The NHL later announced it found no evidence to support the allegations and Kane signed with the Oilers after he was placed on unconditional waivers by San Jose. The NHL investigated Evander Kane before the start of this season following accusations from his estranged wife that he had bet on San Jose games while playing for the Sharks. They both appear in TV spots promoting sports gambling. Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is a brand ambassador for BetMGM, while Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews has an endorsement deal with Bet99. Now, they might be asking how the money line that Richards and MacNeil are promoting so heavily works. The constant promotion of gambling makes me long for the more innocent days of my youth watching HNIC when the intermissions included cartoon character Peter Puck explaining the rules of the game and Howie Meeker breaking down plays on his telestrator to explain what mistakes were made on the ice and how they could be corrected.īack then, kids could learn about the game. “We have action! It looks like a video game out there,” Richards said after the Flames took a 3-1 first-period lead in a game they would win 9-6 before asking MacNeil for the updated betting lines. There’s even a regular intermission segment called SN Bets Big Board with Cabbie Richards and Andy MacNeil, an Edmonton-based hockey betting analyst for the Vegas Stats and Information Network. “They’ve upped the ante,” play-by-play announcer Chris Cuthbert said. Oake then went on to talk about a “friendly wager” between Canadian soccer stars Alphonso Davies of Edmonton and Sam Adekugbe of Calgary on the series, with the loser donating $2,000 to the winning team’s charity while also being pictured wearing the winning team’s sweater.

Following a commercial break that included yet another ad for a sportsbook during the first period of Game 1 of the Battle of Alberta between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames Wednesday night, Scott Oake said: “Remember when we used to say: ‘Please no wagering?’ Well, those days are gone.” The on-air talent is also getting in on the act.

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