Published Feb 10, 4:32am ET by
Alex Dudley - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Feb 10, 4:32am ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Updated Feb 10, 4:32am ET
Canada will open its Winter Olympics campaign in the hockey event on Feb 12, when the nation takes on Czechia. Find the odds and picks here.
Team Canada will be one of the red-hot favorites to win the gold medal at the Games, and a success would see them set an extended record of ten top prizes at the Winter Olympics.
It’s likely that Czechia will be among the three other nations in the group that will be fighting for second at best in Group B.
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|
|---|---|
| Czechia | +550 |
| Canada | -750 |
Czechia has long outperformed its population size in hockey, with just 0.8% of the population playing the sport.
Despite that, they are among the ‘Big Six’ in the sport, and will be a dark horse chance to progress through to the latter stages under Radim Rulik. Czechia hasn’t achieved a medal at the Olympics since 2006, taking bronze. In 2022, they endured their worst-ever Olympic finish in ninth.
However, confidence within the camp should be moderately high following a surprise gold medal at the 2024 World Championships.
Hockey is one of the sports that Canada has dominated at the Winter Olympics, winning a record nine gold medals in the men’s event. As well as that, the nation also holds the record for World Championships with 28 in total.
Jon Cooper will have the pressure on his shoulders, as further gold is expected in Italy. However, the nation underperformed in 2022, finishing sixth. That ended their three-cycle medal sequence, winning golds in 2010 and 2014.
However, a stacked roster will be involved at the Olympics for Canada, including Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner, Bo Horvat, and Sam Reinhart.
| TOTAL | Czechia | Canada | DRAWS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WINS | 22 | 6 | 16 | - |
| GOALS | 133 | 54 | 79 |
In any other Olympic cycle, a chance could be given to an impressive Czechia. However, with a stacked roster full of world-class NHL stars, Canada are expected to go close to winning a gold medal in Italy this winter. Therefore, a bet on the -2.5 spread looks like the logical play on Thursday.
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Pick
Canada (-2.5)
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