Ritter's Rant: Crosby, Kessel's Return, Flyers in Turmoil and More

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Don’t look now all you Sidney Crosby haters, he may have had a soft stretch there for a while but, given his recent surge, Crosby seems to have righted the ship. Through 29 games Crosby has lit the lamp a total of 19 times, added 17 assists, ranking him third overall in NHL scoring with 36 points.

Crosby also has a plus/minus rating of +10, better than any of the top 10 scoring leaders. He was never gone, but for those of you that doubted him...he’s backkkkkkkkkk.

There is no doubt in my mind that Steve Yzerman has his work cut out for him having the task of picking Team Canada’s roster. One thing is for sure, there will be more than four centres on the roster and may include Joe Thornton, Crosby, Patrick Marleau, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Brad Richards.

Of the seven aforementioned players, you have to think Philadelphia Flyers centres Richards and Carter, two players almost every prognosticator had on his/her Team Canada roster, may be the odds-on favorite to get overlooked.

Through 26 games, Cater has netted just nine goals and 23 points, which ranks him 51st in the NHL. Mike Richards has played some very solid hockey, yet statistically Richards sits at 22 points (11 goals) in 26 games, ranking him 60th amongst NHL scorers. What’s your take?

Toronto Maple Leafs Winger Phil Kessel played his former team in Boston last night and the reception was anything but complimentary. The Boston crowd booed Kessel at every opportunity and, when everything was said and done, the Bruins spanked the Leafs by a final score of 7-2. To say the game was ugly would be an understatement.

Adding insult to injury, the Bruins started Toronto’s former first round draft pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (21st overall) Tukka Rask in net. Rask, who has a record of 8-2-2, owns the Leagues second best GAA at 1.97 and the second best SV% at .932. The player coming back to Toronto in the trade that sent Rask to Boston? None other than (the long gone) Andrew Raycroft. Makes you want to drive pencil’s in your eyes, doesn’t it?

Philadelphia Flyers Daniel Carcillo’s cheap shot on Washington Capitals forward Matt Bradley netted the Caps a nine minute power play. The Caps made the Flyers pay, scoring three goals on the PP which all but iced the game, which the Caps would win 8-2 over the Flyers, spoiling Peter Laviolette’s debut as the Flyers coach.

The unsuspecting Bradley took a punch to the head from Carcillo, a classless act that, in all likelihood will not go unpunished by Colin Campbell and the NHL. This is the kind of crap the NHL doesn’t need in the game, here’s hoping the NHL makes an example out of Carcillo.

The surprising Phoenix Coyotes have gone 6-3-1 in their past 10 games and sit sixth overall in the Western Conference. Given the talent, or lack-thereof, on the roster, you gotta believe that Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett is the leader to receive the coveted Jack Adams Trophy as the NHL’s coach of the year.

The NHL’s Winter Classic, an event I will be covering LIVE  as an accredited writer for the Bleacher Report, is just 27 days away. The way the Flyers have been playing lately this game looks to be anything but a “Classic.” That said, it should be noted that the visiting team has earned the “W” two years in a row at the Classic, something the Flyers hope holds true in 2010.

For the record, the Bridgestone Winter Classic is set to go at 1:00 PM EST on New Years day at Boston’s historic Fenway Park. I will have exclusive access to players, interviews and of course, I will try to give you the inside scoop on the event as I see it. Check back with the Bleacher Report often, I suspect there will be plenty of news to be had.

In case you didn’t know, starting Dec. 5 Gabe Morency (formally of The Score ) will be launching his new website. Louis Pisano, my B/R counterpart, and I will be throwing down our Podcast “Get The Puck Out ” every Saturday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

The Live Podcast will be broadcast in studio from Toronto featuring some betting analysis, fantasy advice, trivia, team analysis, player updates, and more puck talk than you can imagine.

Be sure to call in and let your opinion be known. Check back with “Ritter’s Rant” on The Bleacher Report for further details and the call-in number. The inaugural show is set for Dec. 12. Don’t miss it, puckheads!

You can catch Morency (Monday through Friday) and “Get The Puck Out” (Saturday’s) at www.morencysports.com. To phone in, call 1-866-964-5710. SPORTS RAGE- it’s the “Evoluiton of the Rageulation".....

Until next time,

Peace!