Created: 1893 in Canada

Awarded To: Team that wins the playoff championship in the National Hockey League

Current Champion: Chicago Blackhawks

Hockey betting enthusiasts have come to love betting on the chase by all 30 National Hockey League clubs vying for possession over the Stanley Cup trophy. Deemed by many as the Holy Grail of sports, since its inception in 1893, the Stanley Cup has become synonymous with the most difficult task to accomplish.

The Stanley Cup was first battled over by the Montreal Hockey Club and the Ottawa Generals in 1894, a game in which the Montreal squad won three to one. From the first ever Stanley Cup victory in 1894, to about 1967, it was easier for teams to win back to back Stanley Cups. However in 1967, the NHL had expanded from six teams to 12 teams which then made it harder for one team to dominate the league.

Prior to expansion in the late 1960s, three of the most dominant teams in the National Hockey League, included the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Going into this past season, no team had won more Stanley Cups then the Montreal Canadiens, who in their 100 year history have won 24 Stanley Cups. In all of the big four sports, the Canadiens are the second most championship filled team aside from baseball's New York Yankees who have won an astounding 27 World Series championship titles.

From 1926 until 1967 the NHL was made up of only six teams, who all still play in the league today now made up of 30 teams. The original six teams of the league who battled over the Stanley Cup are Detroit, Boston, Montreal, Chicago, New York, and Toronto. Of the six teams, prior to the start of last season, Toronto and Chicago had gone the longest without winning a Stanley Cup in the expansion era NHL. However this past season, the Blackhawks, proving that winning the Stanley Cup is no easy task, finally broke out of a zero for 49 slump, by laying claim to their first Championship since 1961. Now the Toronto Maple Leafs who have not won a cup since the season before expansion, 1966-1967 remain the one team with the longest drought without a Stanley Cup.

Today is the worst day for all of the NHL players who disappointed their teams this past season with poor performances. Similar to Larry Murphy with the Toronto Maple Leafs 13 years ago, players both performing poorly and are over the hill, can be bought out by their current clubs.

The buyout policy is one enforced as a last resort for clubs strapped for cash. Sometimes the players being bought out have not necessarily been bad, they just do not get played often and the salary they are making appears undeserved. For fans betting on which players will be moved, one can look no further then to these five NHL clubs who will surely be making some fans betting on them quite rich as a result of the buyout policy.

1. Chicago Blackhawks - Although winning the Stanley Cup, through the designs of former architect Dale Tallon, the club is severely strapped for cash. As a result, look for players such as backup goalie Cristobal Huet, defenseman Brent Sopel and perhaps a forward such as Kris Versteeg to be bought out of their contracts if the Hawks cannot trade them. By buying all three out, the Hawks could use the money for fixing holes.

2. Montreal Canadiens - The one team that will almost certainly provide a safe bet for using the buyout policy. Three players, who appear to be headed out the door after being bought out, are former enforcer George Laraque and the Kostitsyn brothers. Laraque has not played a game of hockey since early January, as then Hab's general manager Bob Gainey felt it was a waste of money to pay a guy to play 30 seconds a game.

3. Edmonton Oilers- After finishing 30^th and gaining the number one overall pick in the 2010 draft, this is another safe bet for using the buyout option, after such a disappointing finish. Although drafting overall is a great honour, it is one many teams would much rather avoid. Look for the Oilers to buy out Captain Ethan Moreau, a fourth liner who is being paid a whopping $2.5 million. Also look for forwards Fernando Pisani and Shaun Horcoff to be bought out as well after disappointing seasons.

4. Ottawa Senators- Although the Sens made the playoffs this year, the team was still a disappointment. Running into financial trouble, the team will probably look to unload a few bad contracts. Two that stick out like a cold sore are one time 50 goal man Jonathan Cheechoo, who wishes it was still 2005 and he was playing with Joe Thornton, and goalie Pascal Leclaire. Leclaire was supposed to be the first goalie the team had since Dominik Hasek a few years ago, that was competent enough to guide the team back to the Stanley Cup. Instead Leclaire appeared average at best, and many Senators fans will be happy to see him go.

5. Philadelphia Flyers - This year's Stanley Cup runner up is in a similar boat as the Blackhawks, as they too are right up against the cap. After giving out no trade clauses to various players, the team will look to buy out players such as Scott Hartnell, Riley Cote, and perhaps Daniel Briere. By doing so the team can invest the money they saved into the one position that has been their Achilles heel for years, goaltending.

Most online World Cup betting favorites will have a solid defender, and the opposition will try to go at him like Lesnar in the upcoming UFC 116 betting Match. In the NHL, Philadelphia has Chris Pronger, who is playing in his third Stanley Cup final with a different team in the last five years, and Chicago is trying to throw the big man off in this year's championship series.

Pronger leads the playoffs in ice time with 28:56, playing in every situation imaginable. Usually he's up against the Chicago line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Dustin Byfuglien, and his main goal is to move the 260-pound Byfuglien from in front of the Flyers' net. But he has been getting attention from the rest of the Blackhawks, particularly Ben Eager, who earned an offsetting misconduct at the end of Game 2's 2-1 win for Chicago. Eager and Pronger were jawing at each other as Pronger picked up the game puck, which Eager told him he could have, and Pronger responded by shooting a towel thrown on the ice by a fan at Eager. Also, a number of Blackhawks were seen slashing at Pronger throughout the first two games.

Pronger has been the focus of other teams before, so he should be able to keep his cool, but he has been known to do stupid things as he has a number of suspensions under his belt. The Blackhawks are hoping that the slashes will add up and slow Pronger down, and if they can get under his skin, that's a boost for their online sports betting odds.