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With the smoke of Wednesday night's Stanley Cup Final Game 7 and the chaos that followed having settled, it's not too early to look forward to the 2011-12 campaign.

Unlike the NFL and NBA, there are no such labor concerns threatening to shelf the entire season. Hockey fans, especially NHL betting fans, can look towards next year with certainty.

The Vancouver Canucks are listed as the favorites to take the 2012 title on the Bodog Stanley Cup futures board, despite that their recent collapse cost them the honor in 2011. With 11/2 odds of winning, it's important to take into consideration that they're not likely to lose a significant core of their roster. Will the foursome of Roberto Luongo, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler get them back to the championship series?

The reigning champion Boston Bruins have 8/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup, a reasonable figure considering it took them three Game 7s to win in 2011 and their best player – goaltender Tim Thomas - is 37 years old.

Other teams worth consideration are the Washington Capitals with 17/2 odds. Was coach Bruce Boudreau's decision to focus on the defensive end of the game in 2010-11 a good one? We'll he have time to see his plan through? Any time Alex Ovechkin takes the ice the Caps have a chance.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers both have 9/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup, but stand to see their roster shaken up over the course of the offseason. Will Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin return to full health for the Pens? Will the Flyers be able to reach an agreement with free agent netminder Ilya Bryzgalov?

Take advantage of early futures at the online sportsbook if you think you know how the 2011-12 season will go down.

Get all your NHL odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

The Detroit Red Wings’ chances of winning the Stanley Cup next season just got a huge boost as Nicklas Lidstrom, arguably the greatest defenseman in NHL history, has decided to come back and play a 20th, and likely final, season.

Lidstrom is a Norris Trophy finalist for the 11th time in 13 seasons. If he wins the award for being the NHL's top defenseman — it would be his seventh — on Wednesday, he will match Doug Harvey's total and trail Bobby Orr's record by only one. He is also a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and the Mark Messier Leadership Award.

The 41-year-old Swede had 62 points this past season — surpassing his production from each of the previous two years — to rank second among NHL defenseman and to become the first 40-year-old defenseman with 60-plus points in an NHL season. Last December, he scored his first and only hat trick of his illustrious NHL career. Lidstrom fourth all-time in games played (1,494) for the Wings, and he should likely pass Steve Yzerman (1,514) and Alex Delvecchio (1,549) on that list in 2011-12. Lidstrom is also third among Red Wings’ greats in assists (855); fourth in points (1,108); and ninth in goals (253), which is 12 behind John Ogrodnick. He leads all active NHL players with a plus-429 rating.

The Wings really needed Lidstrom to return in the wake of fellow defenseman Brian Rafalski’s retirement announcement earlier this month. Lidstrom’s return now gives the Wings four defensemen under contract for next season, including Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart and Jakub Kindl. Detroit is 12/1 to win the 2012 Stanley Cup on Bodog’s hockey odds.

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It's official the Atlanta Thrashers are gone. On Tuesday the NHL's Board of Directors officially approved the sale of the team to True North Sports & Entertainment which plans to relocate the franchise to the city of Winnipeg. The last time Winnipeg had an NHL club was 1996, when the Jets were relocated to become the Phoenix Coyotes.

The looming Thrashers move will be the first such relocation since the Hartford Whalers left Connecticut to become the Carolina Hurricanes.

Will the new destination push an already talented young Thrashers team into the postseason? It's never to early to start looking at Stanley Cup futures so bet on the NHL with Bodog.

According to Bodog's online sportsbook, the as of now nameless Winnipeg franchise has 80/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup – a large part of even that thanks to their young core, powered by former Chicago Blackhawk Dustin Byfuglien. With Evander Kane, captain Andrew Ladd and Tobias Enstrom all on board, a change of scenery could be just what the team needs to squeak into the playoffs in the East.

The toughest contender heading into the 2011-12 season though, is another Canadian club, the same one that just last week dropped Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. The Vancouver Canucks have 11/2 odds of winning the Cup in 2012, trailed only by the Boston Bruins with an 8/1 mark.

Can this year's Finalists claw their way back? Can the relocated Thrashers march into the postseason? Start answering questions about next year's NHL campaign now.

Get all your NHL odds at Bodog Sportsbook. Always know your odds.

