Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Winnipeg Jets vs. Dallas Stars Postgame Podcast – March 13, 2012

Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down all the action in the postgame podcast.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – March 10, 2012 – Part 1

0:00 – Jets vs. Flames recap

15:38 – More Jets discussion, Pacific division race

27:35 – More Jets discussion, Southeast division race

39:03 – Pacific division playoff race

48:48 – Interview with Ralph Strangis, play-by-play commentator for the Dallas Stars (Fox Sports Southwest)

1:03:47 – Chris Thorburn out for 3 weeks with lower body injury

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show airs Saturday’s from 12pm-3pm on TSN Radio 1290

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Winnipeg Jets vs. Buffalo Sabres Postgame Podcast – March 5, 2012

Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down all the action in the postgame podcast. Includes post game audio from the Jets dressing room with Bryan Little, Chris Thorburn and Grant Clitsome.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – March 3, 2012 – Part 1

0:00 – Intro, Ron Wilson Fired by Toronto Maple Leafs, Randy Carlyle hired as Head Coach

15:14 – Randy Carlyle hired as Toronto Maple Leafs Head Coach

25:35 – Interview with Aaron Ward of TSN

35:51 – Trade Deadline Recap: Nashville Predators

49:22 – Interview with Al Strachan, Hall of Fame hockey wrtier

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show airs Saturday’s from 12pm-3pm on TSN Radio 1290.

If you enjoy the show, subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, by searching for the Illegal Curve Hockey Show in the iTunes store, and leave a comment.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Winnipeg Jets vs. Florida Panthers Postgame Podcast – March 1, 2012

Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down all the action in the postgame podcast.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Trade Deadline Edition – February 27, 2012 – Part 2

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show was live during the heart of the February 27 trade deadline. Host Drew Mindell, Analyst Richard Pollock were joined by former Coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets Scott Arniel were in studio breaking down trades as they occur. In addition TSN 1290′s Rick Ralph jumped in to break trades as soon as they were made official. Guests on the show included the newest Winnipeg Jet Grant Clitsome, TSN Jets’ Dennis Beyak, as well as a live press conference from Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.

The next edition of the Illegal Curve Hockey Show will air at it’s usual time of 12pm to 3pm on TSN 1290.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Winnipeg Jets vs. Edmonton Oilers Postgame Podcast – February 27, 2012

Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down all the action in the postgame podcast.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues Postgame Podcast – February 25, 2012

Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down all the action in the postgame podcast.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Winnipeg Jets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Postgame Podcast – February 23, 2012

Mike Remis and Analyst Richard Pollock break down all the action in the postgame podcast.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Winnipeg Jets vs. Philadelphia Flyers Postgame Podcast – February 21, 2012

The Winnipeg Jets lose in dramatic fashion to the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime, Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down all the action in the postgame podcast.

Drew Mindell returns to Host with special guest analyst Michael Remis offering his analysis as they break down tonight’s game.

Michael Remis steps in again to Host with Richard Pollock offering his usual analysis as they break down tonight’s game.

Michael Remis steps in to Host with Richard Pollock offering his usual analysis as they break down tonight’s game as the Jets lose to the Islanders 3-1

Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 shootout loss against the Florida Panthers.

Coming in two different styles, black with a navy bill and grey with a black bill, both emblazoned with the iconic Illegal Curve logo,  this is not your standard merchandise product. When you purchase this hat, you are getting the quality and standard you have come to expect when purchasing a New Era product. This is a great synergy of two well established, well respected, and credible brands—Illegal Curve Hockey and New Era. The hat comes in multiple sizes, to guarantee the proper fit.

The new Illegal Curve hat is available exclusively in Winnipeg at City Haul (823 Corydon Avenue).

(For orders emanating from outside Winnipeg, and/or for further information, click the PayPal icon below, or please contact Illegal Curve at info@illegalcurve.com and we will take the necessary information and ship your hat out to you ASAP.)

You love your Winnipeg Jets, and you love Illegal Curve, the number one resource in Winnipeg for all Winnipeg Jets news. Wear that love proudly, with the latest and greatest offering from Illegal Curve Hockey, the Illegal Curve New Era 59fifty fitted Hat.

