Blackhawks to match San Jose's offer sheet for D Hjalmarsson

Hockey Betting Lines

07/12/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite noted salary cap problems, the Chicago Blackhawks announced Monday that the club will match San Jose's offer sheet for restricted free agent defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.

The Sharks signed the 23-year-old Swede to a four-year, $14 million offer sheet on Friday, forcing the Stanley Cup champs to make another tough monetary decision. If Chicago had decided not to match the offer, the club would have received draft picks from the Sharks as compensation.

"Niklas was a big part of our success last year and he's a part of our core that's going to be together for a long time," said Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman. "I'm happy for him. He's a quiet leader amongst our defensive group. I think he gets overshadowed because we've got other superstars there, but he was really effective for us all year long."

In his first full NHL season, Hjalmarsson totaled two goals and 15 assists in 77 regular-season games. He added a goal and eight points in 22 playoff games, helping the Blackhawks win the franchise's first Cup since 1961.

Hjalmarsson previously played parts of two seasons with Chicago and has compiled three goals and 18 helpers over 111 career regular-season games.

The Blackhawks have traded players such as playoff hero Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg to get under the salary cap.

Wwwmysteries Hockey Betting News

<< Montana's Wilson to play after murder acquittal
Missoula, MT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmy Wilson plans to rejoin the University of Montana football team after the NCAA granted him another year of athletic eligibility following his acquittal on murder charges. Wilson was tried in Southern Cali

<< The 'wow' factor in horse racing
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This past Saturday had three stakes races that were the equal of any last-second result in the more popular sports in the world. The word 'wow' had to be shouted by anyone who watched the races as they hap

<< This Week in Golf - July 12th through July 18th
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, The Old Course at St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland - The season's third major championship is on deck and it's being contested at the home of golf, The Old Course at St. Andrews

<< Canucks sign D O'Brien, three others
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks on Monday announced the signing of defenseman Shane O'Brien. O'Brien, 26, had two goals and six assists with a plus-15 rating in 65 games for the Canucks last season. He has

<< NL Notebook: Better late then never for Reds' Rhodes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There may not be a more random All-Star on this year's National League squad than left-handed specialist Arthur Rhodes. Then again, there may not be a more deserving player either. Forget the moonball he served up to Ryan

Canada well-represented at 2010 MLB All-Star Game >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays will send three of their starting nine to the 81st MLB All-Star Game, after hitting a major-league leading 136 home runs in the first half. Toronto's All-Star representatives of Verno

Cavs owner defends stance on LeBron >>
CLEVELAND (AP) -Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert says he ``strongly'' disagrees with Jesse Jackson's criticism of his recent comments about LeBron James.Following James' announcement last week, Gilbert fired off an incendiary letter to Cleveland's fans,

Knicks still have cap space, but future is now >>
GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) -Enough talk about the salary cap. The New York Knicks think they can win now.New York introduced new additions Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike and Ronny Turiaf on Monday. Not quite the same as showing off Le

Ducks sign LW Green >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Anaheim Ducks added some depth to the forward position by signing left wing Josh Green to a one-year contract on Monday. The 32-year-old spent last season with Modo of the Swedish Elite League wh

Knicks officially sign PG Felton >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks made it official on Monday by signing free agent guard Raymond Felton. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the New York Daily News previously reported its a three-year d

American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.