Author Archives: Dominic Broadwood

Casual viewing or quick cash?

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You hear about addictions in mainstream media and perhaps you know someone going through it yourself. Maybe you are even facing challenges of your own. Whether it’s substance abuse like drugs and alcohol, or behavioral addictions such as watching porn and compulsively lying, addiction runs rampant in society. In recent years a new addiction has been quietly becoming more prominent than you probably realize, and little light is shed on it. I’m talking about sports gambling. In a matter of only a few short years it went from illegal in most areas of North America to plastered all over your television screens, and even the ads at your bus stop. I couldn’t tell you how many times while I’m watching a hockey game a commercial will come on, advertising a platform to gamble on the game. It feels as though every second commercial is telling me to sign up for Bet365 or get free wagers on Betway. Even on the overlaid ice and board ads they’re advertising it. It begs the question as to what caused this shift? The short answer is revenue.

 

 

The sports betting craze has even made national headlines recently as people across America have been pulling money out of the stock market and putting it into gambling on their favorite football team. Aside from the legalizations and a few ads what has caused the sudden rise in the market though? I’d answer with the current state of the economical world. People are struggling and looking for any way to make some quick cash, especially the younger demographic. With most regions setting the legal age to bet at 18, kids are now starting to gamble before they’ve even graduated high school. What better way to be introduced into the world of gambling than sports? Sports are a source of hope for many people in their lives when they might not have much else. Especially for younger men and women who are just entering the real world and are potentially feeling lost or hopeless with the current state of the world. Adding the hope of winning money on top of the game and it makes for an appealing impression.

 

Now I’m no different, and I can tell you firsthand how addicting the thrill of sports gambling really is. As someone who likes to believe they’re quite knowledgeable when it comes to sports, it feels like it should be easy money every time I pick up the app, however that couldn’t be further from the truth. That’s one of the main lies that sports gamblers tell themselves, that we know sports and so it should be easy cash. In reality gambling is gambling and as much as you may think you know, sports are unpredictable for a reason. It’s what makes them worth watching in the first place. Moreover the ability to gamble is so accessible. The days of having to travel to the casino are over, and you can place a bet at the click of a button on your phone. With most apps having the minimum bet amount set at just two dollars it’s easier than it’s ever been to start gambling your money away. You can even do it mid game, experience the rush of predicting a comeback, or maybe you’re doing it socially with friends who have money on the game. Because of the rise in online gambling, lots of people will now get together to put money on games similar to socially drinking which leads to peer pressure to get involved yourself. If you’ve ever sport bet with a group of friends, you’ll know the image that people will bring up when you’re unsure of locking in a bet.

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According to the National Post the number of people signing up for sports betting has been nearly doubling every year since 2020. On top of the mainstream marketing these apps use, they also consistently offer promotions to bring new customers in daily. Some of these offers include a free first 25 dollars to give the gambler a taste of what they could be missing, or “Bet Boost” days where the app will automatically double the bets placed as an incentive for maybe those who are unsure of gambling that day. These apps rely on and make their profit on the addiction of the vast majority of sports gamblers. That in itself is an issue that isn’t talked about enough. The way sports gambling ads are shoved in everyone’s face everywhere and that these companies rely on our addiction. That’s the first red flag. The second is that most athletes are banned from gambling as a whole. These same athletes are being paid millions of dollars to promote it on national television to kids. That should be a consumer’s second red flag. Just last year Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators was suspended for half the season for gambling on a sport that wasn’t even his own. Doesn’t make a lot sense and seems to be pretty backwards right?