Click “buy now” to purchase your Illegal Curve 59 Fifty New Era hat. When filling out the order form, click the “add special instructions to the seller” button and fill in your preferred size and colour.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Jets vs. Devils Postgame Podcast – January 14, 2012

Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 loss against the New Jersey Devils.

For those who haven’t been able to take in a game yet this season, during the singing of the Canadian anthem, the crowd of 15,004 emphasizes the words in this part of the anthem:

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

Watch/listen to this video to hear the words said by the MTS Centre crowd:

I personally love this tradition.  It is a respectful innovation that plays on the lyrics in the song to show the crowds appreciation to the True North organization.

We wanted to know what the players thought of this tradition and here is what they said:

Andrew Ladd

Tanner Glass

Chris Thorburn

Mark Flood

Chris Mason

Even players that aren’t from Canada enjoy the emphasis on ‘True North’;

Jim Slater

Zach Bogosian

Tim Stapleton

Alexander Burmistrov

So what do you think?  Are you a fan of this tradition?  Do you dislike it?  Sound off in the comments section.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Jets vs. Kings Postgame Podcast – December 29, 2011

The Jets win 1-0 in overtime over the LA Kings. Host Drew Mindell and analyst Richard Pollock break down all of the action on the Illegal Curve Hockey Show Postgame Podcast

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Jets vs. Penguins Postgame Podcast – December 23, 2011

On the second night of back-to-back home games, the Jets lose 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins at MTS Centre. Dave Minuk and Ezra Ginsburg break down all the action.

After the Jets’ 5-3 win against Anaheim on Saturday, I noticed that the Jets have been able to capitalize on their opponent’s fatigue after back-to-back road games involving travel.

Below I will examine if this is indeed a trend so far this young season.

As of December 20, 2011, the Jets had played 16 home games. In four of those games, the team has faced opponents who were on the second night of back-to-back road games.

Here are the Jets’ opponents and their back-to-back games.

Carolina Hurricanes:
October 21 – @ STL – 2-3 OTL
October 22 – @ WPG – 3-5 L

New Jersey Devils:
December 2 – @ MIN – 2-4 L
December 3 – @ WPG – 2-4 L

Boston Bruins:
December 5 – @ PIT – 3-1 W
December 6 – @ WPG – 1-2 L

Anaheim Ducks:
December 16 – @ CHI – 1-4 L
December 17 – @ WPG – 3-5 L

The Jets are 4-0 against opponents at home when the visiting team is on the second night of road back-to-back games. While the caliber of opponents may not be in the upper echelon of the league, it does include the thrilling, streak breaking victory against first place Boston on December 3.

After looking at how Winnipeg has fared against visiting opponents on the second night of back-to-back games, I decided to take a look at the Jets’ results when playing back-to-back road games.

October 19 – @ TOR – 3-4 L
October 20 – @ OTT – 1-4 L

November 5 – @ NJ – 2-3 OTL
November 6 – @ NYR – 0-3 L

November 25 – @ CAR – 3-1 W
November 26 – @ BOS – 2-4 L

December 9 – vs. CAR – 4-2 W
December 10 @ DET – 1-7 L

After examining the schedule, the Jets are 0-4 when playing back to back games. However, it is worth noting that they have faced a much higher quality of opponent in the second game of a back-to-back (DET, BOS, NYR are all top 4 in their respective conferences) than the teams who are coming into MTS Centre on the second night of a back to back.

Next time you hear a Jets player talk about their thoughts of playing back-to-back games, or playing against a team who is in their second game in two days, I wouldn’t take what they are saying too literally.  No player will ever say, “Oh yeah, I’m pretty tired we got in at 2 a.m. and I’m not looking forward to the game”.

The Jets will play their first back-to-back games this season at home on Thursday and Friday when they play Montreal and then Pittsburgh. From the small sample size collected, we can see that the odds will not be in the Jets’ favour.

The Winnipeg Jets lose to the Islanders in the dreaded shootout. With Drew and Richard unavailable, IC’s Mike Remis, Dave Minuk and Ezra Ginsburg recap all of the action and provide their insight, analysis and opinion.

