Home Sweet Home

The Jets could not happier about playing at home tonight, the only thing that could make that better is playing the next five games at home...which they are.  After losing a hard-fought game to the Bruins on Saturday night, this is exactly what Winnipeg needs.

The team has played very well over their past six games and just couldn't get any breaks in a couple of them.  Playing the next five games at home will really help the team's spirits.  The Jets have more games played on the road than any other team in the league so far this season.  They face Ottawa tonight, and over the next two weeks face Phoenix, New Jersey, Boston and Carolina; all five are games I think the Jets can win if everybody plays to their full potential.

Currently the Jets are sitting in seventh from the bottom in the entire league, but after the next two weeks, I think we'll them a make a big jump in the standings.  Who knows, they might even be pushing for a playoff spot.

My First Game...Kind of

This past Saturday was kind of a big deal for me.  It was my first Jets game!  Well it was kind of my first Jets game...I caught the last ten minutes, does that count?

Let me explain.

I had the opportunity, along with two of my classmates, to go and work at the MTS Center during the game against the Flyers on Saturday and it was great!  The job was for Granny's Poultry, handing out ballots for fans to enter in a contest.  The prize was awesome!  It was a trip for two anywhere in Canada as well as a fantastic assortment of fine Granny's products. 

Better yet, I didn't even miss too much of the game.  There was a T.V. in front of our booth broadcasting the game.  It was perfect.  I even got in on some live action.  One of the security members was nice enough to let us sit in on the last ten minutes of the game.  It was a great experience. 

But there was one thing that was kind of the cherry on top of the day.  I got to see the Philadelphia Flyers play!  They were my favourite team prior to the Jets coming back...they still might be my favourite.  It was really hard picking which team to cheer for.

Now I'm just fiending for my first game in December, where I get to actually be a spectator for the entire game.  I can't wait!  Thank you Granny's!

Please Come Home

Tonight the Jets will play the last game of their lengthy seven game road trip.  Though as tiring as it may be, the Jet have done fairly well.  So far they've won fifty percent of those game, and the ones they've lost have been very close; a 1-0 loss in Tampa, 3-2 OT loss in New Jersey, and the game at Madison Square Garden was still a hard-fought battle despite the 3-0 score.  You also have to factor in how many of the players are out with injuries.

One of the players that have been sitting on the sidelines for the past two games now is their leading scorer, Nik Antropov.  Also without their two most consistent defencemen, Tobias Enstrom and Mark Stuart, then add Randy Jones to that list.  So needless to say, you have to give the remaining Jets a lot of credit (not to mention the stellar play by goaltender, Ondrej Pavelec) for the way they've been playing.  This road trip has helped the character come out in a lot of guys on the team, which is what I think was lacking in those first couple games of the season.

Tonight the Jets will wrap up the road trip in Buffalo before coming home to face the Florida Panthers for the second time this season on Thursday night.  

What Just Happened?

I am past the point of being confused about our young Jets team.  Can anybody tell if they are actually team that can score, and score consistently.  Let's recap the week. 

First they lose a hard-fought game to the NY Rangers in a low-scoring game, 2-1, the only goal coming from their now leading point-scorer, Nik Antropov.  Back-up goalie, Chris Mason played excellent, only allowing 2 goals (the second one, a week one off Zach Bogosian's skate).  Then they fly to Philly and win the game 9-8 with nine different players tallying a goal.  In this game the goaltending from both team's goalies were a  little bit shaky but what really baffles my mind was score in their next game.  How does a team go from scoring 9 goals in their previous game to scoring zero in the game after that?  Don't get me wrong, Tampa Bay's Dwayne Roloson stood on his head, but I thought the Jets still could have popped in at least one.  C'mon!

But I also have to congratulate the boys on the big win last night against the Florida Panthers.  That was huge!  Even after the Jets gave up their 2-0 lead, they managed to tie it up in the dying seconds of the third, 3-3.  Last night there were a few who players really impressed me, showing a ton that they can play with a ton of fight and emotion.  Evander Kane was one of those players, scoring two goals (including the game-tying goal) after many fans were beginning to worry about his slow start.  There was also talks of him wanting to be traded from Winnipeg last week.  I think last night was enough proof to show that he's here to stay.  Hells yeah!  Kyle Wellwood was another guy who showed that he can be one of the team's top players after scoring the first goal of the game and eventually the shootout winner.  And our captain, Andrew Ladd played his best game so far this year last night.  He showed he can really be this city's captain picking a fight with former teammate, Jack Skille laid a dirty hit on defenseman, Tobias Enstrom.  Ladd was another player who also scored in the shootout.

What's 'appening With Hockey Apps?

Now for something a little off the beaten path (but not too far off).  I thought it would be cool to talk about some of the great mobile hockey apps that are out there.  There are some that are very informative, and have great detail on breaking news in the NHL and even other professional levels of hockey.  Some of them are great tools geared more towards youngsters that can help kids learn and navigate their way around them game. 

