TSN’s Mystic Mike Johnson racks up playoff betting assists in Leafs-crazy market

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This article was published 06/05/2022 (1608 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Mike Johnson approached a Canada Customs official at Pearson International Airport last month, he was taken aback when recognized — but not as the Scarborough native who scored 129 NHL goals and is now a hockey analyst at TSN.

“He said, ‘Hey, Mystic Mike, what happened last night? You went one for three,’” Johnson said with a laugh over the phone this week. “Same thing not too long ago with a bank teller. People really associate me with Mystic Mike. It’s hilarious.”

Johnson has parlayed his hockey career and the affinity for numbers that led to a finance degree from Bowling Green University into an expanded role as the network’s NHL tipster.

“I’m offering hockey analysis with a gambling slant,” said Johnson, given the Mystic Mike moniker by Steve Dryden, the network’s senior managing editor of hockey and man behind the TSN Quizmaster, when the segments launched in January 2021. “I track how (many wagers) I get right. I don’t want to be a guy throwing darts at the board.”

The first month of legal online sports betting in Ontario has lifted the lid on a Pandora’s Box of sorts, as television viewers face a fast-rising volume of commercials with several of the province’s nine licensed sportsbooks promoting betting apps. At the same time, wagering information is being woven into game broadcasts and highlights shows, and through partnerships with sportsbooks competing to attract hockey fans and bettors during the chase for the Stanley Cup.

“The wagers we’ve taken so far have been fairly evenly distributed among the big three (NBA, MLB and NHL),” said Zachary Schlouch, senior sportsbook manager for BetRivers. “Baseball and the NBA have been consistently one-two, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see hockey solidify itself in the No. 2 spot with the NHL playoffs.”

Not surprisingly, the Maple Leafs are hugely popular among bettors in Ontario, from putting down money on their chances of knocking off the reigning Cup champion Lightning to winning their first championship since 1967.

“If the Leafs win the Stanley Cup (they were at plus-1,000 to win Thursday, meaning a $20 wager would win you $200) that’s likely going to be a loser for us, and that’s fine,” said FanDuel trader Rob Warendorf. “We want people to be engaged. People are hometown bettors, especially recreational customers.”

Toronto’s 60-goal man Auston Matthews is a popular pick in pre-game offerings and during games, as partnerships between the leagues and technology lead to more immediate access to data for sportsbooks. FanDuel, which became TSN’s official betting partner last month, is partnering with data company Stathletes to get its hands on more information around player performance.

“The more data the better, and the deal with Stathletes allows us to offer those new markets,” said Warendorf. “We’re enabling customers to get more creative with their bets.”

VSiN hockey analyst Andy MacNeil, who’s joined Sportsnet for the playoffs, offered some thoughts on in-game player bets.

“Identify a team, like the (Dallas) Stars, which is pretty inept offensively. They were the second-lowest scoring team during the regular season while the Flames allowed the fewest goals in the Western Conference,” MacNeil said. “Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have slowed down, and I’m betting on those players not to get points. Take a look at goaltender saves during a game. If a team is leading by three, four goals, they usually take their foot off the gas and go into a defensive shell.”

Ditto for Johnson.

“There are great opportunities around shots and saves. It might not be as sexy as picking Matthews to score … but picking him to have more than four shots.”

While the NFL’s transparency around injuries has attracted bettors, it’s business as usual for the NHL when it comes to keeping mum on players’ health.

“It doesn’t bother me,” said MacNeil. “(Hockey) is a physical sport where players play through injuries, and it would be ridiculous if we as sports gamblers tried to change the way they did things simply so we’d be able to make bets without worrying about things like that.”

Added Schlouch: “It’s a fine line on both sides, and sportsbooks understand that. One of the best things about sports betting is the ability to gain that edge by putting in the legwork to get the information.”

Steve McAllister is the editor-in-chief of The Parleh sports betting newsletter, a partner of NorthStar Bets. NorthStar Bets is owned by NordStar Capital, which also owns Torstar, the Star’s parent company. Follow him on Twitter: @StevieMacSports