One of the bigger problems surrounding the sports betting epidemic is the lack of resources available to addicts. When it comes to substance addictions there are a ton of prominent and readily available resources to help people recover, that gambling and more specifically sports gambling doesn’t have. As put by John Holden, an associate professor of management at Oklahoma State University who studies sports gambling regulation: “Many states naively or some other way went about legalizing sports betting without adequately estimating the costs on problem gambling resources”. The market is moving at a pace that policy makers more than likely couldn’t have predicted. The user count is rising at an unprecedented pace, and the legality and restrictions surrounding it are just as hazy. Are the laws up to the standard they should be? Do you think that 18 is too young to begin gambling? What can be done to minimize the risk of potentially life altering repercussions? There needs to be more restrictions as to who can bet and how, as well as the way it is promoted. As said earlier, many kids are seeing their favorite athlete promote these sports bookies, incentivising them to bet on themselves, when in reality, how mature is an 18 year old kid? Do you think you’d be mature enough to control your gambling at that age, and make responsible decisions? There is a reason why substances aren’t available till you’re older and gambling should be the same. The glorification of it in commercials also needs to be toned down as well as some of the borderline false advertising. Most importantly, help centers for people who are struggling with gambling need to be more accessible and public. We’re living in a time where people are doing anything for extra money, and public pressure is a big factor. As a society it’s important to address these issues and shine light on them. Gambling itself is an individual’s decision, however it needs to be done safely and responsibly. As the market continues to grow, the policies and regulations around it also need to so that we are encouraged and the people closest to us are provided with all the information and tools to be safe.

Stage set for the Brockstar

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Over the past couple of season’s, one name has been at the center of a lot of media attention and that is Brock Boeser. Vancouver’s 2015 first round pick took the league by storm during his rookie season in 2017 notching 29 goals and 55 points before falling to injury at the three quarter mark.  Brock would return the following season, but never really got back to rookie season form. That was until this year.

 

The Brockstar was back from the second the puck dropped on the 2023-24 NHL season. In Vancouver’s season opener, Boeser put on a show for the fans by scoring four goals en route to an 8-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. This was just the start as Brock would go on to score 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games. Boeser found a more permanent home this season on the wing of JT Miller, helping him get comfortable compared to previous seasons where he would be often moved up and down the lineup.

 

Injuries were an ongoing issue for Boeser as he had been dealing with injury problems since his rookie year. He missed the start of last season with a wrist injury after getting surgery on it for a previous injury. It felt as if he was swimming upstream with the constant onslaught of wrist, hand, and back injuries. In addition Brock dealt with the loss of his father following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season. Nothing had been going right for Boeser.

 

Thankfully Brock persevered and the Brockstar as we know it is back, having a career high season and helping lead the Canucks to their first postseason appearance with a home crowd since 2015. Brock, who was a key component to the Canucks 2020 bubble playoff run is playing playoff hockey in Vancouver for the first time in his career and has a lot of eyes and expectations on him. He came up huge in game 3 for Vancouver, scoring a hattrick and giving the Canucks the upset win over Nashville.

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With the bad luck of the past now in his rearview mirror and a more than hot start to this year’s playoffs. The stage is set for Brock Boeser to be a big time star for the Canucks as they look to make a deep run into this year’s playoffs, capture the Stanley Cup and bring glory to Vancouver for the first time in franchise history.

Time for NHL playoff change

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When the NHL changed it’s playoff format at the start of the 2013-2014 season, the goal was to create better divisional rivalries and in turn, a more entertaining playoff picture for the fans. However, there is a large sector of fans and even NHL executives that have seen enough as we cross the decade mark since this format change.

 

The prior playoff format saw teams in the East and West face off in a “best plays worst” style seeding where the first place team in each conference would play the eighth, the second plays the seventh, and so on. In this format, the top three seeds in each conference were awarded to the teams who placed atop their respective division. That format is flawed in its own rights as there were times where a team would seed lower than one that had less points, because of the division system, though many would agree it’s minor in comparison to some of our current format’s blemishes. 