As far as news goes, you have your "common-knowledge" apps such as; TSN, the Score and The Hockey News app.  But what some people don't realize is that the best app for hockey news (make that any news) is actually the Twitter app.  On Twitter you can follow NHL experts in the media, players, coaches and even member of the NHL executive team.  I like Twitter the best for NHL news because it comes straight from the fingertips of the people that are given the news directly, so it should be accurate, and you can see the tweets immediatley after the news happened. 

One of the great tools that you can find in your App Store is one that parents will love especially.  HockeyGPS is an app that helps you find the address and distance from your location of any arena in your town, city, province, anywhere?  The only problem I have with the app is that it doesn't map out best route of your destination.  Right now you would have to enter the address on Google Maps or whichever web mapping service app you prefer.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hockeygps/id300865790?mt=8

There's also an awesome app for coaches.  The Hockey WhiteBoard app is a full ice or half ice display in which you can draw out entire plays or drills to show your players.  Now this probably isn't ideal for your whole team, but when meeting with an individual player this is the perfect tool.
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/hockey-whiteboard/id308950002?mt=8

We Got One!!

Winnipeg saw their NHL team win for the first time since April 26, 1996 last night, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1.  After watching the first three games, it seemed like it was never going to happen, but finally the Jets prevailed; and better yet, it was in our own barn.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the nerves got the best of them in game one against the Canadiens, being blown 5-1.  Game two against Chicago looked like it had some promise when the Jets got out to an early 2-0 lead against the Hawks.  But the experience on the Chicago team ended up being too much for the Jets as they lost that one 4-3.  And game three in Phoenix?  Well let's not even talk about that one.  But last night's victory?  Oh how sweet it was! 
Kyle Wellwood started the night off on a very high note, scoring just eight seconds into the game, tying the an Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise record for the fastest goal scored in a game.  Tanner Glass deposited the second, and game-winning goal for the Winnipeg.  The Jets also got a glimpse of what Ondrej Pavelec is really capable of as he stopped 28 Pittsburgh shots in the victory. 

Some might say (in fact some are saying) that we can't be that proud of the win as the Penguins two stars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were out due to injury.  I say that is a bunch of buuullllogne.  Pittsburgh still had their cup-winning goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes, as well star players like; Jordan Staal, Kris Letang, and James Neal.  Plus, one of our better players, Evander Kane was sitting on the sidelines after blocking a shot in the game against Phoenix on Saturday.

Shake It Off

Even though the Jets were beat pretty bad on Sunday, there's nothing they should be hanging their head about.  They filled a void in Winnipeg's heart that has been there for sixteen years.  I can't remember the last time I heard an arena that loud during a warm-up.  Don Cherry was even impressed, and it's not easy to impress Don Cherry.  Sunday was a day filled with emotion, not only for the fans, but for the players too.  So many of them (especially the ones who only played for Atlanta) have never experienced having that many people on their side.  They had so many people relying on them to get that "W".  I feel that played a big part in the final score.  You could tell those young players were extremely nervous.  And even though they were trying to shake off the jitters of that first game, they all played with ton of heart.  Every player was giving it their all to get the city that long awaited first win.

#55

Get ready to see the number 55 everywhere you go Winnipeg.  Today at the MTS Iceplex, Mark Scheifele was skating with a 55 stuck on to the back of his helmet.  He originally would have liked number 19, but it is already being worn by Jim Slater.  Scheifele has the potential to have the highest jersey sales in town.  I think 55, 16 (Andrew Ladd), 9 (Evander Kane) and 33 (Dustin Byfuglien) are all going to be contenders for the top spot.  Derek Meech also announced he will be wearing number 7 and Kenndal McArdle is going to be 23.

Rookie of the Year...? Perhaps...

You can't have a conversation about the Jets without mentioning a certain player's name: Mark Scheifele.  The kid is amazing!  Not only did he finish first in points during Winnipeg's preseason, but he finished second in the entire league, only behind Dallas' Mike Ribeiro.  And better yet, the Jets announced yesterday that they have signed Scheifele to an entry-level contract, meaning he's going to start the season out on the NHL's newest team.  Now this doesn't mean Scheifele will definitely play the entire season in the NHL.  He has nine games to prove that he can compete before the Jets coaching staff and management decide whether or not to send him back to his OHL team, the Barrie Colts.

At the moment, Scheifiele looks like he could be a possible Calder Trophy candidate, appearing to be the Jets' primary source of goals.  But there are a lot of rookies around the league that could also display a promising rookie campaign.  Along with Winnipeg, the Edmonton Oilers announced that their 2011 first overall pick, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will begin the year on their squad on the same terms as Scheifele.  Nugent-Hopkins put on an impressive exhibit of skill in the preseason as well, getting six points in five games.

And of course there's recently traded prospect, Brayden Schenn.  Schenn was traded from the Los Angeles to the Philadelphia Flyers in June and his expected to start the season in the NHL.  Schenn has excelled at every level he has played at so far, including the 2010-2011 World Junior Championship where he finished first in points for Canada. He is believed to do so for the Flyers this season and onward.

