Ice hockey, simply referred to as hockey in both English and French in Canada, dates back to the 19th century. The sport is very popular and played year-round and at every level in the country.

If you are a sports fan, and you have an interest in betting on sports in Canada, we’ve got the perfect post for you right here. As you may already know, sports betting is becoming pretty popular in Canada, but to get the best taste of the action, you need to know what sports to bet on in the first place. That’s precisely what we’ve focused on through this quick article, and we will be guiding you on where to make your bets, what teams to focus on, and so much more! So with that said, let’s get started with the first sport that you should be looking to bet on.

Ice-hockey (NHL)

You probably guessed this one already, but just to reiterate, ice-hockey is one of the very best sports you can wager on in Canada. Of course, there is plenty of ice-hockey action to be enjoyed each and every season, and since Canada has a lot of home interest in this sport, this just makes it that much better. With 7 professional teams involved in this league from Canada, and many Canadian individuals actually competing in the NHL, what’s not to love? On top of being able to make wagers on individual games throughout the season, you can also bet on who will win the Stanley Cup – which is pretty exciting we must say!

Pretty much all of the best Canadian sportsbooks cover ice hockey betting markets, so you don’t need to look too far to discover the open markets and the odds. Make sure you keep a close eye on teams like Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal this season too, for their line-ups are looking rather exciting!

Hockey in Canada. Stereotypical though it may be, there’s no escaping the fact that Canadians. Montreal, Quebec. Originally founded in 1909, the Montreal Canadiens are the longest operating. Sports in Canada consist of a wide variety of games. The most common sports are ice hockey, lacrosse, gridiron football, soccer, basketball, curling and baseball, with ice hockey and lacrosse being the official winter and summer sports, respectively. Ice hockey, referred to as simply 'hockey', is Canada's most prevalent winter sport, its most popular spectator sport, and its most successful. Ice hockey in the UK has earned a lot of attention of late, with the premier story being the Great Britain team making it to the top flight of World Championships ice hockey in 2018. Now at an international level, the team shares the ice with the best from Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and the United States.

Basketball (NBA)

While the NHL is the premier division for ice hockey in North America/Canada, the NBA is definitely the premier division for basketball in the entire world. This is always a fun sport to follow and wager on since teams are competing on almost a daily basis. This provides plenty of basketball for you to watch, and plenty of opportunities to get some wagers placed. And just like some of the other sports/leagues we’ve mentioned here, basketball has both a regular season and a postseason tournament for teams that have performed the best. The postseason event is where the heat really gets turned up, and you can even find online betting bonuses to use for this tournament too.

At the time of writing, some of the teams that are looking particularly dangerous include the LA Lakers (home of Lebron James) and the Houston Rockets.

American Football (NFL)

The games may not be as regular for the NFL compared with leagues such as the NBA and the NHL, but when they do get played, they are always a huge event. Watching top NFL teams compete throughout the week and on the weekend has become part of the culture in Canada, and it’s always more exciting to watch the game when you’ve made a wager. However, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t bet more than you can afford to! While many of you will be familiar with the pinnacle of the NFL season – The Superbowl, it’s important to note that games are played over several months in the build-up to this event.

And given the nature of how NFL games are played, there’s quite a number of bets you can make. Besides the regular moneyline market, you can bet on individual player points, the team spread, what plays will be made, and much more.

Soccer (MLS)

Arguably, soccer might not be as popular as sports like ice hockey, basketball, or American football, but it’s a sport that is gaining plenty of traction in Canada. This is seen by the national soccer team starting to get better and better, and the general standard of the MLS becoming quite competitive too. And to add to this, soccer is actually the number one sport for sports betting in the entire world, with the most markets and the most activity. Therefore, wouldn’t it make sense to join the action and start to discover different markets and teams for the MLS?

In recent years, we’ve seen some pretty high-profile players compete in the MLS too. Players such as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, and even Thierry Henry have competed in the MLS during the twilight stages of their career. Of course, this means that the MLS is becoming much more exciting to watch, and the league itself is rather competitive too.

Conclusion

As you can see, these are the top 4 sports that you might want to consider betting on in 2021. And just as a friendly reminder, you must meet the online gambling regulations in Canada before you can set up an online account and start making bets. Finally, make sure you keep it fun and enjoyable – regardless of what sport you choose to wager on.

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I recently got back from a trip to Montreal. While I was aware that hockey was a big deal in Canada, I wasn’t aware of just how popular hockey betting was until I visited. Canada is hockey-crazy, and I admit, the enthusiasm for it is infectious. I left wanting to learn more about it.

I decided to conduct a deep dive into hockey and find out why it is so popular. From Canadians watching it in bars to the huge numbers of people I saw betting on hockey from their phones, I had to know more. Here’s what I found out about why hockey betting is so popular in Canada.

To fully understand the current popularity of hockey in Canada, it’ll help to know a little bit about its history.

A Quick History of Hockey in Canada

• Hockey was first played in Canada in 1862.
• In 1875, the first indoor hockey game was played.
• The first female hockey game quickly followed in 1892.
• In 1893, the Stanley Cup was created. Back then it was called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup.
• In the early 1900s, international professional hockey leagues emerged, and Canada lost many top players to US-based leagues.
• The Ontario Professional Hockey League formed in 1908. This was the beginning of pro hockey in Canada.
• The National Hockey Associated formed in 1910, followed by the National Hockey League in 1917.
• In 1920, Canada won the Olympic Gold Medal for hockey in Antwerp. This was a matter of huge national pride and cemented hockey’s place in Canadian culture.

