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09/29/2011 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year, the Vancouver Canucks won the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best team in the regular season.
The award's most practical purpose is that the winner gets home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Canucks, that wasn't enough to deliver the franchise its first-ever Stanley Cup title.
Instead, the Canucks succumbed to the visiting Boston Bruins in a decisive Game 7 at Rogers Arena. Shortly after the B's put the finishing touches on a 4-0 victory, downtown Vancouver erupted in riots and one of the world's most beautiful cities was transformed into a burning nightmare.
Although, getting within one win of a Stanley Cup title is nothing to be embarrassed about, the way the season ended has the Canucks, and the city of Vancouver, seeking redemption in 2011-12.
The Canucks are still heavy favorites to win the Northwest Division and are still a threat to win it all, although the usual questions linger about whether the Sedin twins or goaltender Roberto Luongo have what it takes to lift Lord Stanley's Cup.
The best case scenario has Vancouver using last season's disappointing conclusion to its advantage, just like the Bruins did when they followed an epic collapse in the second round of the 2010 postseason with the franchise's first league crown since 1972.
On the other hand, the Canucks could fall back into the cycle of an excellent regular season followed by a playoff run that falls short of the ultimate goal. There are worse things than that, although it's hard to recognize that when a Cup seems to be always just out of reach.
FORWARDS - The quiet and unassuming Sedins somehow always manage to be a lightning rod for controversy. The identical twin brothers, who are now 30 years old, have taken turns leading the NHL in scoring over the past two seasons, but the Sedins aren't being criticized for their regular-season play.
Team captain Henrik Sedin won the Hart and Art Ross Trophies with 112 points in 2009-10, and he added 94 points (19 goals, 75 assists) last season. He also notched three goals and 19 assists over 25 playoff games, but just one of his 22 postseason points came in the seven-game series with Boston.
Daniel Sedin, meanwhile, set career highs in goals (41) and assists (63) en route to claiming an Art Ross Trophy of his own. Daniel recorded 20 points (9g, 11a) in the postseason, but was limited to a goal and two assists by Boston in the final round.
In defense of the Sedins, one of the things that made Vancouver an elite team last year is that the club was supposed to have excellent scoring depth and it can't be only their fault that the Canucks were held to just eight goals in the final round against Boston. Not to mention, Vancouver was facing Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, who seemed nearly unbeatable at times.
As the right winger on the Sedin line, Alex Burrows is another guy that the Canucks count on for offensive production. After setting a personal best with 35 goals in 2009-10, Burrows dipped to just 26 goals and 48 points last year. He had a solid overall postseason with nine goals and eight assists, but outside of a two-goal, three-point night in Game 2 against the Bruins, he went pointless in the Cup Finals.
Second-line centerman Ryan Kesler exploded for a career-high 41 goals in 2010-11 and also added 32 assists over 82 games while also winning the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward. Although, the 27-year-old American battled through a hip injury in the postseason, his one assist in the Cup Finals was obviously a disappointment.
Kesler is expected to miss the first month or so of the 2011-12 campaign after undergoing surgery in the offseason. That will leave a hole in the No. 2 centermen spot that could be filled by Manny Malhotra, Maxim Lapierre or Cody Hodgson until Kesler is ready to return.
Malhotra, 31, plays a strong two-way game and is Vancouver's top faceoff guy. He had a solid first year in Vancouver with 11 goals and 19 assists in 72 games, although a serious eye injury caused him to miss all but the final six tests of the postseason.
Lapierre has the speed of a top-line guy, but is better suited on a checking line. He had just one goal in 19 games with Vancouver following a trade with Anaheim.
Hodgson, meanwhile, was the 10th overall pick of the 2008 draft and will surely see an increase in minutes with Kesler out. The 21-year-old had one goal and one assist in his first eight games at the NHL level in 2010-11 and also garnered 12 appearances in the playoffs. Hodgson worked hard this summer to get into better shape and that could pay off with a breakout season.
The Canucks also have some solid veteran wingers with Mikael Samuelsson, Mason Raymond and Christopher Higgins returning and Marco Sturm was signed in the summer. Samuelsson, who will likely be Vancouver's top penalty killer in the absence of Kesler, is the best of that bunch, as he's coming off an 18-goal, 50-point season. Like Kesler, Raymond will miss an unspecified amount of time to start the season after suffering a broken vertebra in last year's Stanley Cup Finals.
