Leafs, Bruins, Preds and Kings all linked to cheating allegations in Swedish league
Should the NHL launch its own investigation?
HockeyFeed
This just in from Sportnset hockey insider Chris Johnston: Swedish Allsvenskan team Björklöven is reportedly being investigated after allegations that the team "fixed" or "took a dive" in this evening's 8-4 loss to rival team Mora.
Check it out:
Suffice it to say that if these allegations wind up being true then this will absolutely rock the entire Allsvenskan league and, by extension, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Björklöven's CEO, Anders Blomberg calls tonight's results "completely unacceptable" and in fact welcomes the league's full investigation into the allegations.
From the team's website translated from Swedish:
-I hope that this is sorted out properly and that we turn over all the stones that can be turned over. Only the suspicion is serious enough, but if it turns out to be true, it is of course completely unacceptable and something that must never occur in our association. These players are trained in what applies in Björklöven and this is so far from the culture we stand for, says Anders Blomberg, who after the match gathered the whole team and the coaching staff to talk through both the effort and the suspicions.
-I have an incredibly hard time believing that someone in Björklöven has been involved in such a type of activity. Of course, we welcome the fact that the question is being investigated whether there are now suspicions and speculations, says Anders Blomberg, who takes the opportunity to turn directly to the supporters.
- I am as disappointed as you after the loss, but I promise that we will do everything to come back stronger.
Interestingly enough Nashville Predators prospect Connor Ingram was in net for Björklöven and he was sent packing back to North America immediately following the 8-4 loss. Björklöven's manager reportedly simply said Ingram, "he was sent home, immediately, he was not good." Suffice it to say that some of the goals from the game appear a bit suspect.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Carl Grundstrom now of the Los Angeles Kings was also in the lineup for Björklöven last night. Interestingly enough, Boston Bruins prospect Oskar Steen had left the team earlier in the day and did NOT participate. Did he know something ahead of time?
While it's unlikely that these NHL teams had any idea what was happening concerning these allegations, suffice it to say that it is NOT a connection that these teams want. You never want your professional sports team linked to any sort of game-fixing scandal.
Reddit user Xendor- breaks it all down a bit better below:
Basically both the live odds and the actions of certain players made the game between Mora and Ik Bjorklöven extremely suspicious.
Pre game the odds was 1.30 for the heavy favourite Bjorkloven, when they were up by 3-1 the live odds was still at a whopping 1.50 for Bjorkloven. So there was some heavy moves on the live bet, and what you know, Mora ended up turning the game over with a 4-8 win.
I mean... does this look like a team that's ready to defend?
Full highlights from the game below: