[PascalX]

World's oldest and most prestigious club tournament is coming up. Yeah I know, most folks here don't give a *** about Spengler Cup, but those who do, what are your thoughts?

I've been following European Hockey Leagues closely but am most comfortable with the Swiss league.

Here's my team review:

Team Canada (bwin winner odds: 1.80... I'd be happy to take any action for 2.0 as I think 1.80 is hilarious)
Due to the Lockout, Canada's National Team will feature quite a few NHL star players, most of which currently play in Switzerland, like Tyler Seguin (Boston), Jason Spezza (Ottawa), Matt Duchene (Colorado), John Tavares (NY Islanders), Sam Ganger (Edmonton), Patrice Bergeron (Boston), Ryan Smith (Edmonton), Devan Dubnyk (Edmonton) and many more.
As always, Team Canada will try hard to win the tournament. This year, they're obviously much stronger than anytime before, but, as always, it will be crucial how well they manage to form a new team quickly. Putting together a lot of stars is not a recipe for success per se. Team Canada is the tournament favourite with a big margin, but the dice isn't cast yet.

Davos (bwin: 4.75)
The host team isn't as strong as it was in the previous year, looking at the performance in the league (currently ranked 7th out of 12). However, it is their home tournament, they will have all the fans behind them and they've always been good for an exploit at Spengler Cup. NHL players in the team are Patrick Kane(!), Loui Eriksson(!), Joe Thornton, Damien Brunner and Rafael Diaz. Davos will try very hard to win this tournament.

Salavat Yulaev Ufa (bwin: 4.75)
Salavat Ufa has not met the expectations this season, ranked 5th out of 12 in their division and with a L-L-L straight. As a consequence, they will start Spengler Cup with a new headcoach. Nonethless, this team shouldn't be underestimated due to its good roster and remarkable recent history (winning KHL 2010/11 and KHL semi-finals in 2009/10).
I was going to say that this team plays hard for the win, but now that they have a new headcoach, they might just use it as a tournament for re-adjusting things, because obviously, their true goal for this season is winning the KHL. So I expect this team to be in "experimental mode", but who knows where this goes. Exploit possible, but unlikely.

Fribourg Gotteron (bwin: 8.0)
Fribourg is currently very dangerous. They're ranked 1st place in the Swiss league with a form of Wo-W-W-W-W, and they've won against strong teams in the previous games. So they are definitely hot. NHL players in the roster include Bruno Gervais, David Desharnais, Maxime Talbot and Patric Hörnqvist. I think they will initially try very hard to win this tournament, although, if they get a bad start, they may just switch to "energy saving mode" to keep their favourable position in the Swiss league. But, overall, this is my favourite pick, as I think it offers the best odds. Of course, the big question is "who can beat Team Canada, with all the NHL players?". I think that if anyone can do that two or more times, it'll be Fribourg. Davos, Mannheim and Ufa may do, but only in a one-time-experience. However, current Fribourg is probably just better than Canada's assembled best team. Seriously. Fribourg can be very strong these days. But they kinda have the same issue as Team Canada: incorporating new players. We'll see how Fribourg is doing in giving their new NHL stars a new place. If they do well, they'll gonna make everyone a tough life!

Adler Mannheim (bwin: 16.0)
Adler Mannheim is currently ranked 1st out of 14 in the DEL with a record of W-W-W-W-L, so they're definitely hot. However, I think it's not nearly as exciting for them to win the Spengler as for any of the previously mentioned teams. And much of their performance will depend on their opening game aganinst Team Canada. If they do well (and by that I don't mean that they need to win... just play ok and they could be ok), it might trigger a fire, if not, I think they won't care much about the tournament any longer. NHL players include Luca Sbisa, Nick Bonino, Marcel Goc, Dennis Seidenberg and Jason Pominville.
Adler Mannheim may be good for a surprise!

Vitkovice Steel (bwin: 26.0)
I must admit that I don't know much about this team. Vitkovice is currently ranked 9th out of 14 in the Czech league. Given that, and taking into consideration that the level of the Czech's league is below those of Switzerland's and even Germany's (IMO), I think Vitkovice will have a hard stand. The last time a Czech team won the Spengler Cup was 1982, but I'm not sure if that's motivation enough. We'll see. To me, Vitkovice is the team with the biggest exploit potential, as they're the clear underdog.

Now, what are your thoughts? Picks? Do you know better about current form or intention in this tournament of Vitkovice, Mannheim, Salavat Ufa (or any other team)?

[hels]

Is it the same format as previous years? Round Robin and then top 2 teams play in the finals?

If so Canada at 1.8 is the best pre tourney pick

[Redman3693]

I picked up Canada -1.5 vs Adler Mannheim @ -139 from Bet365. Feel very comfortable with this pick.

[PascalX]

Is it the same format as previous years? Round Robin and then top 2 teams play in the finals?

