Hockey Teams Lead Canada's Top Gold Medal Betting Hopefuls At Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Can Sidney Crosby lead Canada to Olympic men's hockey gold once again in Sochi? — Can Sidney Crosby lead Canada to Olympic men’s hockey gold once again in Sochi?

Three weeks before the Sochi Games begin, Pinnacle Sports is listing Canada as the favourite to win men’s hockey gold.

Canada pays +198 on the moneyline to win it all. Russia, the host country which was previously listed as the favourite, isn’t far behind at +216.
Other notables include Sweden (+420), United States (+740), Czech Republic (+864) and Finland (+980).
Canada has won men’s hockey gold in two of the last three Olympics, including 2010 in Vancouver. Sweden has won twice in the past five Games (1994 and 2006) while Czech Republic claimed gold in 1998. Russia has not been the Olympic men’s hockey champion since 1988, when it was part of the Soviet Union.

Women’s hockey

Women’s hockey is dominated so much by two countries that Pinnacle Sports is hanging futures odds on only two countries — Canada and the United States.
Canada is a -119 favourite to win women’s hockey gold, followed closely by the U.S. at +105.
Canada was the women’s hockey champion in the past three Games, while the U.S. captured the inaugural tournament in Nagano in 1998. The only time in four Games that the final was not an all-North American clash was 2006, when Canada beat Sweden.
The U.S. has won all three of its meetings with Canada since Kevin Dineen became the head coach of the Canadian squad.

Other Canadian gold medal threats

Here are some other Canadians worth betting on to win gold in Sochi, according to a recent article in the Toronto Star that listed the country’s top medal hopes.

Christine Nesbitt, long track speed skating women’s 1,000m
It’s not often you find an athlete of Nesbitt’s pedigree as a darkhorse, but she’s flying under the radar a bit in the eyes of oddsmakers, who list her as fourth-likeliest to win gold with a +482 price. Nesbitt is the defending Olympic champion in this event and is the three-time 1,000m world champion (2009-12). She is also the former world record holder in the 1,000m distance. The United States’ Heather Richardson is the favourite (+208) after winning gold at last year’s World Sprint Championships. Netherlands’ Ireen Wust is ranked second at +284, and USA’s Brittany Bowe is third at +387.

Brad Jacobs, men’s curling
Jacobs is the overwhelming favourite in this tournament, catching -171 chalk. Top challengers include Sweden (+449), Great Britain (+605) and Switzerland (+740). Canada has won men’s curling gold in the past two Olympics after claiming silver in 1998 and 2002. However, Jacobs finished second to Sweden’s Niklas Edin at last year’s world championships, falling 8-6 in the gold-medal game. Edin will also be part of the field in Sochi.

Patrick Chan, men’s figure skating
Chan is a -170 favourite for good reason, having won the men’s world championship the past three years. He is also the reigning seven-time Canadian champion. His previous Olympic experience didn’t go too well, however, as he finished fifth at the 2010 Games in Vancouver. It’s also worth noting that Canada has never won men’s figure skating gold at the Olympics. Chan’s biggest threat in Sochi appears to be Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, who oddsmakers list at a +321 price.