Modano may find the weight of Hockeytown heavy

Hockey Betting Lines

08/06/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Perhaps Mike Modano is finishing his career where he always intended.

It is certainly going to be odd for any long-time hockey fan to see Modano skate during an NHL season with nothing other than the symbolic star on his chest, first that of the Minnesota variety and later representing Dallas. But when the Stars decided this past offseason to part ways with Modano for the first time since the franchise drafted him first overall in 1988, there seemed to be only one destination in the cards for the center.

Modano was going home. Everybody knew it.

"I thought I was emotionally and mentally finished with the game after last year," said Modano at a press conference on Friday. "I think the last little while in Dallas has taken a toll on him in those aspects. But coming here to visit these guys and talking with them certainly does get you excited about the opportunity that is here."

The Michigan-born skater seems ready to bring his Hall of Fame worthy career to Detroit where it all began, but might not find Detroit so tranquil amid the pressure of bringing home another title.

Make no mistake, the Red Wings aren't bringing in Modano, who was born approximately 13 miles from downtown Detroit in nearby Livonia, with the thinking he will return to his 30-goal days. That time has passed as Modano has scored more than 22 goals just once in his last six seasons.

Instead, Detroit is offering the 40-year-old a comfortable place to conclude a career that is entering its 21st season, one that has seen the veteran post 557 goals and 1,359 goals, both most among U.S.-born skaters in NHL history. His 145 playoff posts also lead all American-born players.

Goals for the Red Wings will come off the stick of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom. Modano will only be counted on to lend veteran leadership to a third line that is expected to feature Dan Cleary and Jiri Hudler on the wings.

"The game looks easy when you watch these guys and you play against them," said Modano. "It just looks real simple and effortless and you don't waste a lot of energy. At 40, I don't really want to waste a lot of energy."

While Modano certainly sounds like a guy who realizes his best days are behind him, Detroit must get something from him offensively. The club is coming off a 2009-10 season that saw it go from tops in the NHL the previous year with 289 goals to 14th last season with 223 tallies. That drop was attributed to the free agent losses of Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, Mikael Samuelsson and Hudler, who returns after a one-year stint in the KHL, as well as injuries to Valtteri Filppula and Franzen among others.

But other than bringing back Hudler, the Red Wings haven't added any scorer other than Modano, so to say they aren't expecting much out of the seven-time All-Star would be facetious.

Should Modano fail to contribute on offense, especially if the injury bug hits Motown again, he runs the risk of ending his career not with a bang, or better yet a title, but amongst a collective sigh of what used to be; just another veteran who stuck around one year too long.

"A lot of high expectations so I think that will drive us and really give me some excitement leading into camp to get ready for the season and hopefully live up to the hype and play a little more youthful than a 40 year old," said Modano.

This type of move has worked for Detroit before, as recent as eight seasons ago when the Red Wings added a 37-year-old Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, 36, to a club that won it all in 2002. Both Hull and Robitaille scored 30 goals that regular season, while Hull finished fourth on the team with 18 playoff points.

A 30-goal season for Modano would exceed even the most wild expectations, but a punchless campaign out of the seasoned skater would sour his homecoming really quick.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards

Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

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