Huge International Upsets In Ice Hockey Games
- Updated: April 19, 2017
The Biggest Shocks In Ice Hockey
Upsets in sports betting keeps the market fresh, and keeps thing interesting. Hockey is definitely no stranger to shock victories and Canadian players are all too familiar with underdogs rising up to snatch victory at the very last minute.
The Miracle On Ice
No article on Hockey upsets is complete without a mention of the 1980 Olympic showdown between USA and the Soviet Union. This is the type of matchup where all the sports betting strategy in the world could not have predicted the outcome.
At this point the Soviet Ice Hockey team was a powerhouse that was all set to crush the inexperienced US team at the Lake Placid Olympics. Amazingly the US team fought their way to a 4-3 victory over the Soviets, leaving many fans absolutely speechless.
Playing Against Yourself
A legendary game that would have made immense waves today for the world of professional sports betting was the 1936 Winter Olympic match between Great Britain and Canada. It was the first ever recorded loss between Canada and Great Britain and it cost Canada the Olympic gold.
The irony of the situation is that a large portion of the British team was made up of British Canadians, almost as if to rub salt in the wound.
Fighting The Soviets
The Soviet hockey team has always ensured that punters enjoy some of the best sports betting action around. In their face-off against Canada in the 1981 Canada Cup however resulted in quite a shock defeat.
This event came on the heels of the 1980 Olympic loss of the Soviets to the USA and it seems this fired them up for this final. The Soviets walked over Canada for a shocking 8-1 win, despite expectations that Canada where going to bounce back in the finals after an average tournament performance.
Championship Loss For Sweden
No matter what sports betting systems you use, you can never predict an upset. This is what adds that element of excitement, and is also a driving force behind wagers on clear underdogs. The odds for an underdog win are sometimes just too tempting to pass up on. NZ betting sites, and sportsbooks around the world, generally offer great odds on underdogs, and many punters have reaped the rewards of a long shot bet.
In the 2003 Hockey World Cup, Sweden faced off against rivals Finland. By the end of the first half, Sweden was ahead 5-1 against Finland. These were almost insurmountable odds but amazingly Finland fought back hard in the second half to steal the game with a 6-5 victory. The game became known as the Big Meltdown in Helsinki.
Kazakhstan Triumph
Another underdog win was recorded in the 1998 World Junior Championships between Kazakhstan and Canada.
The Kazakhstani team was young, not very experienced and were playing with borrowed equipment. There were only 7 spare sticks for the entire team. Regardless they already had a lead after the first half and walked away with a stunning win against the Canadian team.
A Flash In The Pan From Norway
A sports betting news headliner in 2000 was the World Championship match between Norway and Canada. Norway beat the Canadians 3-2 for their first ever victory over Canada in the World Championships.
To add insult to injury, Norway was relegated the very next year and have yet to fight their way out of division 1.
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