It's the same format as in the last two years, but it changed in 2010. There are 2 groups with 3 teams, the group winners qualify directly for the semi-final while the other 4 teams play a "quarter-final" (or pre-semi-final, whichever you prever) cross-over (i.e. 2nd plays vs. 3rd from the other group).

[PascalX]

I picked up Canada -1.5 vs Adler Mannheim @ -139

Betting on a team where most players haven't played a game in 8+months against #1 in DEL? I don't think it's a good bet @1.72 but we'll see

[PascalX]

Fribourg to win in regular time vs. Salavat @3.05 (Marathon).

[PascalX]

Canada vs. Mannheim. The Draw @5.5 (US +450). Ladbrokes.

[Redman3693]

Interesting pix PascalX & a good write up to start - ThanX.

I'm thinking that the Canadians have something to prove to the fans after this fiasco of a MIA season (ya I know they are locked out but see them as being very greedy & believe that we would be playing if they got a grip on reality).

BOL on your pix mate!

[PascalX]

BOL on your pix mate!

Thanks, I.... argh.... win

[PascalX]

Quick game review from my perspective:

Fribourg Gotteron - Salavat Yulaev Ufa (5:1)
Salavat played very fast and aggressive, they have talented individuals, but especially in their defense they're very disorganized at times. I don't know whether this is the rule or just because they tried new things due to their new headcoach.
Both teams played aggressively, while especially Fribourg needs to improve on their use of chances.
Overall the game was almost equal, IMO Fribourg with a slight advantage as they are more solid overall, especially in the defence.
Salavat, when down 2-1, pressed very hard in minutes 40-50 when Fribourg scored the 3-1 out of nowhere, after which Salavat's neck was broken. The rest was just gala performance. Btw, what was the market thinking, putting newly-coached, 5th placed Salavat as a favourite against the Swiss leader on a hot streak?

Canada - Mannheim (1:2 after OT)
Not really surprisingly, it was evident that Canada had trouble in forming a team, especially in the first period. Too much ego play, it was like everyone thought they could beat Mannheim on their own . They were continuously getting better during the game, passes started to find their targets, but then again, it was a wild game against a hot team of Mannheim which showed the will to fight. Overall, Canada was better IMO but not by a huge margin, and Mannheim IMO deserves at least the one point, due to their spirit, solid play on their own blue line and at times miraculous keeper Endras.


Oppinions for today:

Vitkovice - Salavat Yulaev
Very though for me. I bet 8.5 Units on Fribourg-Salavat and 1 Unit on Canada-Mannheim, but here I am basically lost cos I don't know where to put Vitkovice. I know they're ranked 9th/14 in the Czech league and come from a Lo-W-W-W-W strike, but don't really know where to put that. Generally I believe Salavat is clearly the stronger team, but then again they don't have much motivation to win this game after their initial loss, since it doesn't really make a difference on whether you're 2nd or 3rd in the group (however, it DOES make a slight difference if you're 1st, because then you'll have to play one game less). No bets from me (bookie odds aren't out yet anyways mostly).

Davos - Canada
I'd be on Fribourg if it were Fribourg - Canada, but alas that's not the matchup. Davos hasn't been playing well in the Swiss league recently, and I expect Canada to get better throughout the Spengler. It's a tough one. Canada is the favourite, no doubt, but the question is how big of a favourite. Have to see what the odds are and update pre game start.

[VegasInsider]

Thoughts on Canada/Davos O6 (-131)

I think Canada could put it together for three periods today and pour some on.

Canada -1/2 (-140) looks good too. I can't see Canada only having 1 point after two games.

[VegasInsider]

Canada -1/2 is steaming down to -135 now at Heritage..

[PascalX]

Canada to win in regular time @1.9 (US -111.11) (Expekt) should be ok.

[VegasInsider]

I'm on Canada -1/2 (-135)

[VegasInsider]

Nice, 2-0 Canada

[PascalX]

game review:

Davos - Canada (0:5)
Davos couldn't play any dumber. At least after the 3rd penalty in the 1st period one would think that they should realize that the refs were not in a good mood tonight. They called each and every borderline thing (not blaming the refs, they were just very fussy, obv. even given the international hockey rules). It's a bad idea to play short-handed for almost half of the first period against Canada, but Davos went this road. Davos needs to play a lot smarter in their upcoming games.
Canada didn't play any better than in the 3rd period against Mannheim, but then again, they didn't have to, so we don't know if they'll be able to improve if it counts.
Overall: solid boxplay on both sides, game almost equal in 5-on-5 play (IMO just a very slight advantage for Canada). Excellent chances on both sides.
Good for Davos: It can't get any worse, really. I saw a couple of good elements in the game, but they need to use their scoring opportunities, and not take that many penalties. Then, they have a good chance to reach the semi-final.
Bad for Canada: No improvement compared to the Mannheim game (except that they started the first period pressing hard, when they were all lost in the 1st period in the Mannheim game). However, if they meet Fribourg or Mannheim again, they'll have a hard stand if they play like this.

