Ritter's Rant: Penguins PP Fizzles, Brodeur For MVP, USA's Gold And More

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Hate to say I told you so, but about six weeks ago I tried to shed some light on just how brutal the Pittsburgh Penguins power play was. I think at the time the Pens were ranked 21st in the League. Well, low and behold, looking at the stats today I see the Penguins are now ranked 30th overall in a 30-team league. That’s some power play they got there!

The fact that more people are not talking about New Jersey Devils goaltender as the NHL’s MVP is enough to make me sick to my pants.

Brodeur is sitting with a record of 27-10-1 with five shut outs. His 27 wins is tops in the league, his five shut outs are tops in the league, his 2.14 GAA ranks him sixth, his .922 SV percentage ranks him 7th and Brodeur is ranked 1st amongst NHL goalies in games played and minutes play.

His numbers are good enough to be amongst Brodeur's best ever, which is very impressive. All this on a team that many predicted would not make the playoffs.

What more do you want people?

I’ll be the first to admit it, I didn’t think for a second that Henrik Sedin would be leading the NHL in points at the halfway mark. Yet, there he is a top the NHL scoring leaders with 58 points. Impressive!

Through 43 games, Sidney Crosby is ranked 20th overall in assists with 25. A quick calculation reveals to us that Crosby is on pace to net somewhere around 48 assists on the season, which would tie Crosby’s career low which he set during the '07-'08 season (just 48 assists in 53 games).

On the flip side, having scored 24 goals over 43 games, Crosby is on pace to score over 40 goals for the first time in his career. So, I ask you, is Crosby now a goal scorer?

There has been a lot of talk about the Edmonton Oilers players refusal to pay their full New Years eve tab at a Calgary restaurant. While I am not defending their actions, clearly there must be another side to the complaint.

I have heard that the Oilers were promised an all-in price which the restaurant owner reneged on, I have also heard the whole thing was a misunderstanding. Either way, the easy thing to do is to pay up and avoid all the negative publicity. I mean, we are talking about a couple thousand dollars, which, by NHL standards, is a drop in the bucket.

Keeping with the Oilers, if I were a player on that team I’d pack some extra underwear. Clearly, with the team marred in one of the worst losing streaks in team history, there are going to be changes coming.

Everyday I look at the NHL articles there is yet another Ilya Kovalchuk rumor out there. The thing is, even if the Atlanta Thrashers find a way to make Kovalchuk’s contract work I am not convinced they could afford to pony up for the supporting cast that it will take to make the Thrashers a legitimate contender.

To me, Thrashers GM Don Waddell has one move and one move only- trade Kovalchuk for a legitimate scorer and a boatload of prospects and enter the free agent season loaded with cap space and make your splash there. The alternative is just not plausible.

You gotta hand it to Team USA, they were full value for their win against Team Canada Tuesday night. Team USA also beat the Canadians in the under 17 tournament, which should serve notice that the States should be a force to be reckoned with for years to come at the World Junior Championships.

Team USA beat the Canadians with speed, which, judging by Team USA’s Olympic roster, is exactly how the States intends to compete against the mighty Canadians in Vancouver as well.

Clearly, Canada is still the favorite to win the Gold in Vancouver, but where there was little worry about the States a week ago, there certainly is some now from Canada, Russia, Finland and the Swedes, all of whom are favored to compete for a medal.

Speaking of the Olympics, it is interesting to note that the NHL’s trade deadline has been set for March 3, 2010. This should complicate matters for many NHL clubs and general managers as the deadline is just a few days after the conclusion of the Olympics.

Historically a lot of trades take place on deadline day, but could you imagine getting word that you are on the move while competing at the Olympics? Clearly, this would be a huge distraction for any player, especially in light of the considerable pressure these players will be under trying to bring a medal home to their Countries.

Riddle me this? Is Paul Kariya the most overpaid player in the NHL right now? Through 38 games, Kariya has netted eight goals, adding 11 assists along the way. Kariya also sports a minus -5 rating, which, combined with his poor offensive numbers, makes his $6 million contract look pretty ugly.

Keep an eye on the Nashville Predators. With both Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis becoming unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2009-10 season you gotta think they will deal one of their goaltenders. Best bet? Dan Ellis is moved.

One player that can expect a big raise over the summer is Montreal Canadiens forward Tomas Plekanec. Plekanec, 27, is making $2.75 million this season and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. With 46 points in 45 games, he has established himself as one of the NHL’s elite players and he will be rewarded handsomely for his efforts.

One last note: to all you sad Canadians out there, let us not forget, Canada has not failed to bring home a medal from the World Junior Championships since 1998 and, with 15 Gold medals in their history, Canada still holds the record for most tournament wins.

Another stat to make you feel better. Canada has won five Gold Medals in a row twice (1993 through 1997 and 2005 through 2009). In comparison, Team USA has only earned five medals in total (two Gold, one Silver and one Bronze).

The thing is, despite Team USA’s tremendous victory over Canada on Tuesday night, they have a long way to go before we mention them alongside Canada and Russia as elite hockey Nations.

Until next time,

Peace!