 

Because of the Covid-19 breakout that shortened the 2019-2020 NHL season, the league saw a format that hadn’t been used before. A 24 team playoff format was implemented to account for the discrepancy in games played at the time of the season being canceled.  This format saw the top four teams of each conference duking it out for a reseed of the top four while the other eight would battle in a play-in round for the right to challenge in the first round. Although this was a one-off gimmick because of the pandemic, it seemed to be a big hit for the fans and has been a topic of conversation since to allow for more teams to enter the playoff picture.

 

The current format has gotten stale. Even though it has created bitter rivalries such as Los Angeles versus Edmonton, and Toronto versus Tampa Bay, these matchups have gotten old as we see them every year. It’s also been a large complaint that teams who rank higher in the regular season don’t get to play the worst teams as a reward, as the matchups are more difficult than the opposing format. 

 

In addition, the current standings tiebreakers have been a cause of controversy, allowing for teams that aren’t always deserving to squeak into the playoffs. This year the Washington Capitals secured the final Eastern conference wildcard spot despite having fewer wins than the Detroit Red Wings who were tied in points with them. The tiebreaker was regulation wins, which was revised from the previous overtime + regulations wins which also would have heavily favored Detroit. The Capitals also finished the season with a minus 30 goal differential being one of the worst among teams to make the playoffs all time.

Fans and executives alike have many proposals for what the NHL should do going forward in regards to their playoff format. From doing away with the wildcard spot, to adding a play in like the NBA to decide the final spots. After ten years it is due time for the NHl to make a format change.

Last chance for Leafs core

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It feels like every year come offseason the conversation circulating Toronto is that the Leafs core four can’t get it done when the stakes get high. In the Matthews era, the Leafs have had just one playoff series victory in seven outings, this coming last season. This has largely been blamed on Toronto’s top four players combining for almost half of the team’s cap space, leaving little room for a strong supporting cast. This is their last chance to get it done with this core. If they don’t do significant playoff damage this year, the question shifts to: who goes this summer?

 

The one name we can immediately scratch off this list is the league’s top goal scorer Auston Matthews who just captured his third Rocket Richard trophy. Finishing just shy seventy goals, Matthews has been one of the NHL’s most elite players since his debut in 2016 and he continues to get better on both sides of the ice every season.

 

William Nylander just signed an eight year contract worth 92 million (11.5 AAV) at the start of the calendar year, making it unlikely for him to be the odd man out either. Not that Nylander should be the man to go anyways, coming off a career high of 98 points in 82 games. He has been Toronto’s most consistent playoff performer in recent years and has been a noticeable absence in the first three games of this year’s first round against Boston.

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Leafs captain John Tavares would be the ideal candidate for many as he no longer plays up to his 11 million per season contract. Unfortunately for Toronto, Tavares holds a full no move clause and it would be a stretch for him to waive that. In addition the Maple Leaf captain only has a pair of seasons remaining on his deal, where at the conclusion he will likely take a pay cut to finish his career in the six.

 

This takes us to forward Mitch Marner. Marner, who makes 10.9 million per season stands to be the most reasonable candidate for the Leafs to move. The 26 year old Toronto native, despite being a big time regular season performer, has been consistently criticized for not stepping up enough when the lights get bright. Although he led toronto in points during last year’s playoffs, many of those came as garbage points in blowouts and he has struggled in prior years against more physical teams like Boston and Montreal.

 

Toronto can more than likely get a large haul returned in a Marner trade. Enough is enough and barring an unforeseen legacy run in these playoffs, the Maple Leafs need to shake things up. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  This experiment has gone on for far too long, and this is the last chance for Toronto’s core four.

Just the beginning for rising Canucks

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3284 days is how long it has been since Vancouver hosted an NHL playoff game. Going into this season Vancouver was critiqued by many as a league midcarder that would likely sit just outside of the playoff cutoff. Surprisingly, the Canucks came out the gates swinging this season sitting atop the NHL standings at the Christmas break and eventually going on to finish the year sixth in the league. In addition Vancouver captured their third best regular season finish in franchise history against all expectations that were placed on them heading into this season. There’s a community of people however, that are calling this season a one off and a fluke. I’m here to tell you why this is just the beginning of the Canucks rise to the top.

