Chara breaks his own record, but Team Alfredsson wins

Hockey Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zdeno Chara's record-breaking blast was part of the highlights at the NHL SuperSkills competition on Saturday.

Chara was captain of his own team that eventually lost to Team Alfredsson, 21-12.

In the hardest shot competition, Chara came into the event with a record 105.4 mph blast in 2011. His first shot shattered that record as it reached 108.8.

In the final round, his shot went down to 107.0, but it was still enough to beat Shea Weber of Nashville, who fired his 106.0 mph.

"It was probably the new stick," said Chara. "It's so much fun out here, and breaking the record adds to it."

Weber had a shot of 104.9 in the first round for the fastest shot for Team Alfredsson, but lost both rounds to Chara.

These two were also the finalists in the 2011 competition.

In the fastest skater competition, Carl Hagelin of the New York Rangers defeated Colin Greening of the Ottawa Senators.

The two rookies were the fastest in the opening round, with Greening posting a time of 12.993 and Hagelin skating to a time of 12.963.

The final round, though, saw Hagelin win that one with a time of 13.218 while Greening was just back with a time of 13.303.

"It was kind of tough on the first race because we hadn't been on the ice much lately," said Hagelin. "But that second one I felt real good and was able to win it."

In the breakaway challenge, Patrick Kane of Chicago won to get Team Chara a victory.

After missing his first attempt, Kane donned a Superman cape along with the thick Clark Kent glasses for his second shot.

On that one, he scored as he dove to the ice, threw the puck from the left side to the right with his hand and tapped it in with the stick.

His last attempt saw him use a trick puck that broke up into several pieces when he slapped it.

The winner of the event was determined by fan votes, and Kane garnered 49 percent of the vote to get his team one point.

In the accuracy event Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, who had an appendectomy on January 15, won for Team Chara.

In the qualifying round, he had the fastest score with a time of 13.583 seconds and then beat Matt Read of Philadelphia in the final round with a time of 10.204.

In the skills relay challenge, Team Alfredsson won all three points available.

The skills challenge consists of one-timers, target shooting, passing, puck control and stickhandling skills, eight players on each side compete against each other for the fastest time.

Team Alfredsson had a time of 2:28 in the first round while Team Chara did it in 2:45.

The second round saw Team Alfredsson win again with a time of 2:08 compared to 2:14 for Team Chara.

Each heat won Team Alfredsson a point, and the squad got an extra point for fastest overall time.

In the final event, Team Alfredsson defeated Team Chara in the elimination shootout.

Consisting of breakaway attempts, both teams sent 12 skaters on net and Alfredsson's team scored six times in the first round while Team Chara had just three goals.

It went to another round with the original goal scorers having a second shot and Team Alfredsson scored three more while all three of Team Chara's shooters were stopped.

Steven Stamkos scored in the final round to win the event as John Tavares and Jason Pominville were stopped.

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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.