Mark Scheifele's Got It Goin' On! The New York Times! What?!

Well, the Jets first and last game of the week were fantastic!  The second and third?  Not so much.  I guess I should also add the split-squad game in Columbus to the "not so much" category as well.  But hey everybody, it's extremely early to be making any judgement calls yet.  I mean this isn't even the final roster yet.  There's so many young guys still in camp, just getting their feet wet.  I don't think we have anything to worry about.  In fact, I think these past five games has proved that we have plenty to look forward to!

How about Mark Scheifele?  He impressed in the Canucks' Young Stars Tournament, but I never would have expected he would be able to perform this well at the next level.  Six points in four games?  That's incredible!  Whoever thought Sean Couturier should have been the Jets' pick in the first round might be thinking differently now (yes, I am one of them).  Before these pre-season games, I could only envision Scheifele being sent back to Barrie of the OHL for another season to develop his skills.  But he's really making a case for himself.  It's going to be tough for Claude Noel and the coaching staff to make the right decision.

And on a completely different note.  I wanted to tell everybody about a documentary I watched last week about the New York Times.  It's called Page One: Inside the New York Times.  The documentary takes you inside the office of the prestigious newspaper in a time when technology is slowly pushing out the printed newspaper.  It's crazy to think that in the near future, you probably won't be able to buy a newspaper at your local convenience store.  Pretty soon all newspapers will only be accessible through technology (internet, apps, etc.).  The film talks about a few "big-name" newspapers who have completely folded already.  However, I don't think that this will be the case with the New York Times.  Being among the most successful newspapers ever to exist, people are still going to look for that name that they can rely on to give them the truth like the Times.  I definitely would recommend the documentary to anyone whose interested in journalism or who enjoy documentaries.   

It's Finally Here!!!

Well, this is it everybody.  The Jets pre-season is finally here.  Winnipeg will get to see their new team hit the ice tonight for the first time!  The Jets haven't released who will be playing yet, but...who cares?  I'd almost rather it be a "surprise" anyway.  This of course will not be the same group of players that will make up the team during the regular season, but I'm sure there will be a couple of notable names on the roster.  They'll face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team that finished near the bottom of the Western Conference last season but made some significant moves in the off-season.  A lot of fans are questioning if they will have all-star, Rick Nash playing and/or newly added forward Jeff Carter.  Either way, I think the Jets have this one in the bag.  With the amount of passion Winnipeg fans will bring to the MTS Centre tonight, the Jackets don't stand a chance.  The Thrashers of old are not used to playing in front of this many screaming fans (especially during a pre-season game).  The noise will act as fuel for the Jets and will drive them to a HUGE win!

My prediction: 4-3 win for the JETS!!!

Lots To Blog About!

Sorry this is so late everyone.  There was just so much going on in the Jets world, I was somewhat overwhelmed.  Where to start?  Well I guess the brand spankin' new jerseys would be a good place.  What does everyone think?  I personally LOVE the darks, the whites....not so much.  They would be perfect if not for the arm bands on the forearms.  It just doesn't tie in very well.  If they were a different colour then maybe,  but the light blue?  It's too busy.  I would have gone with the "polar night blue" again, or maybe even throw some red or silver in there.

On Twitter!!

Hey everybody just signed on to Twitter.  I'm lovin' it already!  Especially the fact that I get to follow the Jets on Twitter ...and Selena Gomez...

What the Buff?!?!

Well it looks like one Jet has already given the team a somewhat of a shady image.  I'm sure many of you know Dustin Byfuglien was busted for the "suspicion" of intoxticated boating in Minnesota on Wednesday night.  I'm really hoping that there will not be many more incidents like these to look forward to from our home team.  Don't get me wrong, I can kind of see Byfuglien's reasoning for the offence.  In fact I think I may be siding with him on this one.  Wait...yup, definitely siding with "Big Buff".  He's a young guy, summer's almost up, hockey season is starting soon, he wanted to shut the summer down proper with his buddies.  I don't know if he was causing too much comotion on the lake or if he needed to turn the volume down a little bit but hey, did the authorities really have to make this big a deal of it?  They couldn't have just let him off with a warning?  I don't know how it's done in Minnesota, but I know here in Manitoba (and even Ontario) I've seen plenty of boaters get off with just a warning, beer in hand and everything.  And has anyone seen the cover of the Winnipeg Sun?  Yeah, that's right, I said cover.  C'mon Winnipeg Media!  Isn't there more exciting news to slap on the front page other than our star player's unfortunate mishap? 

Go Jets Go!!!

Hey everyone!  The Jets are back!  I've never been more proud of being a Winnipeg resident!  After 15 long years of waiting, we finally did it.  The team is the talk of the town, and now I'm going to be blogging about it.  Even though most of the off-season action has died down, there is still much to be excited about.  Such as the new 10-year agreement with TSN and the questionable jerseys that have been made available to consumers. The Jets are going to be the main focus, but I'll also be talking about other hot topics going on around the NHL.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts, and blogging about Canada's newest team!