lineup and was a dismal 0-13-3 without it's former captain.

The skate and foot issues that bothered Forsberg for most of this season seem to have been taken care of, but it is possible those problems could rear their ugly head in Nashville. Still, Forsberg never gave less than a full effort when on the ice in Philly and he had to waive a no-trade clause to go to the Predators, so one must assume he's excited about the move.

"Peter Forsberg is one of the NHL's most complete players and the ultimate competitor - a consistent winner who has year in and year out been a difference maker in the Stanley Cup playoffs," said Poile. "He strengthens our club up the middle and will provide another battle-tested, veteran voice to our dressing room."

Also it cannot be underestimated what this deal should mean to Nashville's ability to draw a crowd. Despite the Predators' success so far this year, the team is still 23rd in the NHL in attendance with an average crowd of 14,695 fans per game. That could be because the team's most recognizable player before the Forsberg trade was Paul Kariya, who has had an excellent NHL career, but does not have the same cache as Peter the Great. Forsberg should make an immediate impact in that area when he makes his scheduled debut for the Predators in Saturday's home test against Minnesota.

From the Flyers standpoint, this was a trade that surely does not make them happy considering the high expectations the Forsberg signing originally brought to the franchise. However, it was a necessary deal that will make them better down the road.

Upshall gives Philly some much-needed speed, Parent is a blue-chip defensive prospect and the first and third-round picks will give the team a chance to add even more young talent to the roster. Plus, by trading Forsberg and not re-signing him, the Flyers give themselves even more room under the cap than the significant amount they were already expected to have.

The only really negative aspect of this trade for either team surfaced in Forsberg's post-trade press conference in Philadelphia on Thursday evening. In his meeting with the media, Forsberg hinted that retirement or a possible return to Philadelphia as a free agent in the offseason were not out of the question.

That's probably not what the Predators wanted to hear mere hours after they pulled off the biggest trade in franchise history. But, if the deal ends up bringing Lord Stanley's hardware to town, there will be few regrets in Nashville, no matter where Forsberg winds up next year.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.