The 2014 Ice Hockey World Championships takes place in Minsk, Belarus between 9th May and 25th May with 16 teams battling it out for the title. With four different winners in the last four years, the competition is wide open and fiercely competitive. So which team will triumph this year? Read on for the latest betting odds, tips and analysis to find out what we think.
Russia – who last won the tournament in 2012 – are the favourites for overall victory with Paddy Power offering best betting odds of 23/10 for them to win gold. But as we saw in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the Russians have a propensity towards self-destruction, and though they are an excellent side on their day, we feel they won’t live up to the favourite’s tag and those odds are just too short to consider.
The Winter Olympics is a good yardstick for this championship, and the winners of the gold medal in Sochi, Canada, look a decent price here at best betting odds of 7/2 with Bet365. Sweden, who won silver in the Olympics and also won last year’s world championships, also appeal at odds of 6/1 with BetVictor, but bear in mind that last year they were playing in front of their own fans.
Overall we think Canada offer the best value, while Finland – who won bronze in Sochi and won this tournament in 2011 – are also worth a look at best betting odds of 9/1 with Sportingbet. For a big outsider, hosts Belarus are out at 300/1 with BetVictor, but for us Canada are the team to beat.