 

The general manager’s goal at the start of every season is to ice a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup come June. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin did just that this season and he has a plethora of options this summer to keep the Canucks competitive moving forward. At the conclusion of this year’s season, the Canucks front office will have a lot of big decisions to make regarding the identity of the team moving forward. Big names and rising stars like; Tyler Myers, Dakota Joshua, and Filip Hronek are all pending free agents albeit some restricted, and likely not have the means to retain all of them. This begs the question: what should they do?

 

Vancouver’s number one contract priority this coming summer should be to resign Dakota Joshua. A big reason for the Canucks success this season has been the emergence of Joshua as one of the league’s most effective power forwards. Joshua put up a season high this year of 18 goals and 32 points while managing to shut down some of NHL’s top lines. Turning 28 years old this year “Dak” is coming into his prime and still has greatness ahead of him.

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Second on the priority list is to deal with Filip Hronek. In his first full season in Vancouver Hronek has put up an impressive 48 points on the top pair with captain Quinn Hughes. Hronek has also been a great addition to what was previously considered a weak Vancouver defensive core, but with him being a restricted free agent this summer, the Canucks may elect to look for better value. The 26 year old was reportedly asking for somewhere in the eight million range and that may be out of  general manager Patrik Allvins comfort zone. Fortunately with him being an RFA the Canucks hold the power to trade his rights elsewhere. A potential move that they could make would be to flip him to another team for players and draft picks to potentially flip those for a better value defenseman. Either way Vancouver will come out with valuables.

 

Vancouver’s top prospects are expected to be in training camp and possibly even push for a roster spot come September. 2023 first round pick Tom Willander and 2022 first rounder Jonathan Lekkerimaki are two guys that could make a name for themselves and possibly break in their own roster spot. If these guys could come in next season and play somewhat effectively this could be a game changer for the Canucks as it would keep them young and on a budget. 

 

I think it’s safe to say that the Canucks are just good, it’s pretty difficult to fluke an 82 game season. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be great again next year if not better. The development of  the Canucks supporting cast with players like: Hoglander, Joshua, and Suter is expected to continue while their top Stars are entering their prime. A little money spent in free agency and some prospect surprises. This could be a team to reckon with moving forward.

Longing for glory: a look at Canada’s 31 year Stanley Cup drought

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It’s been 31 long years since Lord Stanley’s mug has been raised on Canadian soil. The last team to achieve this feat was the 1992-1993 Montreal Canadians led by future hockey hall of fame inductees Patrick Roy and Dennis Savard. That’s not to say a Canadian team hasn’t come close since. In the three decades since there have been six finals that have included a Canadian team, and we’re going to look back at all of them.

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In the year following Canada’s last Stanley Cup, the Vancouver Canucks went on a magical run to the 1994 finals where they would come face to face with the president trophy winning New York Rangers. Vancouver was expected to be outmatched by a strong Rangers team that included various legends of the game, most notably captain Mark Messier. The first game at Madison Square Garden ended in a Canucks overtime win after forward Martin Gelinas tied the game with a minute remaining in regulation, igniting a spark of hope across Vancouver. This hope was swiftly quashed by New York who took the next three games somewhat handedly. After battling back to win the next two, Vancouver sat just one game away from taking the cup back to Canada for the second straight season. Unfortunately the rangers would ultimately pull out the win in game seven, 3-2 in what would unknowingly be the first of many American championships to come.

 

It took ten years for a Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup final again when the Calgary Flames took on the Tampa Bay Lightning. This was an iconic finals for Canadian hockey fans but not for the right reasons. Late in game six in a series that Calagry led 3-2, Martin Gelinas scored what appeared to be a goal that very well could’ve secured Calgary their first Stanley Cup since 1989. However the ruling on the ice was no goal, despite the replays seemingly showing the puck was definitively in the net. This would go on to be one of the most controversial calls in Stanley Cup playoff history and is still heavily debated to this day. The Lightning would go on to win the game and the series in seven, leaving a sour taste in mouths across Canada.