Listen to the podcast below or subscribe in iTunes, search for “Illegal Curve Hockey Show”.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Winnipeg Jets vs. Anaheim Ducks Postgame Podcast – December 17, 2011

It was a magical night in Winnipeg. Future Hall of Famer, NHL Legend, and Winnipeg hero Teemu Selanne played his first game here since the Jets left in 1996. There were standing ovations, and some of the loudest cheers that have hit MTS Centre since the official return on October 9.

Host Drew Mindell & analyst Richard Pollock recap all of the nights events, including the welcome back to Teemu Selanne and provide analysis on the hockey game that was played. (Yes, there was also a game)

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Postgame Podcast – Winnipeg Jets vs. Washington Capitals – December 15, 2011

Tonight the Washington Capitals snapped the Jets’ home win-streak when Alex Ovechkin scored in the final minutes of the game. Host Drew Mindell and analyst Richard Pollock break down all of the action in our postgame podcast. We will then take you into the dressing room for player reaction.

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Postgame Podcast – Winnipeg Jets vs. Minnesota Wild – December 13, 2011

The Winnipeg Jets have defeated the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in dramatic fashion at MTS Centre. The Jets are now 5-1 on their latest December homestand. Host Drew Mindell & analyst Richard Pollock recap all of the games events’ and provide their insight, analysis, and opinion. Following their discussion, Mike Remis presents player reactions from the Jets dressing room with Dave Minuk and Wild with Ezra Ginsburg.

Listen to the podcast below or search for “Illegal Curve Hockey Show” in the iTunes store to subscribe.

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show – Postgame Podcast – December 9, 2011

The Winnipeg Jets defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2.

Host Drew Mindell and analyst Richard Pollock provide insight, analysis and opinion about the game.

Illegal Curve Hockey Show – December 7, 2011 – Winnipeg Jets vs. Boston Bruins Postgame Podcast

The Winnipeg Jets defeated the Boston Bruins 2-1 from MTS Centre in dramatic fashion.

Host Drew Mindell and analyst Richard Pollock break down all of the action while Dave Minuk and Ezra Ginsburg bring you the player reactions.

The next Winnipeg Jets game is Friday, December 6, 2011 vs. Carolina Hurricanes at MTS Centre. Search for “Illegal Curve Hockey Show” in the iTunes store to subscribe and get the podcast sent automatically to your iPod.

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show airs Saturdays from 12pm-3pm on TSN 1290.

The first ever Illegal Curve Hockey Show Postgame Podcast – December 4, 2011

The Winnipeg Jets have defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 at the MTS Centre, Drew Mindell and Richard Pollock give their post game thoughts from the press box.

Stay tuned for the end of the podcast where IC’s Dave Minuk goes into the Jets dressing room for postgame reaction.

Shane Doan

IC’s Ezra asked him what the standing ovation meant to him and he gives quite a heartfelt response.

While it is clearly early in the season, the Jets have played only 15 games, are there any really encouraging team signs for Jets fans to cling to?

Let’s look at how the Jets fare in some important categories:

How do you put a positive spin on the above figures?  It is definitely not an easy task.  However, context is necessary.  How did the Thrashers fare in the above categories a season ago?  That should provide us with a better idea of where the Jets stand thus far—albeit early in the season.

The Jets are significantly worse in power play efficiency, shots on goal per game and total minor penalties taken.  Conversely, the team is about the same in goals against per game, is exactly the same in the face-off circle.  The Jets have so far been slightly better on the penalty kill but worse when it comes to shots per game.

All in all, this team has a ton of work to do.  In fact, as the first chart indicates, the Jets are in the bottom third of the NHL in many important categories aside from goals per game—where they find themselves at the bottom of the second tier.

That is not to say that some progress is not being made.  Clearly players like Evander Kane and Alexander Burmistrov have flashed promise.  Other players have impressed like Jim Slater and the team’s “top” line demonstrated signs of a collective breakout in Buffalo.

On the back-end, there are strengths—skating, puck skills, but also drawbacks like horrible turnovers and poor defensive zone awareness.

The goaltending has been erratic with some strong spurts from Pavelec and some off-games.

If you followed the Thrashers closely last season much of the above will not come as much of a surprise.  This is no expansion team; we have the team’s past performance, which we can utilize to track progress.  So far, much of the team’s progress has been matched by its backwards steps.  Not without exception mind you, but most would agree much work is needed before this team talks about realistically contending for a playoff spot.