The NHL Awards show will take place tonight so take this opportunity to put in any last minute bets over who you think will win each trophy.

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The trophy for which most NHL fans are excited is the Hart Trophy – NHL's MVP equivalent. In the running are Anaheim Ducks scoring phenom Corey Perry, Tampa Bay vet Martin St. Louis, and Vancouver Canucks supertwin Daniel Sedin. Perry is the early favorite with -250 odds, while St. Louis is the dog at +1200.

Perry, St. Louis and Sedin finished with 98, 99 and 104 points respectively and each played the full 82 games. Clearly, though, points aren't all that will be taken into consideration when the award is decided upon. Think you know how it will go down? Bet on the NHL now.

Another interesting award to pay close attention to will be the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year. It looked early on as though Carolina Hurricanes sensation Jeff Skinner was a shoo-in for the honor, but Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks made a strong case for himself as the season progressed. Islanders' rook Michael Grabner rounds out the three candidates. Skinner leads all with -600 odds, compared to Couture's +575 and Grabner's 1200.

In the running for the Norris Trophy for defenseman are Zdeno Chara, Shea Weber and Nicklas Lidstrom. With -200 odds, Chara is the favorite, he'll be anxious to add another piece of hardware following his Stanley Cup win with the Bruins last week.

Speaking of Bruins veterans looking to add to their accolades, Tim Thomas is far and away the leading candidate to win the Vezina Trophy for top goaltender (-3000 odds to win). Neither Roberto Luongo nor Pekke Rinne are even close in the eyes of oddsmakers (both at +2000).

Weigh in on the Awards Show before it's too late.

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For the second consecutive season, the Edmonton Oilers hold the No. 1 overall pick in the NHL draft. And unlike last year where there were to clear-cut players ahead of the rest, the Oilers could choose between four players in Friday night’s first round in St. Paul, Minn. You can bet on which player the Oilers decide on with Bodog’s NHL odds.

The favorite to go first at -225 is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a center from Red Deer of the Western Hockey League. If Nugent-Hopkins is taken at No. 1 he will be the first player from the WHL to be selected with the top pick since Ottawa took defenseman Chris Phillips of Prince Albert in 1996. Nugent-Hopkins finished third in the WHL with 106 points and led the league with 75 assists. However, he’s rather small in stature and may not be NHL ready for another season as he bulks up. But he also would provide a playmaking center for last year’s top pick, winger Taylor Hall. Some are comparing Nugent-Hopkins with Brad Richards.

The top-ranked European skater in this draft is Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson, who appears to have an NHL-ready body now at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. If Larsson goes first, he would be the first Swede to do so since Mats Sundin went to the Quebec Nordiques in 1989. Edmonton was one of the worst defensive teams in the NHL last season and Larsson would be able to help right away. Larsson is +180 to go No. 1 overall.

Ranked right after Nugent-Hopkins and Larsson are Swedish right wing Gabriel Landeskog (+1500) and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League player Jonathan Huberdeau (+2000). Landeskog is considered less skilled than Huberdeau, but he is strong along the boards and will battle aggressively in front of the net.

It’s not impossible that Edmonton deals the No. 1 pick. If that happen the bets would be graded no action.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are still waiting to hear on Wednesday whether former star Jaromir Jagr will rejoin the club. The team has offered the 39-year-old winger a one-year deal, but that offer will disappear after Wednesday.

The Czech native has spent the past three years playing in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, but the Penguins would represent a return to the team that drafted him fifth overall in 1990. Jagr and his agent, former NHL player Petr Svoboda, have expressed interest in a return to the NHL and that the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings are teams Jagr was interested in, among others. Jagr cannot sign with a team until Friday, when free agency opens.

Jagr played 17 seasons in the NHL, 11 with Pittsburgh. If he returns to the NHL, his 1,599 career points would be the most among active players; he is currently ninth all-time, 42 behind Joe Sakic. Jagr won the Stanley Cup twice with the Penguins, the Hart Trophy once, the Art Ross Trophy five times and the Lester B. Pearson Award twice. He was a finalist for the Hart Trophy five times, including in 2006 with the New York Rangers.

The reported offer on the table is for one year and $2 million. Reportedly it’s only down to the Penguins or Red Wings, although the Montreal Canadiens also had some interest. While Jagr is 39, he did have a hat trick against Team USA in the World Championships last month.

