Skip to main content

Pure as the ice they play on? Don't bet on it!

Articles are flowing fast and furious proclaiming the great fortune of Gary Bettman to be at the helm of the NHL, rather than one of the pro sports that seem to be wrapped up in talk of steroids, gambling, or abominable cruelty.

Before we hockey fans feel too content about our sport's innate purity, recall that the NHL has had its scandals, too. As always, Joe Pelletier's Legends of Hockey provides historical context for all of us. (Fittingly enough, this was passed along to me while watching High Roller - The Stu Ungar Story). Corrupt officials, players leaking information to gambling interests, etc., all lie in the NHL's past. You have to love the story of Boston Bruin Don Gallinger, however; for in the middle of an illicit operation his competitive instincts still came through:
Investigations found Gallinger betting as much as $1000 on games involving the Bruins. Strangely enough, his $1000 bet was on a game against Chicago where he expected the Blackhawks to win. Boston would win that game, with Gallinger scoring the very important tying goal.
As is the case with Joe, I've taken an endorsement from BetUS.com, an offshore sports book, and would caution any of you to enjoy such pursuits as entertainment within the bounds of common sense. Gambling is just one of many endeavors that can take a powerfully addictive turn, and if you find yourself betting on games because you actually need the money, or know a friend or family member heading down that road, by all means get some help ASAP.
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

My goals for 2011: Make sports blogging pay off

In my never-ending quest to figure out a model for making what is currently my hobby & passion into something bringing in at least a side income, I've decided to set a couple goals for myself to complete during the rest of 2011. Simply put, I plan to publish two products over the next few months, which I hope will provide real value to hockey fans, and that they'll be willing to pay for. Will it succeed? Will it fail? The only way to know is to put my nose to the grindstone and get these two things done (I'll keep the details under my hat for now). The important thing to note is that these efforts are in addition to anything I'm doing over at OTF . Taking away what we're doing over there and asking people to pay for it is a surefire lose-lose all the way around, because if there's anything we've learned over the last few years, it's that people love to read about sports, but only for free. I'm also optimistic about Hockey Gea...
Read more

Social Media, Internet Marketing, and Real, Paying Customers - it really works!

Applying the basic tenets of internet marketing (SEO best practices and social media network building) have helped me grow the readership and engagement over at On The Forecheck tremendously in recent years, but lately I've been wondering if those same techniques could be applied to small- or medium-sized local businesses, to help them drive real, tangible business results. I'm talking about not just drawing idle hockey fans looking to a blog so they can muse over line combinations, but helping businesses connect with potential customers in ways that otherwise wouldn't occur. Recently, I was able to help make just such a thing happen, and it shows just how great the opportunities are for small, local businesses which may not have the resources or skills available to extend their brand effectively on the internet.
Read more

Celebrating a milestone month

I've been remiss in providing regular updates on my quest to turn this whole sports-blogging hobby into at least something of a significant side income, if not a career, but good news has a way of prompting action. That, and I've been heads-down busy working on a few different fronts to push things forward...
Read more