Canada dominated amateur men’s hockey for 30 years, between 1920 and 1950. Then, its first major rival, the Soviet Union, began to challenge its dominance with state-sponsored teams.

The rivalry between the two lead to the infamous Summit Series in 1972 – an eight-match clash between Canadian and Soviet players. Four games were played in Canada, and four were played in Moscow. Canada edged the win in the final game in Moscow. Paul Henderson scored the final goal with seconds left on the clock and snatched the victory for Canada.

This series ultimately lead to the professional game Canadians know and love today. Canada has since won another Olympic gold medal (2002) and has been a constant dominant presence in international hockey.

Today, ice hockey trails only second to golf in terms of participation in Canada. Stats released by Statista show that there are 637,000 registered ice hockey players in Canada.

As you can see, hockey goes to the very heart and soul of Canada. It’s interwoven in the country’s sporting history. Canadians have had several national moments of glory linked to hockey, and the sport would not be where it is today without Canada driving it forward. That is probably the main reason for the popularity of hockey betting.

Other Reasons for Hockey’s Popularity in Canada

Several sporting legends such as Wayne Gretzky have emerged from the sport. As a pro player, he inspired legions of Canadians to either play or follow hockey. You don’t get the nickname “The Great One” for no reason. His 894 goals helped earn him that name.

Tens of millions are poured into developing the sport and attracting talent. A quick look at the NHL salary cap will show that it increases almost every year. The salary cap dictates what teams may pay for players and is determined by the previous year’s revenue, among other things. In 2018, it was estimated that the average NHL team was worth $630 million. The US television deal with NBC alone is worth $187 million per year. There’s plenty of money for the promotion and development of the sport.
Like all sports, the highest-paid athletes inspire young people to get into the game. Players like Connor McDavid, who has earned more than $19 million, do wonders for the promotion of the sport among the Canadian youth. It gives them dreams and ambitions to play and participate in the sport.

Some Canadians I talked to told me that hockey is a central part of their communities. Hockey brings together players from lots of different religious and ethnic backgrounds and strengthens the bonds of the community. It’s a force for social good in the country.

Of course, there’s the uniqueness of the game itself. Some players I talked to described it as “flying on the ice.” Others said they had dabbled in other sports like lacrosse and golf, but they didn’t compare to the adrenaline rush of playing hockey. I’ve never played myself, but I believe them after watching a few games.

These reasons all combine to foster the popularity and growth of hockey in Canada. However, the main reason is still the first one – the sport is a matter of national pride and is deeply embedded in Canadian culture and sporting history. This is an original Canadian sport, and without Canada, there probably wouldn’t even be such a thing as pro hockey or hockey betting today.

Betting on Hockey In Canada

Another thing I noticed when visiting Montreal was how many players are betting on hockey in Canada. In the sports bar which I watched a game in, some punters were exchanging bet tips, talking about wins and losses, and placing live bets on their mobile phones.

I enjoy a bet as much as the next person, so I was curious to know what sort of wagers can be made for hockey betting online. Here’s what I found.
While Canadian bettors tend to stick to betting on the NHL and some international tournaments, some hockey betting sites offer action on Russian, Swedish, Czech, and other leagues. Hockey is also taking root in the UK and other countries abroad. There are plenty of games to bet on.

There are lots of options for live betting on hockey in Canada. Moneyline, puck line, regulation time, over/under, team to score next, bets on each period, team totals, total goals in the game, correct score, winning margins, and lots of other prop bets can be made. This offers Canadian hockey bettors lots of variety.

Canadian sportsbooks offer plenty of free bets on hockey. This is one of the main drivers behind the popularity of betting on hockey. With a 100% deposit match or a guaranteed money-back bet, there’s a lot more incentive to have a punt. A lot of players sign up at one Canadian betting site, claim the welcome bonus, and move on to the next. Others stick around and take advantage of weekly reload bonuses before each game.

Hockey betting is wildly unpredictable. This allows for exciting underdog bets and unlikely outcomes. Punters can make great returns on an unlikely bet if a key player is injured during gameplay, for example. Given the fast-paced, high-octane nature of the game, anything can happen. I talked to some players on hockey forums who always bet a small amount, like 5 CAD, on the underdog. They said that while most bets don’t turn out well, the value of the ones that do is greater than the total of the regular small losses.

Lastly, there’s a sense of patriotism to betting on Canadian hockey teams. This is especially true when they’re facing off against international rivals. I’ve even noticed some hockey betting sites playing on this and enticing Canadians to “bet on your national team.” Canadians are rightfully patriotic, and hockey betting gets mixed in with that.

Hockey Is Canada’s Game

I think what I discovered about the popularity of hockey in Canada can be summed up by the heading above. Hockey is Canada’s own game, and it has been a part of life in Canada for as long as anyone can remember.

Hockey Popularity By Country

Hockey was a relatively new sport for me before my visit to Montreal. Now that I know more about it, and have come to understand it, I’ve converted. I’ll be keeping a closer eye on hockey and placing some hockey bets in the future.

Hockey Popularity In Canada

It’s addictive, and when you mix that in with your country’s history, national glory, and being pioneers of the sport, it’s easy to see why Canadians love watching, playing, and betting on hockey so much.

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