"He was an icon in Pittsburgh," Penguins GM Ray Shero said. "We'd like to see him finish his career here."

The Penguins open the 2011-12 NHL season on Oct. 6 in Vancouver.

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The New York Rangers managed to scoop the 2011 free agency class' top prize over the weekend, former Dallas Stars star Brad Richards. He'll a formidable offensive punch to the franchise as it struggles to gain traction in the NHL's competitive Eastern Conference. Though it's still too early to say for sure, the Rangers have instantly become a more intriguing choice when it comes to NHL betting.

In Richards, New York acquires a 31-year-old point getter that could instantly add a new dimension to the team's locker room environment, let alone their performance on the ice. In 72 games during the 2010-11 season he managed 77 points. The year prior, in 80 games, he erupted for a career-high 91 points. For the majority of his 10-year career (split between Tampa Bay and Dallas), Richards has been a reliable playmaker. New York will hope that trend continues over the course of the next decade; they've signed him to a nine-year deal.

According to Bodog's online sportsbook, the Rangers have 35/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup – with no changes since the official announcement has been made. Though it was long rumored that NY was the probably destination for the season's most coveted free agent, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the dominos fall now that the signing has been made official.

Think Brad Richards will be enough to push the Rangers over the hump? Get your bets in for 2011 Stanley Cup futures before offseason free agency winds down if you want to take advantage of a volatile betting board.

Get all your NHL odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

The Winnipeg Jets have come to terms with their team captain on a five-year deal that will ensure Atlanta Thrashers' leader Andrew Ladd remains with the team through their relocation up north. Worth $22 million through the end of the 2015-16 campaign, the contract serves as a symbolic representation of the mobilizing franchise.

Ladd will join a number of promising young players who will call Manitoba home after settling into life in Georgia last season. Will the drastic change have an impact on NHL betting?

According to Bodog's online sportsbook, the Winnipeg Jets have 50/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup in 2012. It may not be so easy given the complications of the move. Though the players who will make the transition are welcoming of the new opportunity - as evidenced by Ladd's signing – there's no doubt that it will be a learning experience for everyone involved.

In 81 games with Atlanta last year, Ladd broke through as a young star in the league, providing a solid locker room presence and 59 points. Though the team will be seeking a new identity in Winnipeg, it's obvious that Ladd will play a major role in the club's future.

Will the roster that the club carries over from Atlanta be enough to get the Jets into the postseason? Evander Kane, Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom are the most valuable assets to make the move.

With the NBA and NFL both currently undergoing labor negotiations, the opportunity to look forward to the NHL and play Stanley Cup futures is a promising one.

Get all your NHL odds at Bodog Sportsbook. Always know your odds.

The St. Louis Blues have added veteran forward Jason Arnott after a pair of seasons that ended without a playoff run for the once-promising young franchise. The goal is that Arnott, a veteran of 17 seasons, will add a presence in the locker room capable of putting a talented young Blues roster over the top.

According to Bodog's online sportsbook, the Blues have 50/1 odds of winning of winning the Stanley Cup. If they plan on reaching such lofty aspirations, however, they'll have to start capitalizing on their bountiful potential.

With 20-year-old defenseman Alex Pietrangelo developing on the blue line and forwards Patrik Berglund and T.J. Oshie transitioning into reliable scorers, the pieces are in place for the gritty team – led largely in part by David Backes – to start banging on the Western Conference door.

They may lack the big names of some of the teams with whom they'll be competing but this roster has shown that they can never truly be ruled out when it comes to NHL betting. Though the Blues have only made the playoffs once since the lockout of 2004-05, they've factored into the postseason race for the majority of the season for the past few years.

Will Arnott, and his 904 career points be enough to vault the Blues into the conference's upper echelon? After spending last season with both the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals, he'll be happy to establish a routine in a new city. At his best, Arnott was a 76-point player as a member of the Dallas Stars in 2005-06.

Think you know how the Western Conference will shape up? The current leader is none other than last year's Western Conference Champion Vancouver Canucks with 13/2 odds on the NHL Futures list.

Get all your NHL odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

The Edmonton Oilers, suddenly loaded with a roster full of youth and potential talent, have shipped one of their once-promising young forwards (Andrew Cogliano) out of town in a deal with the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a second-round pick.

