Betting Among NHL Superstars: How It Became Their Passion
by Dan Adkisson
It’s no secret that NHL superstars throughout history have also served as role models for many people. People admire their passion for this sport, as well as the energy they invest to put smiles on the faces of thousands of fans. However, we must not forget that even NHL players have habits identical to those of an average person. That’s why it should not surprise you that some of them are passionate about gambling.
Gambling has been popular in North America for a very long time. In most states of Canada and the USA, it is legal to gamble offline and online. Some NHL players took advantage of that opportunity and made their free time more entertaining. Even further, some of them did wonderful things with the winnings they achieved, while others ruined their careers. Here are just a few quick stories of several different players and their gambling lessons. Let’s get started!
Gino Ojick
Ojick was a National Hockey League player for 12 years. Originally drafted by the Canucks, after eight seasons in Vancouver, he went on to suit up for three other clubs – the Islanders, Flyers, and Canadiens. During his time in the league, he was consistently recognized for his aggressive style of play.
Just like on the ice, Gino used aggressive poker strategies, which ensured him some major winnings at the card table. However, something that makes Ojick different from many others is what he has done with his winnings. Believe it or not, most of his poker winnings were transferred to different charities. It’s even made him something of a cult hero in the eyes of many people.
So, which lessons can be learned here? For starters, as an NHL fan, you would want to test different hockey betting markets in Canada. It is totally fine to do that, but an aggressive style of betting is not always going to help! You should always stay within your budget. Apart from that, you should learn more about hockey betting before even placing a bet. If you win, maybe donate some of that money to a local charity. Being a true hero to others is something Ojick tried to do!
Wayne Gretzky
Nearly all NHL fans know that Gretzky is the NHL’s all-time points leader. His career featured a huge number of individual and team achievements. For example, in just one season, Gretzky scored 200 points. He was also the league MVP nine times, an achievement that many can only dream about.
His life after retirement has been equally interesting. He started several businesses and became the owner of a few smaller hockey teams. However, perhaps something more interesting for players is the fact that he is one of the characters for several hockey casino slots. Despite his big business and hockey achievements, he is also well known for participating in different casino games. As seen in the mainstream media, Gretzky has been a big fan of roulette and blackjack.
Roberto Luongo
Without any doubt, Roberto Luongo was one of the most popular goaltenders when he was still in the professional ranks. For many years, he proved that hockey was his passion, including on the international stage. However, off the ice, he was also passionate about poker. That’s why he participated in many small and big poker tournaments. Just like Ojick, he has done some pretty amazing things with some of his winnings through this table game. Many charities praise him for being a very kind and gentle person because he donated large amounts of money.
Connor McDavid
McDavid is perhaps the current NHL players with the most individual rewards, which partialy why he has so many fans today. Since he is still young, there is a big chance he will become one of the leading scores of all time in the NHL. Until then, he has already managed to get many individual rewards; some worth mentioning are the Hart Memorial, the Art Ross Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award.
While there is not much information known about his passion for gambling (especially considering it is forbidden for him to bet on hockey in Canada), he did however become one of the first players to sign a contract with a bookmaker. Although some fans were skeptical about this arrangement, the good news is that the entire National Hockey League benefited from such an action. A larger amount of money started to come to the league, which ensured a higher level of revenues. Plus, this opened new sponsorship opportunities for other players to do the same thing, and we are sure that number will only grow in the future.
Evander Kane
Kane probably has the most turbulent gambling story on this list. Currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers, Kane has managed to change between a few teams in the past. It is unclear when exactly his passion for gambling started, but various news reports, and even his own social media posts, suggest he is rather passionate about slots, roulette, blackjack, and poker. It has been revealed that he spent nearly half a million dollars in Las Vegas during 2019 alone. Today, he often makes sports predictions, which probably ensures him even more money (or even bigger losses). Keep in mind that Kane earned a lot of money through his career. Don’t gamble or bet on hockey in Canada with big funds if you can’t afford that!
Jaromir Jagr
Jagr is one of the most popular Czech players of all-time and somebody who managed to make big steps in the most powerful hockey league in the world. That is probably the reason why he was known as the most productive player from Europe who played for several NHL teams. For many years, it was obvious that he loved the game. However, something that was revealed later is that he is also passionate about sports betting. He made some big stakes in football, and it has been reported that he won a big amount only once. Unfortunately, we do not know how many times he managed to lose when gambling.
Conclusion
These are some of the most popular NHL players who have been connected with gambling and betting in one way or another. Sports fans everywhere can appreciate the effort of those passionate bettors who decided to gift their winnings to charities. That may inspire people who want to bet on hockey in Canada to do the same.