Canadians fully expect their Olympic Team to accomplish nothing less than gold in Vancouver. Things could not have gone much further askew from plans so far. After needing a shootout to beat a Swiss team that could not win in regulation, it was time to take on the good old U.S. of A. in a game that if you asked any Canuck what the outcome would be they would have predicted a home team blowout.

When the dust cleared however it was the United States men’s team that put some hurt on the Canadians posting a victory by the final score of 5-3 thanks to an empty net and superb net minding by Ryan Miller who repeatedly stoned a relentless, but mostly ineffectual, Canadian attack. At the other end of the rink Martin Brodeur was pretty much off his game and could not hold down the fort.

Miller stopped 42 of 45 shots. Brodeur had trouble stopping 18 of the 22 he faced.

Sidney Crosby scored late to bring the keepers of the Great White North to within one but it was Ryan Kesler that iced the game in the final minute when the Canadians scrambled desperately for the tie.

The win gave the USA a perfect preliminary round in which they gained a full nine of a potential nine points. The only other team to do such was Sweeden. With tie breakers however the USA earned the top spot in the finals and a first round bye while Canada nestles into sixth and prepares to face Germany in the first round.

The Canadians want a rematch. And all they have to do to earn one is win. And of course so does the United States.

Last week, like thousands of other season ticket holders, I got my yearly invoice asking for my deposit on next year’s season tickets. Of course the most annoying thing is that they ask me for my deposit BEFORE they tell me what the price of tickets for my two seats in D-7 will be once the move to the new arena is complete. Still waiting for that info!

Last year for my two tickets I paid a deposit of $769.70. This year the deposit was $840. I am not sure if this is a harbinger of a ticket price increase or not. But the 9.1% increase would be inline, but high, with what we have recently seen. It would also mean that the total cost of my tickets will be over $4,000 this year if true.

Of course with a season ticket waiting list the Penguins certainly probably feel confident that they can raise prices. It is simply supply and demand after all.

What I don’t like is the Penguins asking me for money before telling me what the total bill will be. I think it is sort of underhanded if you really want my opinion.

The Penguins are making another run for Lord Stanley’s Cup this year and while they get a lot of credit for their offensive domination of opposing teams, their defense is playing among some of the league’s best hockey heading into the new year.

Pittsburgh’s goal scoring prowess is unquestionable. They are third in the league in goals scored at 124 behind only San Jose (127) and Washington (139). Don’t forget, that was with literally a third of their roster sitting out for the better part of a month due to injuries too including Evgeni Malkin.

But the Pen’s defense was decimated too! Making it all the more impressive that they are 8th in the league in goals allowed with just 97. That differential of +27 is 5th in the league heading into tonight’s action against the Toronto Maple Leafs who are the exact opposite at -27 (109 goals for and 136 goals allowed).

Marc-Andre Fleury is a big reason for those good numbers on defense too. His 22 wins are tied for second best in the NHL and .911 save percentage and 2.39 save percentage are big contributors to the team’s winning.

Quickly approaching the halfway point of the 2009-10 NHL season and the main problem for the Pittsburgh Penguins remains. That problem is an anemic power play.

Ok, since Malkin moved to the left point a few games back there have been signs of a pulse for a unit ranked dead last in the NHL despite having more talent than most teams have on their entire roster. Last night against New Jersey however the Penguins power play was once again a liability going 0-5 and giving teams no reason to fear the unit and not take penalties.

Scoring on just one or two of those man advantages might have turned what ultimately was an embarrassing blowout into an actual contest. But no. Instead Penguins fans were once again left to watch Malkin, Crosby and Gonchar struggle for no apparent reason.

This is getting ridiculous and something serious needs to be done soon. Otherwise, mark my words, the Penguins will end up loosing a round in the play offs if their power play is not corrected.

I think moving Malkin to the point is a good change. But I still think a better change is getting Sid and Geno on separate units altogether. Because as bad as the first unit has been with them both on it, the second unit has been even worse and even less of a threat to opponents.

Star Wars fans know the running gag about how badly Storm Troopers shoot. Yes, even despite Obi Wan Kenobi stating in Episode IV just how “precise” their shooting was. I am sitting here watching the Penguins tonight against the Buffalo Sabres and they are, quite frankly, looking as if they have hired a shooting coach that once belong to the Galactic Empire’s finest.

Shots are coming fast and furious but they are all going high or wide of Lalime in the net. Come on guys!

My advice to the Penguins is to fire the ex-Storm Trooper and stop listening to his advice. No matter what you may have heard, they really cannot hit the broad side of a barn.

Last season during the stretch run and through the playoffs my game day attire always included two important items. The first was my powder blue Brook’s Orpik jersey. The second, underneath that, was my powder blue #48 T-shirt.

Tyler Kennedy, aka Mr. Kennedy, aka Turbo, turned a lot of heads last season playing on the third line with Staal and Cooke. As the season wore on the impression he made on the Penguins team grew and culminated with a strong performance throughout the playoffs. This season? Well, Tyler Kennedy seems to be off to a hot start that few predict he will be able to maintain – all while still playing on the third line.

Kennedy, by all accounts undersized for NHL players, has through six games racked up 4 goals, 1 assist and a +5 rating. Just to put that in perspective, that is as many goals as Sidney Crosby and the same total points (5) as Crosby and Gonchar (second behind Evgeni Malkin with 7 pts).

Tyler Kennedy on pace for 68 points including 54 goals? Well, don’t get too excited. Those sorts of numbers might be out of his reach when it comes to goals but 68 points for a winger that keeps seeming to defy expectations is certainly not. His shot is deceptive. His tenacity nearly unmatched. His passion to grind for pucks is up there. His talent to hold onto a puck in the offensive zone rivals that of some of the Penguins best players.

And Kenney sits on the team’s third line. Yep. Believe it. Just as Jordan Staal is without a doubt the best all around third line center in the league, Kennedy is high on the list of top third line wingers. He is one of those players that easily has the talent to play on a second line for nearly any other team in the league. Not first line talent – although he continues to show that on some lesser teams he may very well be able to fit into that role. And every game that goes by he keeps making the case that he is better than where he is.

Last year, the streaky, diminutive winger for the Penguins amassed 15 goals and 20 assists, along with a +15 rating in the regular season reveling in his role as a third liner for the eventual Stanley Cup Champions in just 67 games. That is a point in nearly every other game he played. In the playoffs and 24 games he had 5 goals and 4 assists (-1 rating). Yeah, that is not as good as his regular season performance (just .375 ppg compared to .522 ppg) but that was also playing against four of the best teams in the league over that span too.
With all this good news, it is hard to believe that there is a potential problem here. But there is. IF Mr. Kennedy keeps improving and keeps playing hockey the way that he plays hockey come contract time it could cost the Penguins a pretty penny to resign him. A good problem to have? Maybe.