At first glance it seems like a questionable move for a franchise that could use all of the talent they could get their hands on, but in the bigger picture it gives the Oilers room to let some of their other young assets flourish.

Will it have an impact on the NHL futures? Perhaps, if not for the Oilers than at least for the Ducks. In Cogliano Anaheim receives a capable scoring option who has fluttered between 30-40 points per season over his four-year career. He won't be enough to supplant team captain Ryan Getzlaf or Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry any time soon, but he'll be a respectable addition at the relatively low cost.

Heading into the 2011-12 season the Ducks have 25/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers, in contrast, sit at just 65/1.

Though they won't have Cogliano back next season, Edmonton fans will have a lot to look forward to in Alberta. That's what back to back seasons of No. 1 overall NHL Draft picks will bring. With players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle all working their way into the spotlight, it might be easy to forget about the 24-year-old Cogliano altogether.

Think the trade will pay off in the end for Edmonton? Will it pay off in the short term for the Ducks?

Get all your NHL odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

The Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Columbus Blue Jackets have never had much success on the NHL betting lines, but after an active offseason could those clubs be ready to make their supporters some cash in the upcoming season?

The Panthers have spent millions of dollars over the past month upgrading their forwards and defensemen, bringing in Scottie Upshall, Tomas Kopecky, Tomas Fleischmann, Sean Bergenheim and Marcel Goc up front, and Brian Campbell and Ed Jovanovski on the blueline.

Still, Florida lost goaltender Tomas Vokoun, and they'll be hoping the combo of Jose Theodore and Scott Clemmensen can get the job done between the pipes. Right now they're at 75/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup at Bodog; a more realistic goal might be contending for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

The Minnesota Wild (70/1) and Columbus Blue Jackets (75/1) are also Stanley Cup longshots heading into the season, but they made big moves this summer as well.

The Wild swapped out forward Martin Havlat and defenseman Brent Burns, replacing them with forwards Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi. The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, signed defenseman James Wisniewski to a big free-agent deal (six years, $33 million) and traded for Flyers star forward Jeff Carter.

Minnesota and Columbus both missed the playoffs last season in the tough Western Conference, but their offseason moves should be good for at least a few more wins for each team this season.

And up in Canada the Toronto Maple Leafs are back at 50/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup this season, but their fans are hoping that adding center Tim Connolly will complete their top lines and move them back into the playoff picture.

Head over to the hockey page at Bodog's sportsbook for all the latest NHL futures.

Sad news out of the hockey world on Monday as Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien was found dead at his home in southern Alberta by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Sgt. Patrick Webb said the RCMP received a phone call at 12:30 p.m. to go to a residence in Coleman. He did not release who made the phone call or where the body was found in the home, but said RCMP determined it to be a “non-suspicious sudden death.”

The 27-year-old Rypien was best known as an enforcer – despite his small 5-11, 190-pound frame — and fan favorite during a six-year stint with the Vancouver Canucks. He signed with the Jets, the franchise formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers, this offseason. The Vancouver Sun reports that it “was widely known that Rypien struggled with mental health issues during his time in Vancouver.” Rypien took what the Canucks deemed a “personal leave” from the team last November. In 119 career NHL games, Rypien had nine goals and seven assists and racked up 226 penalty minutes.

It was the second death of an active player this offseason. The Rangers’ Derek Boogaard, 28, was found dead May 13 in Minneapolis.

The Canucks issued the following statement Monday night:

“It is with tremendous sadness that the Vancouver Canucks confirm the passing of Rick Rypien. Rick has been a beloved member of the Canucks’ family for the past six years. Rick was a great teammate and friend to our players, coaches and staff. We send our deepest condolences to the Rypien family at this most difficult time.”

Casual NHL fans might remember Rypien for an unfortunate incident. He got involved in a scuffle with a fan in Minnesota on Oct. 19 of last year. While being sent off the ice following a fight, Rypien grabbed the shirt of 28-year-old James Engquist who was seated behind the Canucks bench and appeared to be applauding Rypien’s ejection. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed Rypien a six-game suspension for the incident.

It's sad. Seems to be a bad year to be a fighter in the NHL.

Another NHL star has suffered an untimely death.