[VegasInsider]

Thank you for your insight Pascal. It's really nice to have someone that pays attention to this competition and willing to take the time to share his observations! I'll be checking in to get more info and plays.

Thanks

[PascalX]

game review:

pre-game annotation: in my initial review about Vitkovice I totally forgot and ignored the following which could be crucial to everyone who is betting for/against this team: Vitkovice has taken part in last year's Spengler Cup. They played bad in their first games, but as the tourney continued, they improved, and showed spectacular play, and thus became the fan's favourite. And that's the reason why they were invited again to this year's Spengler Cup. But this also means that Vitkovice will probably take this tourney seriously, as they want to show Europe that they are a good team and that they deserve competing against world's best club teams. So they likely have a lot more motivation than I initially thought.


Vitkovice - Salavat Ufa (4:5 after OT)
First: this was the most spectacular game in this year's Spengler Cup. Why? Because neither team has a solid defense, but both played very aggressively.
Second: Vitkovice started surprisingly strong. They were really going for the win, always pushing hard in the offence. Vitkovice was clearly stronger during the first 30 min. They basically had a 2-goal lead throughout the game until the beginning of the 3rd period, when Salavat scored the 4-4. Again, neither team has any solid defence, so that's why it was rather easy for the talented individuals on both side to score. I know well why I didn't place any bets on this: it could have gone either side.
Third: Vitkovice should learn how to manage a lead. They were leading 3-1 and 4-2 but they continued with their (given the score) stupid offensive attacks and had no clue in how to defend.

Therefore: both these two teams will have a very hard stand against the better teams (Canada, Fribourg, Mannheim), but a game like Vitkovice-Davos should be interesting: can Davos defend against the furious Vitkovice forwards? Will Vitkovice be lucky enough to defend against Davos' world class offence?

Glad to see Vitkovice play again.

[PascalX]

Thank you for your insight Pascal. It's really nice to have someone that pays attention to this competition and willing to take the time to share his observations! I'll be checking in to get more info and plays.

Cheers, appreciate the feedback

[PascalX]

alright, a few closing words.

1) that was a rather lame Spengler Cup. Main reason: Fribourg gave up the opportunity to bring a little excitement to the outcome of the event when they lost to Vitkovice, since that made them play the pre-semi-final and thus they had to play Team Canada with empty batteries (3rd game in 3 days) in the semis. Had they at least tied Vitkovice, they'd have gone straight to the semi-finals and likely met Canada in the final.

2) Canada: no surprises here. They got better after the initial game, but were never really challenged thereafter. They also got the luckiest schedule (2 games, followed by two days rest and then 2 games more). But solid job... unfortunately not much spectacular play needed and thus the semi- and final were boring.

3) Mannheim: Good job in beating Canada in the opener. They used their (small) chance. No further exploits, as they got defeated by both Davos and Fribourg, both of which could be expected, also because they had a lot of injured players.

4) Davos & Fribourg. Other than Davos' loss in their first game against Canada and Fribourg's against Vitkove, they did a good job. It's totally acceptable to get crushed by the best (and fresh) Team Canada ever on the Spengler Cup after the 3th (Fribourg) and 5th(!) (Davos) game in a row without any rest. Anyone who didn't cash on the final (~1.6 (US -167) for Canada) is just stupid .

5) Vitkovice: The little surprise this year. They compensated their comparingly weak roster in the tourney with a lot of heart. They fought hard in every game and played very aggressive at all times. But what I liked most: you could see that everyone enjoyed being there, there was a lot of laughter on the bench and whenever they scored the players on the ice looked like children who are unpacking their christmas presents. Kudos to Vitkovice, I wish more teams around the world would show such great passion!

[Redman3693]

Good write up Pascal

I appreciate the time you took to share. -Yes, I did capitalize on Canada & the overs.

[PascalX]

Yes, I did capitalize on Canada & the overs.

Easy game. Cheers mate. Wasn't all tooo sure about the over (after all, they could have won smt. like 4-0 or 5-0), but yeah, odds justified I think.

I just noticed you had some European Hockey threads started... good stuff in there. First pick for Jan 2nd obv. take Ambri against Davos @ 2.96 (US +196) on Marathon (I got it at 3.1... sweet IMO). Don't ask why. And sry, wrong thread

[Redman3693]

Easy game. Cheers mate. Wasn't all tooo sure about the over (after all, they could have won smt. like 4-0 or 5-0), but yeah, odds justified I think.

I just noticed you had some European Hockey threads started... good stuff in there. First pick for Jan 2nd obv. take Ambri against Davos @ 2.96 (US +196) on Marathon (I got it at 3.1... sweet IMO). Don't ask why. And sry, wrong thread

ThanX Pascal

I was working on some Euro hockey but personal emerg that took some very close folks away from me. forced me to abandon.

I love hockey & have been watching for over 40 yrs. Started following more Euro games when the greedy funks at the NHL started to pout & act like spoiled kids. I've had good success with international tourney wagering & hockey in general.

Thanx for the Ambri tip, will check it out.

Happy New Year Mate