Hockey fans can appreciate the fever caused by Super Bowl betting, but it is the Stanley Cup that hockey fans really take an interest in. Right now is a good time to start analyzing the Stanley Cup futures for various teams and see if you can get in on action that you feel may be profitable. It is a lot of guesswork at this point, but if your inclinations are correct then you could wind up paying off big on the Stanley Cup winner.

A futures bet is just as the name implies; you are placing a bet against potential future performance by each team. If the Boston Bruins are +600 to win the Stanley Cup this year, then you can place a future bet of $100 and win $600 if the Bruins actually do win the Cup. Many of the price per head sports experts have all kinds of systems in place that they say help them to pick the Stanley Cup winner. There are two popular situations that people use to help guide their Stanley Cup betting; defending champions and regular season success.

NHL fans know how difficult it is to repeat as Stanley Cup champion. The last team to repeat was the Detroit Red Wings when it won the Cup in 1997 and then again in 1998. Prior to the 1991 and 1992 seasons when the Pittsburgh Penguins won back to back Cups, a team winning the Stanley Cup in successive seasons was common. Since 1998, it has never happened. The odds look stacked against the Bruins to repeat this year.

Another key indicator in betting on NHL futures is regular season success. The President’s Trophy is awarded to the best regular season team and has been given out 25 times since its inception in 1985. Since that time, only seven President’s Trophy winners have won the Stanley Cup. At a success rate of only 28 percent, the regular season champions are never a lock to win it all in the playoffs.