Wade Belak, who last had a stint with the Nashville Predators, was found dead at the tony 1 King West hotel and condo building in Toronto, Ontario. Authorities have not identified the cause of death.

Belak is the third NHL player to die since May. Winnipeg forward Rick Rypien, who suffered from depression, was found dead in early August and New York forward Derek Boogaard had an accidental overdose from a combination of pills and alcohol.

Though news outlets have not speculated on how three NHL stars could die so suddenly over three months, one has to wonder if something more sinister could be behind these sudden deaths. All three stars were NHL tough guys, known for their ability to dish out hits and take them.

“Certainly he was brave,” said former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn. “He’d answer anything as far as the physical side of the game required of him. He didn’t back down from anything.”

Though Belak finished his career in Nashville, he made his mark in Toronto. He had seven seasons with the Canadian team, quickly becoming a fan favorite with his charm and sense of humor. Other than his stint in Toronto he was a journeyman most of his career. But he never gave up, which makes this situation even more bizarre.

“He was such a bright light, he had a smile on his face every day,” Quinn said. “The last time I saw him, he was up at TSN to talk about a career change into television. He seemed very, very happy with himself. Certainly, I was delighted to hear that. He was one of those special guys I enjoyed having.”

Something tells us there's a lot more to this story. We’ll keep you posted on more information as it becomes available.



Bodog Sportsbook. NHL Futures available now.

I suppose anything's possible but I am pretty sure Bob said no one he spoke with had RNH out of the top 3.

How about Benny for Jonathan?

The Florida Panthers haven’t made the NHL playoffs since the 1999-2000 season, and they hope an offseason full of changes will change their fortunes. GM Dale Tallon replaced half the roster as well as the coaching staff, hiring a new head coach in Kevin Dineen, a former player who will make his debut behind the bench.

The Panthers were in full sale mode at last year’s trade deadline, shipping more than half a dozen players out of town as part of the massive rebuild to come. Bodog's online sportsbook has set Florida’s Stanley Cup odds at 75/1.

Florida lost goaltender Tomas Vokoun to Washington this summer, but Vokoun had been shaky at best in recent seasons. They replaced him with the slightly younger, but much better Jose Theodore, who will strap on the pads for his third team in three seasons. He and Scott Clemmensen – who’s actually older than Theodore by less than two months – will split netminding duties. However, Clemmensen has never been counted on as a first-string goaltender in his 10-year NHL career.

As one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL, they’ll look to scorers like Kris Versteeg and Mike Santorelli to step up their offensive games, and hope that youngsters like Evgeny Dadonov and the third-overall pick in the 2010 Entry Draft, Erik Gudbranson, can make the roster and be a presence in Florida’s top-six.

With the state of the franchise in Florida, it will be difficult for the Panthers to compete with the likes of Pittsburgh, Washington and Boston during the season, but if they can slip into one of the lower playoff seeds, anything can happen.

Get all your NHL odds with Bodog Sportsbook.

The Montreal Canadiens finished in sixth-place in the Eastern Conference last season, totaling 96 points but bowed out in the first round of the playoffs, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. The Bodog Sportsbook has given the Habs 25/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup in the 2011-12 season.

The summer saw a host of changes to the roster, including the addition of offensive depth, which hurt the Canadiens last season. They were 12th in the conference in goals scored. They’ll need to find the twine a lot more than that this season to challenge for a playoff spot.

GM Pierre Gauthier brought in Erik Cole, Peter Budaj and Jeff Woywitka to replace some of the vacancies. Cole had 184 goals and 390 points in 620 career games with Carolina.

The defense is the problem area for Montreal. Andrei Markov is a top-defenseman in the NHL, and P.K. Subban emerged as one of the best young players overall last season, but beyond those two, the likes of Josh Gorges and Hal Gill need to be in top form. Any long-term injury can derail this team.

A big key to success to Montreal’s season is to stay out of the penalty box. They were seventh in the NHL last season, killing off 84.4 percent of their penalties, but recording over 300 penalties meant a lot of work for the special team lines and a lot fewer opportunities for the 5-on-5 lines.

Montreal isn’t the last Canadian team to challenge for a Stanley Cup, but they are the last Canadian team to win one. An Original Six team has also won three of the last four Stanley Cups – a mark broken up only by those pesky Pittsburgh Penguins – and the Canadiens look to continue that run.