 

After a lockout season the year prior the 2006 finals would be played between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers. Similarly to the 1994 Canucks, the Oilers would go down 3-1 in the opening four games of the series. Edmonton would claw back in game 5 with a shorthanded overtime winner by Fernando Pisani, this being the first shorthanded overtime winner in Stanley Cup finals history. Game six was a four to nothing Oilers shutout leading to yet another Canadian finals game seven in Carolina. The Hurricanes would lead by two heading into the third, but an early third period goal by Edmonton’s Pisani left the crowd on edge. Carolina would seal the game late with an empty net goal by Justin Williams who would go on to be known for his game seven heroics. The Hurricanes captured their first Stanley Cup in franchise history leaving Canada now 0-3 in finals since 1993.

 

For the third straight season a different Canadian team would manage to make the finals. The 2007 finals would be played between the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks with both teams matching up rather equally. To the surprise of many, Anaheim walked over Ottawa in five games, although three of the Ducks four wins were decided by one goal. The fifth and decisive game was an Anaheim blowout six to two. Canada was handed its third finals loss in three years.

 

The 2011 finals would be Vancouver’s second appearance on this list and third finals in franchise history; they were previously 0-2. This finals is regarded by many as one of the most entertaining finals over the last couple decades as both Boston and Vancouver hated each other. Not only on the ice, but even off the ice. The players on both sides would throw shots at each other in the media and some of this still is occurring to this day. The series started off electrically for Vancouver as they jumped to a two to none series lead with a 1-0 game one win and an overtime winner in game two just eleven seconds in. Boston would come back with two blowouts at home to knot the series at two, going back to Vancouver. The teams would trade home victories once more leading to a seventh game in Vancouver. Once more Vancouver was left stunned as the Bruins came up victorious 4-0, inciting literal riots in the streets of Vancouver.

 

It would be ten years before a Canadian team would make it back to the finals, when The Montreal Canadiens went on a miracle run in a shortened COVID season. After majorly upsetting all three teams that stood before them in Vegas, Toronto, and Winnipeg, the Lightning would quickly give Montreal a reality check. The Lightning took down Montreal in five games once again crushing the hopes for a Canadian Stanley Cup parade.

 

No Canadian team has come close since, however this year has promise. Four Canadian teams have made it into this year’s NHL postseason. The Jets, Canucks, Leafs, and Oilers as they all finished in the top end of this year’s standings in what may be Canada’s best chance at a cup in recent memory. Only time will tell if 2024 will be the year that the Stnaley cup comes back to Canada, and back home.

Crucial game 2 ahead for Maple Leafs

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After falling 5-1 in their series opener, Toronto looks to bounce back ahead of Tuesday’s meeting against the Boston Bruins. Going into game two, the Maple Leafs have some key points they need to address if they hope to knot the series up heading back to Toronto. First and foremost they need to address their goaltending situation. Going into these playoffs there was a giant question mark surrounding who would be the Leafs game one starter. Ultimately head coach Sheldon Keefe went to the teams on paper starter in Ilya Samsonov who led them through Tampa in last year’s postseason. This was a somewhat controversial decision as the netminder, who signed a one year three and a half million dollar contract extension this summer, has struggled greatly throughout this season posting a .890 save percentage and a 3.19 goals against average. The decision was reflected in the game as the Bruins handled Toronto on the scoreboard despite advanced analytics suggesting this game was perhaps Toronto’s to win. Now I’m not one for relying on all of the fancy advanced statistics to plead my arguments, however this may be a case of Toronto getting let down by their backend. The Leafs led Boston in expected goals 7.21 to 3.71 via moneypuck.com. I wont get into the nitty gritty of what this means exactly, but to streamline it, Toronto dominated the Bruins in high scoring chances. It doesn’t help Samsonov’s case that Jeremy Swayman pulled out of a legacy game between the pipes for Boston giving them the 1-0 series lead. With Boston possessing unquestionably the best goaltending tandem in the NHL the leafs will need Samsonov to step up after a disappointing game one or turn to Joseph Woll if they want any chance of breaking down the Bruins.

