Hockey "Cold War" rages on

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08/26/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cold War may be a thing of the past in a political sense, but the battle between Russia and the West is still alive and well in the hockey world.

This week, representatives of the NHL and KHL, among numerous other ambassadors from international hockey leagues, gathered in Toronto for the World Hockey Summit. One hot topic was whether NHL players will be allowed to skate in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, but another, more-pressing issue took center stage.

That topic was the ongoing battle between the world's biggest and best hockey leagues, the NHL and Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. Since the KHL was formed in 2008, the league has placed itself in direct competition with the NHL by attempting to lure players to Russia. How successful the upstart league has been in achieving that goal is up for debate, but it's clear that the KHL has at least drawn the attention of the NHL.

On the surface, the leagues appeared to be civil towards one another in Toronto this week, but just like in the Cold War, the real battles are raging behind closed doors.

Former NHL player and current KHL executive Slava Fetisov, a Hockey Hall of Famer, did his best to highlight the supposed goodwill between the warring leagues when he said, "We need the help to grow together. I think we need the relationship with the NHL. But in reality, synergy is not on at the top of the list for either sides.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly was more pragmatic in his assessment of current relationship between the leagues when he said, "I think, obviously, we have had some misunderstandings and disagreements and you only bridge those differences by continued dialogue. I think we have improved the level of dialogue in recent months and I hope that continues."

The real point of contention facing the leagues is that there is currently no transfer agreement in place between the NHL and KHL. Until an agreement is worked out regarding that issue, there are no rules of engagement when it comes to the KHL trying to lure players away from the NHL, or vice versa.

Up to this point, most of the NHL players who have decided to jump ship for the Russian league have been toward the end of their careers, but there is one name that keeps popping up as an example of the KHL's ability to draw talent away from North America. That player is former Nashville Predators forward Alexander Radulov, who signed a three-year deal with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL in the summer of 2008 despite having one season remaining on his contract with the Preds.

Both the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation condemned the signing, but without a transfer agreement in place, neither organization had any legal recourse to stop Radulov from leaving his NHL club. All the Predators could do was suspend Radulov for the 2008-09 season and lament the fact that they wasted a first-round pick on a talented player who decided his best career move was to play professionally in his home country.

Two years later, Radulov's exodus seems like an isolated incident but there are still no rules in place that could prevent another player from making the same decision. The very real possibility that a young player will simply pull ups takes and leave for the KHL has struck fear in the hearts of NHL general managers and possibly has led to only four Russian players being selected in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft over the last two years. After Radulov, a key question regarding any Russian prospect has been the player's desire to play in North America, something that is not as easy to gauge as whether or not a guy has the skill to be a success in the NHL.

As with the aforementioned issue regarding NHLers playing in the 2014 Olympics, the transfer agreement problem will not be solved before the NHL's current collective bargaining agreement expires on September 15, 2012 and there is a distinct possibility that the controversy will linger on even after a new CBA is agreed upon. After all, the KHL is a separate entity and doesn't have to bow to the NHL demands.

One hopes that cooler heads will eventually prevail for the sake of international hockey as a whole. While the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the U.S. went on for over 40 years, hopefully the NHL and KHL can find a more expedient solution to their problems.

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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