Get all your NHL odds at Bodog Sportsbook.

The hockey world has had a devastating offseason in terms of NHL players having died, but what happened previously was nothing compared to Wednesday’s news that a plane crash near the city of Yaroslavl in Central Russia has claimed the lives of at least 43 people. The majority of victims were members of the Kontinental Hockey League club, Lokomotiv.

The KHL is the top league in the world outside the NHL and it has often lured NHL players past and present. Thus there were some players with NHL ties among the dead. They are: Dallas Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins, Slovakian national team captain and ex-NHL player Pavol Demitra, the KHL team's coach, former Detroit Red Wings assistant and player Brad McCrimmon, and Ruslan Salei of Russia, who played for the Red Wings last year and previously played for the Anaheim Ducks.

The crash, one of the worst in the history of sports, occurred at 4 p.m. Moscow time and the weather was sunny and clear, according to reports. According to Russian aviation officials, two passengers survived the crash, but are in critical condition. According to Sovetsky Sport, one of the survivors is Russian forward Alexander Galimov. The crash comes on top of an already mournful year for the NHL in which three of the league's enforcers were found dead: Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and recently retired Wade Belak.

Among casual U.S. hockey fans, Demitra and McCrimmon would be the best known. Demitra, 36, signed with Lokomotiv in 2010 and was embarking on his second season with the team. In 847 career NHL games over 16 seasons with the Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks, Demitra had 304 goals and 768 assists.

“It is with great sadness that we learn of the sudden passing of Pavol Demitra and his colleagues of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey club today,” the Canucks said in a statement. “Pavol was dedicated and passionate about his young family and the game of hockey. Pavol was a valued teammate and member of our organization and will be sorely missed. We send our deepest condolences to the entire Demitra family and their friends so affected by this tragedy.”

McCrimmon, 52, had spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Red Wings before resigning May 19 to pursue head coaching opportunities. He took the job with Lokomotiv on May 29. In 1,222 NHL games with the Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, Hartford Whalers and Phoenix Coyotes, McCrimmon, who earned the nickname "Beast" for his tenacious play, had 81 goals, 403 points, 1,416 penalty minutes and was a plus-444, the eighth-best total in history and third among defensemen. He played in one NHL All-Star Game and won a pair of Stanley Cups — as a player with the Calgary Flames in 1989, and again in 2009 as an assistant coach with the Red Wings.

"It's shocking," Red Wings GM Ken Holland told ESPN.com. "I think everybody in the hockey community is probably in shock and numb, myself included. I've known Brad going back to the late '80s when we acquired him here. He was a real popular player. Then we had him as an assistant coach here. He loved hockey. He was a tremendous guy and wonderful family man. Our thoughts and prayers go to his wife Maureen and two children."

Alex Ovechkin is one of the most explosive players in the NHL, but has been criticized lately for his over-the-top behavior that doesn’t explain why his Washington Capitals haven’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since he’s arrived, despite winning the Southeast Division four years in a row.

This season, Ovechkin has told the media that he’s trying something new. He has a new workout regimen and despite rumors about his being out of shape, he’s ready to be a better leader to his teammates and hopes to beat a team in the playoffs who aren’t the New York Rangers. The Capitals have 10/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup.

The two-time NHL MVP is flanked by the likes of Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. Washington GM George McPhee brought in Troy Brouwer, Roman Hamrlik, Joel Ward, Jeff Halpern and Tomas Vokoun to fill out the vacancies in the roster.

This group of players matches up with the best in the league, and anything short of a fifth-straight division championship will be nothing but a disappointment, and it will be up to Ovechkin to shed – or at least limit – his fun-loving persona and get serious about winning when it counts.

Only Vancouver (7/1) and Pittsburgh (8/1) have better Stanley Cup odds than the Capitals. Luckily for them, though, the Canucks play in a different conference and the Penguins may be without their captain Sidney Crosby, who continues to experience post-concussion symptoms.

Ovechkin is back to training camp early – it doesn’t start until Sept. 16. However, he’s also here to publically announce his new endorsement deal with Bauer. The responsibility of being the face of the hockey equipment company should further help towards his becoming the unquestioned leader of the Washington Capitals.

Get all your NHL odds with Bodog Sportsbook.