While none remain with the Jets currently, it is important to be aware of what is happening with these kids.  We aim to keep you up to date (stats as of February 10th) with all the latest on these 7 players;

A little background on Ally is that she was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and grew up a die-hard Red Wings fan.  Her formal training is as a nurse, and she eventually got a job in Phoenix, Arizona.  Being a hard core hockey fan, she signed up for Coyotes season tickets .  All went well for the first 41 home games but they happened to be squaring off against Detroit in the 1st round, and Ally reverted back to cheering for the team she grew up supporting.  Apparently this irked her season ticket holder neighbors.  These were people she has become friendly with throughout the season who turned on her and in some cases took it even further by spitting on her.

Not surprisingly this soured her on the Coyotes, although her love of hockey meant that she continued to maintain her Coyotes season tickets, but ensured that her Wings jersey stayed in the closest.

In addition to posting pictures on Jets forums, Ally also was a frequent commenter in the online chats held during the Illegal Curve Radio show.  She would join the conversation online and vowed about 18 months ago that if the NHL ever returned to Winnipeg she would be there.

Now when people make statements online, the vast majority of the time it is just that, words on a page not matched by actions.  Not Ally K.  When it was confirmed that the Jets were in fact returning, she booked her flight/hotel (from Dayton, Ohio as she had subsequently moved from Phoenix).  Think about this for a second!  She only knew people online and didn’t have a ticket but was committed to coming to Winnipeg to take part in the festivities.

So Ally K arrived in Winnipeg on Thursday, but it was not without incident.  First she was required to drive out of state to an airport in Kentucky to catch a plane to Toronto.  Her flight to Toronto was then delayed because of TSA labour issues.  She sat on the plane for awhile, eventually made it to Toronto only to miss her connecting flight to Winnipeg.  Luckily she got on a standby ticket and eventually landed in Winnipeg at 9:30 pm cst on October 7th.

She spent the next two days as a tourist, seeing the sights and getting a chance to explore the city she had read and talked so much about.  She even met up at the Tavern United Downtown with some of her former Return of the Jets forum members to share a drink with on Saturday night.

But all would be for naught if she came this far and did not get a chance to be inside the MTS Centre for the home opener.  So she awoke early on the day of the game, arrived at the MTS Centre and got in line at Ticketmaster.  This also gave her a chance to formally meet the Illegal Curve crew as we were broadcasting live from the atrium at the MTS Centre.

With the lineup at Ticketmaster not proving fruitful, Ally K joined us at Moxie’s inside the MTS Centre to share  some of her thoughts on Winnipeg with us.  She was surprised at Winnipeg’s size and loved how easy it was to get around in the city.

With it being 2 hours before game time and as the people on Portage were getting really excited we went outside to observe the partying.  As we stood around, friends would walk by, people I knew who were members of the Return of the Jets forum.  When I introduced Ally K, they were all extremely excited to meet her and take pictures with her.

The best moment however was when we were standing around and a young brother/sister duo (I incorrectly assumed they were a couple but have been subsequently corrected by the brother) were walking past our spot.  The guy stopped, looked at Ally and said “are you Ally K?”.  When she acknowledged that she was, in fact, Ally K, he told her his online username and they spent 5 minutes chatting.  He recognized her simply from pictures online and happened to notice her as he walked past.

There was even a couple who knew her from the forums who called her with their story.  They were having babysitter issues which could have necessitated the wife leaving the game early.   Therefore they offered Ally the opportunity to attend the game for a period or two.

As the game drew closer and closer, while Ally K was still enjoying the atmosphere you could tell that the lack of a ticket was clearly weighing on her mind.  She was even making alternate plans in the event that she could not get in.  She had spoken to some other forum members who were heading to the Forks.  But she was not prepared to give up so easily.  She then returned to the Ticketmaster line and waited.  And waited…..

At 4:05 pm, True North released an additional 12-14 tickets, one of which went to the girl who deserved it more than anyone else.  Her odyssey took her from Phoenix to Dayton to Winnipeg and back but the girl known as Ally K left Winnipeg having kept the vow she had made to the Illegal Curve crew over 18 months earlier.  Ally K was in the building!!

