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Canucks get Smolinski and Sopel

Hockey Betting Lines

02/27/2007 - Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks made a pair of trades on Monday, acquiring center Bryan Smolinski from the Chicago Blackhawks in and defenseman Brent Sopel from the Los Angeles Kings.

The Canucks confirmed the deal involving Sopel, while TSN.ca reported the Smolinski trade with the Blackhawks getting a conditional second-round pick.

Smolinski, 35, who was acquired for a conditional second round pick, has appeared in 62 games this season for Chicago, his first with the club, and has 14 goals along with 23 assists and is a plus-10.

In his 14th season, Smolinski started his professional career in Boston and has also appeared with the Islanders, Pittsburgh, Ottawa and Los Angeles. He has played in 972 games and has recorded 262 goals and 357 assists.

Sopel, who was acquired for a second round pick in 2007 or 2008 and a fourth round pick in 2008, has played in 44 games this season and has notched four goals and 19 assists with a plus-two rating.

In his eighth season, Sopel has played in 414 games, including stints with Vancouver and the Islanders, and has 38 goals and 138 assists.

<< Abreu out up to three weeks
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees right fielder Bobby Abreu is expected to be sidelined the next 2-to-3 weeks due to a strained right oblique muscle. Abreu was hurt during batting practice Monday at Legends Field, but he

<< Favre recovering from ankle surgery
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre underwent minor ankle surgery Monday morning. "The procedure went as expected and he is recovering at this time," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said i

<< Bills re-sign Chris Kelsay
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills re-signed defensive end Chris Kelsay on Monday to a multi-year contract. Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Friday, Kelsay recorded a career-high 5 1/2 sacks, whi

<< Islanders acquire Zednik from Caps
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders have acquired left wing Richard Zednik from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a second- round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Zednik is having one of his worst offensive

<< Prammanasudh enters top 20 in Rolex Rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stacy Prammanasudh won for the second time on the LPGA Tour on Saturday, helping her jump 11 places to No. 19 in the latest Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings. There was no change in the top 10, but ev

McGrady out for Monday's game versus Celtics >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Rockets forward Tracy McGrady is expected to miss Monday night's game against the Boston Celtics because of an illness. McGrady is suffering from flu-like symptoms. He is averaging 24.6 point

Calder to Detroit, Williams to Chicago in three-way deal >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers dealt struggling Kyle Calder in a three-way deal that saw the left winger wind up in Detroit and center Jason Williams land in Chicago on Monday. The Blackhawks sent defensem

Dalembert boosts Sixers over Kings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samuel Dalembert posted 20 points and 17 rebounds, as the Philadelphia 76ers opened a six-game homestand with an 89-82 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Andre Iguodala notched 22 points and eight boa

Hossa leads Thrashers over Bruins >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Hossa scored the game-winning goal to help the new-look Atlanta Thrashers to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins at TD Banknorth Garden. Atlanta made a couple of big moves over the weekend that the te

UConn routs Rutgers >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Renee Montgomery scored 21 points, as third- ranked Connecticut completed a perfect season in the Big East with a 70-44 romp of No. 18 Rutgers. Mel Thomas added 16 points and Charde Houston ended with

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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