CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – The NHL awards night is slated for next Wednesday in Las Vegas and I am certain the hockey fans in Vegas have already wagered heavily on Golden Knights coach Gerard (Turk) Gallant winning the Jack Awards Award as the top bench boss.
In Vegas, fans can gamble on anything, before the game, during the game or after the first period. During the regular season, especially at the beginning of the year, the single game odds on the Golden Knights to win at home produced a healthy profit, around 7 to 5 or almost 2-1, which resulted in a great many fans playing with “the House” money.
The Golden Knights posted one of the best home records in the entire league, which tells me the smart money Wednesday will be on Gallant to win the Adams. It's also very likely William Karlsson of the Golden Knights will take home the Lady Byng, the most gentlemanly award.
For those of you who may not understand the odds lingo, 2-1 means for every $1 wagered, you win two, 10-1 means a $10 return for a $1 wager provided you select the winning team, player, horse, etc.
On the other side, 5-2 odds gives the winning ticket holder a $5 return on $2 wager. It's sounds easy and looks easy, like everything in Vegas.
There are a number of Maritimers also up for awards including Wayne Simmonds, who has relatives in Charlottetown, in the hunt for the Mark Messier Leadership award and another Bluenoser, Nathan MacKinnon, is in the running for the Hart Trophy, the MVP, as well as the Ted Lindsay Award, best player as voted by the NHL Players Association. Of all the silver to be handed out, the best bet of the night is Gallant as Jack Adams winner.
Golf
The US Open at Shinnecook Hills on Long Island, N.Y., is one of the toughest tests in golf and as you read this column today, many of the 156 golfers will have missed the cut or are in the midst of third-round play.
Tiger Woods hasn't won a major golf tournament since the 2008 US Open and both he and his arch-rival Phil Mickelson, who has been second in this tournament four times, got off to rough starts in the opening round. Tiger was striking the ball great but his putting was terrible and after an opening round 78, he needs a round like 68 to make the cut. Phil had a 77 so he's in about the same boat, needing a great second round to stay alive. Golf fans are pulling for Tiger to make the cut and so are the big TV producers whose ratings depend on Tiger playing.
Soccer
The big news story in the sports world (aside from the strange fiasco between two Ottawa Senators players and their wives) is the news the World Cup is coming to Canada in 2026.
The three-country bid of Mexico, United States and Canada will guarantee 10 of the 80 tournament games will be played in Canada, most likely in Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton – a first for Canada.
The game of Soccer has really grown in this province, in fact more youngsters play soccer than any other sport. The realization FIFA World Cup play will include games in our country will elevate soccer onto a plateau once reserved for baseball, hockey, basketball and football. I'd bet money John Diamond, P.E.I.'s soccer czar in this province, and his associates Bruce Norton, Lewis Page and Alanna Taylor, as well as George Barna, will be making plans to attend when the official dates are released.
Celebrity golf tourney
In other local sports news, the voice of the Charlottetown Islanders George Matthews sends word Gerard Gallant's annual Boys and Girls Celebrity Golf tournament is all set for July 15-17 in Summerside. Among the celebrities attending are ex-Boston Bruins great Johnny Bucyk, goaltending standout Billy Smith, Pete Mahovlich, ex-Leafs Darryl Boyce and popular wrestler Kowboy Mike Hughes. The first charity event of the summer is the Brett and Alex Gallant tournament set for June 29th at Anderson Creek.
Harness racing
Live harness racing continues tonight at 6 p.m. in Charlottetown with a great 12-dash card and the spotlight will be on the Maritime Breeders final for three-year-old colts and fillies.
Royaltywestho and driver Walter Cheverie look like the favourite in the $22,000 test for fillies. It's a different story with the colts where last Saturday's division winners Half Cut and Sock It Away drew Posts 6 and 8 and there's a much tougher cast than in the fillies division.
Also tonight Terry Gallant’s Euchred has the rail in the $2,650 top class against the best pacers on the Island, including Czar Seelster, who was very sharp last week. Congratulations to Marc Campbell who bagged win 2,000 Thursday with Freddie over a sloppy track. It was one of three wins on the card for Campbell, who handles Sock It Away tonight in the colt Maritime Breeders. Among the large group taking part in Campbell's 2,000-win picture were Marc's wife Tasha and kids as well as veteran owner Norman Clarey and associates Rita Levato and John Villemaire from Kitchener, Ont.
At Mohawk raceway tonight, the spotlight is on the North America Cup where the Montrell Teague-driven Lather Up looms as the favourite in the $1-million race. It's a tough field and anything can happen.
In the $266,000 Good Times trot, Alarm Detector looks like the horse to beat in a very tough field which includes Anthony MacDonald's Lawmaker, who was a bang-up second in 1:52:2 in his season debut last Saturday. Also on the card, the $415,000 Fan Hanover final where James MacDonald has Big Thong from Post 10, the far outside. James also has Courtly Choice from Post 2 in the $75,000 North American Cup consolation.
Sunday's 13-dash card at Summerside has two divisions of the aged mares series at $3,870, which features the best pacing mares in the Maritimes. And last but not least, congratulations to local driver Danny MacDonald, who has been flying the Washington Capitals flag for the past 25 years.
Fred MacDonald's column appears every Saturday in The Guardian. He can be reached at [email protected].