As a postscript, fans in Phoenix had best watch out as Ally K will be making her return to the Coyotes den for the team’s home opener against the Winnipeg Jets.  And she now has Winnipeg gear to wear.  But she should not be too concerned about retribution.  It sounds like there will be a sizable contingent of Winnipeg Jets fans invading the Jobing.com arena to keep her company.

One additional note to the AllyK story.  As she made the long return back to Ohio on Monday morning, check out who she was flying to Toronto with.  Nice ‘cherry’ on top to complete the ultimate hockey weekend.

FRANTIC Films’ Fuelled By Passion: The Return Of The Jets will air Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. cst on CBC TV.  The documentary follows the loss of the Jets in 1996 and their return 15 years later and includes interviews with current owner Mark Chipman, former owner Barry Shenkarow, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and several players.

Viewers in Canada can stream the entire documentary from CBC.ca

I had the chance to meet with the team behind this project, including Charles Officer (Director of the documentary) and Lynne Skromeda (President of Production at Frantic Films) on several occasions and I am really looking forward to finally seeing the finished product.

Lynne took some time to answer some questions about this project, in this IC exclusive Q & A:

IC:  How did Frantic get involved in this project?

LS:  As soon as we heard the Jets might be coming back, we knew it would be a great story to tell. Prior to the actual announcement that the NHL would be returning, CBC had reached out to us about a potential collaboration. And shortly after the announcement was made our CEO & Executive Producer , Jamie Brown, contacted Mark Chipman, who he knew through a number of various Manitoba business initiatives, to see if he’d be interested in participating, which he was. We knew this was more than just a local story and the CBC was very excited to do a new kind of sports documentary. On July 20 we had a meeting at the True North offices with CBC, our director, Charles Officer, and the True North team and off we went from there!

IC:  What was your first reaction to this as a Jets fan?

LS:  We never really got over the initial shock and excitement of the team returning in the first place, because all of a sudden, we were going to see it happen from the inside for a crucial couple of months – get to meet the players, see things come together, learn from the people how they felt about the NHL coming back to Winnipeg and the process involved. We knew we were a part of a unique experience that was something very special and that feeling has continued throughout this whole process.

IC:  What was your level of access like?  (To True North. NHL. etc).

LS:  The True North folks were very generous to us with their time and access, which was great given how busy they were. We spent a lot of time in the MTS Centre this summer! We interviewed coaches, staff, players and executives. They even helped us arrange the interviews with Gary Bettman and David Thomson, which was pulling big favours for us. The CBC and NHL have worked together to provide us action to game footage that we couldn’t otherwise be able to use on our own due to rights issues. So we’ve been lucky to have such great support from all organizations involved. That was really important because we were working under incredible deadlines – normally a one-hour doc takes 6 months to a year to produce on average…this one was done in 2 months, which is practically unheard of. Lots of people on our team put in 18+ hour days to meet our deadlines.

IC:  Was it difficult to condense all the footage you took into an hour ?

LS:  Absolutely – we feel like we could have made a 4-hour miniseries at least! And it’s not even a full hour – the CBC broadcast hour is only 45 minutes. Hour-long interviews we did have been reduced to a couple of very short clips in some cases; in others, we just didn’t have time to elaborate on great stories that we would have loved to tell. We wish there was more we could do with it all as we think fans would love hearing more.

IC:  What was the most interesting thing you discovered about the Jets?

LS:  You always hear opinions and rumours – it was great to hear from Barry Shenkarow and Gary Bettman first hand the realities of why the Jets had to leave at the time. And understanding how hard people have worked so quietly to make it happen. We always knew that they were a classy organization on the surface, but that was really echoed throughout all of our experiences with them, from the PR team’s responsiveness to the generosity that people showed us with their time. Interacting with people who were previously just stories in the media situations made it exciting in a new way, as we got a totally different feeling from spending more time with them.  For example, meeting Mark Scheifele for the first time, it was obvious how badly he wanted it but was still putting it all in perspective – he had such a mature attitude but such drive, and we really got a chance to feel that from him. It really made me want him to do well even when no one knew how he’d perform as a rookie and look where he is now.

