2022 Olympics Ice Hockey Projections – Predict The Winners

We do not have to wait much until February 4, when the 2022 Winter Olympics begins. The long-awaited event officially ends on February 20, and the best players of 15 sports will compete against one another. Ice hockey debuted in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, then has been part of the Winter Olympics since 1924. The best eight nations of the 2019 IIHF Men’s World Ranking are automatically qualified for the 2022 Winter Olympics. In this article, we will check out the 2022 Olympics ice hockey projections and find out which teams have the best odds of winning the gold medal.

Ice Hockey Facts

Hockey teams usually consist of 20 players and two goalkeepers, of which one goalkeeper and five players can be on the ice at the same time. Hockey is a fast and intense game. The purpose of the game is to get the puck into the opponent’s goal, preferably many times. Players use a stick to control the puck on the ice. It is forbidden to direct the disc with any part of the body. However, a player can score a goal with any part of their body if the puck bounces off of them and into the goal. Intentional kicking or throwing the disc is not allowed and doesn’t count. Ice hockey, like many other sports, has ancestors. The origins of Canadian hockey date back to the 1800s. Rumor has it the commander of Fort William ordered the bored soldiers to clean the yard.

The soldiers invented the new game by sweeping around a piece of wood. In 1879, two students at McGill University in Montreal, W. F. Robertson and R. F. Smith, worked out the initial rules of the game. So the regulations in ice hockey originate from Canada, hence their successful ice hockey career and favorable 2022 Olympics ice hockey projections. There is another similar game to hockey called Bandy. It is a form of hockey because it’s a team sport, played on ice with curved sticks and a bandy ball. Bandy most likely spread from England in the 18th century, and along with the Canadian version, modern ice hockey probably developed from these two.

Men – 2022 Olympics Ice Hockey Projections 

Ice hockey is most popular in Canada, the US, Russia, Sweden, and Finland. It is obvious from the list that what these countries have in common is the cold weather. Providing more options to play and practice hockey than warmer countries do. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that these countries are the top choices. According to 22Bet Sportsbook, Canada’s national team is the most likely to win the gold medal with 2,444 odds. Sidney Crosby, the two-time Winter Olympic gold medalist, will likely represent Canada, along with Connor McDavid, captain of the Edmonton Oilers. Russia is the second with five odds, then comes the US, with 6,95 odds, falling behind Canada, their all-time nemesis. 

Sweden and Finland both have seven odds for winning the ice hockey gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Germany falls back to eighth place with 49 odds. At 22Bet, you can place bets on the teams that won’t win, as well. Canada has 1,5 odds for not winning, Russia has 1,15, while the US, Finland, and Sweden have 1,08 odds. The twelve teams were divided into three groups of four. The teams play rounds with everyone in their group. The winners of each group and the second-best teams qualify for the quarterfinals. The other teams will play in the playoffs for the quarterfinals. From the quarterfinals, the tournament will continue in a single-elimination method.  Place your ice hockey bets and make money in the online sportsbook in the UK.

2022 Olympics Ice Hockey Projections – The Women’s Tournament

Based on the odds at 22Bet, it is a pretty safe prediction that the gold medal will either go to the US or Canada in the women category. The US has 1,87 and Canada 1,95 odds at winning. As for the other 2022 Olympics ice hockey projections, go like this: Finnland is the third with 15 odds, then Russia with 30. Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic have the same chance of standing on the top of the podium with 50 odds. Denmark is the ninth out of the ten teams participating in the tournament with 100 odds, and China brings up the rear with 299. However, you can place bets on the non-winners, but only the US and Canada are available with 1,87 and 1,8 odds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QONNF7ZhOYM

The ten teams were divided into two groups of five. The teams will play with each one in their group. Members of Group A and the top three teams in Group B will go to the quarterfinals. From the quarterfinals, the tournament will continue in the system of direct elimination. Women’s ice hockey was added to the Winter Olympics in 1998, and ever since then, except for one Olympics, the United States and Canada fought in the final. The defending US will most likely bring the 2018 gold medalists: Brianna Decker and Hilary Knight, while Canada will call in the big guns, too. There is a good chance that the three-time Olympic medalist Marie-Philip Poulin and two-time Olympic medalist Jocelyne Larocque will join the national team.

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