The history of the NHL jersey goes back nearly one hundred years. Their uniforms were originally made from heavy wools and cottons to keep players warm and they were never extremely appealing.For the first decade of league play, groups only had one uniform they wore for both home and away games. The league slowly made its way to the U.S.

The Founding era spans from the NHL firm in 1917 till a large drafting for World War Two in 1942. The NHL was founded when its precedent, the national Hockey association was disbanded. It continued to flourish till 1942 when the numerous teams from the NHL were sold, broken apart and disbanded due to World War two and the lingering aftermath of the Great Depression. The six teams that stayed adopted a new moniker and the second era of the NHL commenced.

This age has been marked with trials including work disputes and earnings issues. Great things have also come out in the Modern time. The NHL has grown from twenty two groups to the thirty groups playing now.  Read more...

Hockey is likely one of the most intense sports ever invented. Although technically speaking, hockey has a lot of forms; for instance ice hockey (used with ice skates), field hockey (no skates, only a field of grass/gravel), and street hockey (used with rollerblades). All these kinds of hockey are intense enough and can provide athletes and audiences alike a very enjoyable game.

It is critical, in any style of hockey, for players to wear the best clothes and especially the ideal socks. Games can take place during cold climates and a sock allows protection from any various extremes of the weather. Apart from protection from the climate, additionally , it may become a mini-buffer against accidental strikes from pucks, hockey sticks, including other players. Getting hit can hurt a great deal, you no doubt know.

The conventional model that’s used in hockey is usually the tube sock. It goes right below the knee and is extremely ideal for players to wear. Manufacturers usually are conservative with all the designs and colors (black, white, or maybe some stripe variations) and you can choose to customize them and add personalizing touches including logos, patches, etc.  Read more...

Although many of his offensive records have now been left in the dust by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, former Boston Bruins/New York Rangers center Phil Esposito is still regarded by hockey experts as one of the greatest players in NHL history.

A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Esposito was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as a teenager. After some time in junior hockey, he was called up to the NHL in’64 quickly earning a spot on the teams top line between Bobby Hull and Marcel Dionne. In’67, Esposito was traded to the Boston Bruins along with Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield.

It wasnt long before Esposito started to destroy long standing NHL records. In’69, he became the first NHL player to top the 100 point mark (combined goals and assists) for the season”he obliterated the record with 126 points, which would be the first of six times that hed top the century mark. He topped 100 points in five straight seasons between’71 and’75, missing a sixth straight season by a single point with 99 in’70. Bruins fans were fond of displaying car bumper stickers that read Jesus Saves; Esposito scores on the rebound.  Read more...

Proline betting is one of the world’s most concentrated sports book set-ups, offering players across Canada the opportunity to bet against various given sporting outcomes. Run by not-for-profit entities on behalf of the respective provincial governments, it offers cumulative odds on the results of NHL hockey, baseball and other sporting events, raising billions of dollars for public services, charities, research and the arts. But what’s Proline all about, and how does it actually work?

Proline is effectively a state-run sports book, offering individuals the chance to bet on multiple sporting events. Picking the results of between 3 and 6 events, odds are accumulated to determine a payout at fixed decimal odds (with returns obviously greater for 6 correct predictions than 3). It is this multiplier effect that makes playing Proline an attractive proposition for sports fans and gamblers alike and as a result of the cumulative odds the highest payout ever recorded on a Proline bet was $304,000.

And because it is government operated, getting involved is as easy as heading down to your local convenience store and making your selection from the available sports on offer, including, baseball, football and of course, hockey.  Read more...

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games are just around the corner. Worldwide excitement is starting to build. The Winter and Summer Olympics are some of the most watched sporting events in the world. The countdown has started and the opening ceremonies will commence in a little over two months from now. Vancouver was given the honor of these games over 5 years ago and has been busy getting ready ever since. Calgary 1988 was a huge success and everyone expects the same for Vancouver 2010.

The Winter Olympic Games are a much anticipated international sporting event that is held every four years. The athletic competitions are held over a period of approximately three weeks and are book ended by a stirring and patriotic opening ceremonies and a breath taking spectacle of closing ceremonies. Events include alpine skiing, luge, cross-country skiing, figure skating, bobsled, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping, freestyle skiing, short track speed skating and long track speed skating..

The Vancouver Games will be hosted by a number of different venues around Vancouver, British Columbia. The City of Vancouver will host hockey, figure skating, short track skating and some Paralympics events. Whistler, BC will host the alpine skiing, cross country skiing, bobsled and luge events. Richmond will play host to the long track speed skating while West Vancouver will host the freestyle skiing.  Read more...

