Raise your hand if you’re an NHL betting fan and you predicted the Penguins’ slide. It’s crazy to think that chatting up a Pittsburgh native about their hockey team would be awkward right now.

“So…um…how about those….hey, aren’t the Steelers in the playoffs? Good. I, um…gotta go.”

What’s with the Penguins? How much have online sports betting players lost betting on them in the last couple of months?

Odds are, the Pens will snap out of it. I mean, losing out to Carolina and Buffalo for the last playoff spots? Really? NHL betting fans should step off the ledge. Still, this is a team that gutted itself at the trade deadline (and lost some depth via free agency) last year. After Crosby and Malkin, the depth is lacking. Reminds me of Ottawa last year, except the Pens have a guy who stops pucks on purpose.

Either way, online sports betting fans should give props to Sid the Kid. The pretty boy got his nose dirty in an effort to fire up his teammates during Saturday’s 6-1 trouncing at the hands of the local Bantam tea – er, the Florida Panthers:

Come to think of it, I think you NHL betting fans deserve some classic superstar-turned-crappy-fighter moments:

Gretzky…

Mario…

How about a compilation of the crappiest “hockey fights”?

My apologies to anyone who bet online on the Pens, the Northbet Pick, so far this year. Happy NHL betting in 2009!