Next up is the defensive gaffs. Moving forward in this series, it is crucial for Toronto to tighten up the defensive play and not not allow so many lapses in their own zone. Boston possess one of the better defensive cores in the league with a top pair of McAvoy and Lindholm, whereas the Leafs have a subpar defense that pales in comparison and has taken a significant step back from previous seasons. Finally they need their big stars to step up after a quiet first game. While Auston Matthews looked like a man on a mission he’ll need help from his supporting cast in Marner and Tavares to crack the fortified Bruins defense and goaltending. A Leafs loss tonight would put them down two in the series, heading back to Toronto where they have been known to struggle at home in the playoffs. Moreover teams that hold a 2-0 series lead go on to win the series about 86 percent of the time. It is a crucial game for the Leafs to win tonight if they hope to stand a chance going back to Toronto.

Why Toronto will slay their Boston demons

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It’s been nearly five years since the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins faced off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, yet the familiarity is still as prevalent as ever. Over the past eleven years these teams have met in the postseason on three separate occasions. Arguably each meeting getting increasingly more heartbreaking for fans of the six. The first of these meetings in the 2013 lockout season was expected to be a Bruins walkover and perhaps with the power of hindsight the Leafs loyal wish that it was.

Against all odds the Maple Leafs managed to push Boston to the brink in a seven game series in which Toronto had a three goal third period lead. As the voice of Boston, Jack Edwards put it: “They’ve stabbed the dagger and ripped it out of the heart of the Toronto Maple Leafs”. Fast forward five years, the two teams would once again meet in round one with a far deeper Leafs team, yet history would repeat itself and they would fall in the seventh game in Boston’s TD garden. Any guesses as to what happened when Toronto got their rematch the following year? You got it, once again Leafs nation was left high and dry from falling to Boston in game seven. Boston however,  wasn’t Toronto’s only problem as the Leafs would fall in seven games to Montreal and Tampa, extending their 19 year first round curse. That was until last year where Toronto finally slayed one of their demons and defeated the Lightning in six games to send them to the second round. Meanwhile in Boston, the Bruins were just 59 seconds away from a Eastern semi final date with the Leafs before ironically in Toronto fashion choking to the Florida Panthers.

Despite the respective fanbases getting teased last year, Boston and Toronto will have their fourth showdown on opening night of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now that we know how we got here, why is this year different? Well for starters Toronto in each of the previous  matchups were labeled as young, inexperienced, and soft. Keeping in mind the Leafs had one of their weaker regular seasons in recent memory, you could make a very strong argument that this Toronto team is built for playoff hockey. Off-season acquisitions of depth grit players like Max Domi and former Bruin Tyler Bertuzzi are expected to be key difference makers if Toronto is to beat their demons. In addition the emergence of young stars like Nicholas Robertson and Matthew Knies alongside 69 goal scorer (nice) Auston Matthews put Toronto as a lethal offensive threat to a relatively shallow Bruins forward core. Although Boston has the edge on the defensive end with superstar Charlie McAvoy and an elite goaltending tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, Ilya Samsonov has been known to show up big for Toronto when needed most. The Leafs high end talent; Rielly, Tavares, and Nylander will need to continue to show up in the playoffs as they have in previous years if Toronto wants a chance at breaking down this systematically strong Boston team. The key to success for Toronto in this series will be to outscore the Bruins while getting a big save or two  from their netminder when needed. Make no mistake the Bruins are walking into this as the favorite, however Toronto has more at stake here looking to conquer their final Demon the Boston Bruins.