Sturm had 22 goals and 37 points with Boston in 2009-10, but struggled to just 16 points (5g, 11a) in 35 combined games with Los Angeles and Washington last year. He could be a big boost at both ends of the ice with a rebound campaign in 2011-12.
The Canucks can't really improve much on offense during the regular season after leading the NHL in both goals per game (3.15) and power-play efficiency (24.3-percent) in 2010-11. The goal for Vancouver in 2011-12 is to maintain that production.
DEFENSE - Vancouver's biggest offseason loss came at the defensive end with the departure of Christian Ehrhoff, who signed a mammoth 10-year, $40 million contract with Buffalo last season.
With no major defensive additions this summer, the Canucks will be hard- pressed to replace Ehrhoff's blueline-leading 14 goals and 36 assists from last year. However, healthier seasons from returning guys like Alexander Edler, Dan Hamhuis, Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa could alleviate the loss of Ehrhoff.
Edler had eight goals and 25 assists in just 51 regular season games last year and added 11 points (2g, 9a) in 25 playoff games. At 25, the Swede should be entering his prime years and he could potentially approach Ehrhoff's 2010-11 totals with a full season.
Hamhuis and Bieksa are the highest-paid players on the Vancouver blue line, banking annual salaries of $4.6 and $4.5 million, respectively. Hamhuis was the club's biggest addition in the summer of 2010 and he managed to post six goals, 17 assists and a plus-29 rating in just 64 games last season. The injuries bled into the postseason too, with Hamhuis notching one goal and five assists while sitting out six playoff games.
Bieksa led the entire team with a plus-32 rating despite skating in just 66 games. He also added six goals and 16 assists in that span.
Sami Salo is another guy with offensive capabilities that simply couldn't stay healthy last year. The 37-year-old Swede signed a one-year deal this summer to return to Vancouver for a ninth season. He had three goals and four assists in just 27 contests last year.
Aaron Rome will miss the start of the season with a broken hand, so Keith Ballard will likely be paired with either Chris Tanev or Andrew Alberts to form the final pairing.
GOALTENDING - Luongo, Vancouver's talented but enigmatic goalie, is back once again to prove his critics wrong. The problem is that the only thing that will quiet the Luongo-haters is a Stanley Cup title, and those can be hard to come by.
Luongo turned in an excellent regular season in 2010-11 and then went on a roller coaster ride in the playoffs.
He recorded four shutouts in the postseason, including two in the Cup Finals, but he was also pulled twice against the Bruins and surrendered a whopping 20 goals over the seven games. Earlier in the playoffs, he was also benched for Game 6 against Chicago before returning to win the seventh and decisive game against the Blackhawks.
Still, the 32-year-old onetime captain of the Canucks remains one of the best puck-stoppers in the league. He went 38-15-7 with a 2.11 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in 60 games last season and earned a Vezina Trophy nomination in the process.
Luongo's postseason problems are a concern, but Vancouver would be crazy to part ways with such a talented netminder. Yet, calls for backup Cory Schneider to supplant Luongo won't go away, unless the Canucks finally decide to trade the goaltending prospect.
Schneider, the 26th overall pick of the 2004 draft, is now 25 years old and is coming off an impressive campaign as the No. 2 option. The American saw action in 25 games for the Canucks last season and went 25-16-4 with a 2.23 GAA and .929 save percentage.
With Luongo locked up for the next decade and Schneider in the final year of his contract, don't be surprised if Canucks GM Mike Gillis opts to deal Schneider during the season.
WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - The Canucks are in a position that can be described as both enviable and difficult. On one hand, the club has reached such a high level in the regular season that only a Stanley Cup title can satisfy the fan base. The bad side, of course, is that any season that doesn't end in lifting a certain silver chalice is declared a failure. That is a rare brand of pressure to play with and it's anybody's guess if the current crop of Canucks will ever be able to overcome it. Playing in a poor Northwest Division, the Canucks could win another Presidents' Trophy and postseason glory will likely be in reach, if they can just manage to grab it.
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Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Northern Ireland
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American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
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Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
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