Ritter's Rant: Notes from Around the NHL

Mark RitterMar 18, 2010

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

No doubt about it, James Wisniewski was guilty of a dirty hit on Brent Seabrook and probably deserved the eight-game suspension he received. The question is: Why didn’t the NHL investigate the Seabrook hit on Corey Perry a little further—a hit that was clearly a headshot, something the NHL is trying to get out of the game.

As much as I’d like to applaud the NHL for FINALLY standing up for the player (Seabrook), I gotta believe that if the NHL had been tougher/more consistent on headshots, Wisniewski wouldn’t have taken matters into his own hands.

This is exactly why the NHL should immediately enforce the newly proposed headshot rules; everyday the NHL waits is another day in which the players will have to police the game themselves and that will only lead to more injuries.

The Philadelphia Flyers are awaiting news on the status of goaltender Michael Leighton. If it turns out that he indeed has a high ankle sprain, he could be out for a very long time, which does not bode well for the Flyers' chances at a playoff spot.

Despite being criticized by the fans of the Orange and Black, Leighton is/was the best goaltender they had this season. I suspect, before long, Flyers fans will be begging for Leighton’s return.

For those of you that do not follow the Toronto Maple Leafs too closely, remember this name: Tyler Bozak. Through 25 games Bozak has six goals and 19 points—not “great numbers”, but numbers that deserve a second look nonetheless. It says here Bozak will register 60-plus points next season—get him in your pool early.

It’s all well and good that Colin Campbell will be in attendance at tonight’s tilt between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins. The question is: Where was he when it came to punishing Matt Cooke?

And, if “there were no rules broken” when Cooke cleaned Marc Savard’s clock, then why would Campbell be in Boston in the first place? Nothing happened, remember Mr. Campbell? At least that’s what your lack of action would have us believe.

Bottom line: If nothing happened, then why is Campbell giving this game all the attention? Campbell knows he screwed up and his lack of response/leadership on this issue/hit is irresponsible and reprehensible. To sum it all up, Campbell is a hypocrite, and his appearance in Boston is nothing more than damage control—damage control he could have administered himself by stepping up and doing what was right for the game, end of story.

I can see why some NHL fans would have thought that Ryan Miller would be amongst the NHL leaders in save percentage. Heck, I can even see Evgeni Nabokov getting a few votes. The fact that Jimmy Howard, Tuukka Rask, Craig Anderson, Jaroslav Halak, and Ilya Bryzgalov are all amongst the NHL’s top 10 is a huge shock.

Perhaps even more shocking is which goalies are missing from the NHL's top 10 save percentages. Roberto Luongo (12th), Martin Brodeur (14th), Tim Thomas (15th), Cam Ward (17th), and Marc-Andre Fluery (30th) make up a very impressive list of goalies that many felt would be amongst the NHL’s best and are not.

Just a dozen games to go and Sidney Crosby leads the NHL in scoring with 45 goals to Alex Ovechkin’s 44. Suspensions and injury aside, almost every NHL prognosticator felt Ovechkin would win the Rocket Richard Award, something he may not achieve now.

With 62 games played, Tampa Bay Lightning centre Zenon Konopka leads the NHL with 202 penalty minutes. Just one question: Who the heck is Zenon Konopka??? Dude plays just over eight minutes per game, which means he spends far too much time in the penalty box. This is the type of player that needs to be shown the door; the NHL doesn’t need these guys.

The most productive penalty-minute leader in the NHL this season has to be Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steve Downie. Through 67 games, Downie has registered 196 penalty minutes to go along with 17 goals and 40 points. Close behind Downie would have to be the Flyers' Scott Hartnell, who boasts 129 penalty minutes, 13 goals, and 40 points.

If you could pick just one goalie to sign in the offseason, which one would it be: Dan Ellis, Michael Leighton, Ray Emery or Chris Mason? That is the question the Philadelphia Flyers will likely have to ask themselves this summer...