IC:  What can fans expect from this documentary?

LS:  Fans can expect a pretty fast-paced, action-packed hour with genuine excitement and emotional highs and lows.  They’ll get to remember the team that was as we look back on the history of the team and get excited for the team that will be when we see the coaches and players coming together on the ice. This is being broadcast across the country so it’s important that we not only speak to people here in Winnipeg who love the Jets but also those who aren’t as familiar with why they’re important, why they left and why the NHL was able to come back. We really wanted to tell the compelling and comprehensive story of the history up to the first exhibition game (which is the latest we could shoot and still get this on air in time for October 7!) and I think we achieved that.

Once you’ve had an opportunity to watch it we want to hear your thoughts.  Or in advance, let us know what you’re looking forward to seeing.  As always sound off in comments.

0:00 – Northeast Division

15:54 – Atlantic Division

33:39 – Central Division

47:44 – Northwest Division

1:01:49 – Pacific Division

1:10:22 – Rapid Fire Predictions

The next Illegal Curve Hockey Show will air Sunday, October 9th from 9am-12pm on Sports Radio 1290

That makes him likeable.  His play on the ice, at least thus far in training camp, makes him even more likeable.  With only one season under his belt in the Ontario Hockey League, Scheifele has surprised many with his impressive rookie tournament, solid play in the team’s intra-squad scrimmage and, of course, his four-point performance in the first NHL game (exhibition or not) in Winnipeg featuring the name Jets in 15 years.

The youngster has demonstrated excellent poise, especially off the rush.  He has soft hands, great vision and plays a mature game.  His strengths have overshadowed his weaknesses, that being strength along the boards, first step and a tendency to sometimes try a pass that may be too cute—at least for the NHL level.

All of the above is fine and dandy.  It is certainly encouraging but at the macro level there are many reasons why Scheifele should be returned to Barrie for another year playing under one of the greatest Jets of all-time, the aforementioned Dale Hawerchuk.

Quality of competition

Make no mistake; Scheifele has stood out since arriving in Winnipeg.  He has scored, he has created offense and he has done so with a certain amount of poise.  But, and this is a big but, who has he been doing this against?

Opposing team’s rookie rosters are not exactly littered with top prospects.  For every Ryan Nugent-Hopkins there are four late round draft picks looking to carve out a name for themselves before being shipped to the ECHL to pursue their battle up the chain of professional hockey.

His strong performance in the team’s intra-squad scrimmage is, well, a strong performance in an intra-squad scrimmage.  The intensity, as Ron Hainsey put it, is not exactly high.

That brings us to his brilliant performance on Tuesday evening.  The fan experience was incredible, the excitement was palpable and the celebration of the youngster’s performance, capped off by the chanting of his name was joyful.  All that said, look at the defense pairings on the ice for each of Scheifele’s four points on Tuesday.

Goal 1: Aaron Johnson-Austin Madaisky

Goal 2: Grant Clitsome-Cody Goloubef

Goal 3: Grant Clitsome-Kris Russell

Goal 4: Kris Russell-Derek Prout

Russell is a four-year NHL veteran; Clitsome has played 42 NHL games and the rest of the players few hockey people have ever heard of.  Put another way, he was not exactly playing against a defense combination of Fedor Tyutin and James Wisniewski.

Sample size is also, obviously, a factor; obvious enough that we won’t touch on it further.

Entry-level contract

Considering the team does not have Stanley Cup expectations and probably an outside chance at a playoff spot, does management want to burn a year of Scheifele’s entry-level contract (relative cost control) for a year that may be beneficial to his development but also may stunt it.  In the long haul if the team is battling for a fringe playoff spot this season, why not save Scheifele’s cost control contract for a season down the road when the team is (as the fans hope) a legitimate playoff contender.

Remember the Jets are not going to be a free spending team.  Having a certain amount of valuable cost control contracts is going to be vital to this team’s success.

World Junior Championships, another year in CHL

Scheifele has played less than 70 games in the Canadian Hockey League.  By all accounts his performance at the Canadian World Junior Camp was not anything special.  Another year under the tutelage of Hawerchuk, a full season against the opposing team’s best shutdown defenders and chance to make the Canadian World Junior team playing against the best players under 20 years old around the NHL would do wonders for his development.  If he really is that good, then his colours will show over the course of the season (larger sample size).