In the’60’s, the NHL was almost entirely made up of Canadian born players. There were a few US natives, but players from other countries were unheard of. Stan Mikita, born the country formerly known as Czechoslovakia, started to change that. While he was sometimes overshadowed by teammates like Bobby Hull, most hockey experts consider Mikita the best NHL center of the’60’s. He was born in what is now Slovakia, and sent to live in Canada as a young boy. Like most boys his age, he began playing the national sport of hockey.

As a teenager, Mikita starred for the St. Catherine Teepees of the junior league Ontario Hockey Association. In’59, he made the jump to the NHL for good joining the Chicago Blackhawks. He played sparingly in his first partial season in the NHL, but quickly became an important part of the Chicago offense in his first and second full seasons as a pro. In’61, he led the team in playoff scoring as they won the Stanley Cup”his only championship during his career and the last time the franchise would win the NHLs highest team honor.  Read more...

After losing the services of starting goalie Roberto Luongo for the indefinite future with a broken rib, the Canucks may have breathed a sigh of relief too soon after backup goalie Andrew Raycroft’s performance in his first game in relief. After an excellent effort in an overtime victory over Los Angeles, Raycroft was torched for four goals in two periods before being pulled from the game. Corey Schneider, recently recalled from Manitoba of the AHL, played the third period in net giving up three more goals as Anaheim cruised to a 7-2 victory.

Anaheim has struggled to a 4-6-1 record this season, but rewarded their backers who chose to lay the -164 price as home favorites with the Ducks. The Canucks evened their record on the season at 7-7 with the loss. The 9 combined goals put on the board sailed OVER the posted total of 6. Anaheim has gone OVER in 6 of 11 while Vancouver evened their NHL totals record at 7-7.  Read more...

The Columbus Blue Jackets learned a valuable lesson about NHL hockey on Friday night-it’s dangerous to ’sit on a lead’ and particularly against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Down 3-1, Pittsburgh tied the game late in the third period as Ruslan Fedotenko and Alex Goligoski each lit the lamp with less than three minutes remaining. After a scoreless overtime period, Sidney Crosby scored the only goal of the shootout to give the Penguins an improbable 4-3 victory. It was the 9th win in ten games for Pittsburgh, who are a perfect 6-0-0 on the road. Columbus lost for the fifth time in six games after a 5-1 start to the NHL season.

NHL hockey betting enthusiasts cashed wagers on the road underdog Penguins, but on the moneyline at +117 and the puckline. Pittsburgh has gotten off to a great start this year, going 11-2-0 in the first month of the season. Columbus is struggling to stay above .500 at 6-5-1. The 7 combined goals scored went OVER the posted total of 5′.

Crosby’s game winning score in overtime wasn’t exactly the stuff of highlight reels, with the puck barely trickling over the line:  Read more...

The Montreal Canadiens have gotten off to a slow start this season, and entered Thursday night’s game against the New York Islanders having gone thirteen games without a win in regulation dating back to last season. Apparently, all they needed to cure their ails was a team that was struggling more than they are. The Habs jumped on them early scoring three goals in the first two periods en route to a 5-1 victory at the Bell Centre. Montreal improved to 4-5-0 with the victory while the Islanders dropped to 1-4-3.

NHL hockey betting devotees who weren’t scared away by the -180 home favorite price tag on Montreal cashed their tickets with the Canadiens’ big win. It was the sixth win for the Habs in their last eight meetings with the Islanders. The six goals scored just managed to go OVER the posted total of 5′.

The sputtering Montreal offense finally woke up, helped by a 43-22 shots on goal advantage. When Montreal opened a 2-0 lead in the first period it marked the first time this season that they’d led by more than a goal, a fact that surprised left winger Mike Cammalleri:  Read more...

People often cite hockey as a brutal sport, and it is definitely a sport that demands much physically out of its players. Instead, players are rotated in on a six at a time basis. These players play a game that is divided into three twenty minute periods. Overtime is a way to break a tied game’s score in the last period, as late ties are not allowed in the NHL.

Having changed a lot since its origins in Europe, hockey is a sport which has grown to include many regulations, and is nothing like the sport that it was back when the referee was in the audience instead of on the field. They watch the players confer calls between themselves and league officials, who are also sitting on the sidelines as well. Another difference that grew out of the additional regulations in the league is the penalty box. During the game, if a player is found to be breaking any moves that are not part of the league-accepted play, the player will be forced to sit out the rest of the period, and sometimes the rest of the game.  Read more...