High expectations

Expectations are always high for a first round pick.  They are higher for a first round pick on a Canadian team.  They are even higher for a first round pick on a Canadian team that has not seen NHL hockey for fifteen years.  Catch the drift?  Can Scheifele succeed?  It is possible.  However, another season in junior will allow fans, and more importantly the Jets brass, a better idea of what true expectations should be for Scheifele.

As one fan put it on Twitter: “Scheifele: Over/under 76 goals?”

Where does he fit in?

Coach Claude Noel mentioned that the Jets do not really have size up the middle.  Scheifele is bigger than people think, but his size should not be a significant factor when it comes to whether he makes this team.  Noel said he lined up Antropov in the middle to add size and play tough matchups.  He also said he could be slid over to the right wing.  Remember the Jets have Bryan Little, Alex Burmistrov, Nikolai Antropov, Kyle Wellwood and Jim Slater up the middle.  Where does Scheifele fit in?  If it is on the top two lines, then what happens to Little or Burmistrov?  Those top two lines will result in very difficult competition.  Conversely, if he plays on the third line (even if it is employed in a scoring capacity) this will result in less ice-time and less offensive support.

Never mind the fact that the team is also poor in the face-off circle, with only Kyle Wellwood and Jim Slater proving to be anywhere above average.

All in all, Scheifele may turn into a tremendous player, if that is the case, another year of seasoning won’t hurt him.  In fact, it may help both him and the organization—a relationship fans hope lasts a long, long time.

Winnipeg—And on the 5624^th day, God said let there be NHL hockey in Winnipeg.

With the first of the Jets hitting the ice at 7:31 PM, the day that Winnipeggers have been waiting for since April 28, 1996 became a reality. No more rumors. No more innocuous chatter. The NHL has returned to the city of Winnipeg.

The game itself, the on ice action, was secondary. After all, it was an exhibition game and while the Winnipeg Jets sported a roster featuring some of their best known players, the Columbus Blue Jackets kept their best players at home in this split squad contest.

The Jets opened the scoring at 7:49 of the first period with a Power Play goal off the stick of Paul Postma, assists being recorded by Byfuglien and Ladd. If the Jets are to have significant on-ice success this season, the names of Ladd and Byfuglien will have to be on the score sheet more often than not.

The capacity crowd in the MTS Centre were brought to their feet one more time in the first period, when 2011 first round pick Mark Scheifele continued his stellar play of the Penticton Prospects Tournament, scoring his first professional goal, assists credited to Ben Maxwell and (again) Dustin Byfuglien.

No exhibition game would be complete without some meaningless fisticuffs, and both teams were eager to oblige as there were six fights in the contest. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cody Bass was the chief combatant, dropping the gloves on 3 different occasions in the first 30 minutes of the contest, resulting in a game misconduct after the third fight. The fact Cody Bass was playing for the Blue Jackets should tell you all you need to know about the roster Columbus brought to Winnipeg.

Columbus got on the scoreboard midway through the second period after some sloppy play by the Jets. Ryan Johansen got his first goal of the pre-season, with assists going to Derek MacKenzie and Alexandre Giroux. The Jets matched the Blue Jackets scoring with 3:26 remaining in the second period when, after a nifty pass from Mark Scheifele, Kevin Clark tipped the puck past Blue Jackets goalie Curtis Sanford. The second loudest ovation of the second period, aside from the Clark goal, came with five minutes remaining when the beloved Jets fan, Dancing Gabe, made his first appearance on the Jumbotron.

The start of the third period saw David Aebischer see his first game action, replacing Ondrej Pavelec who was solid in stopping seventeen of eighteen Blue Jackets shots through the first fourty minutes. The Jets got on the score sheet early in the 3^rd period after yet another nifty pass by Mark Scheifele setting up Ivan Telegin for his first goal of the game. Second assist was credited to Mark Stuart. They potted another marker six minutes later when Mark Scheifele recorded his 2^nd goal of the game, and 4^th point, with assists going to Dustin Byfuglien (his 3^rd) and Nikolai Antropov.

Jets captain Andrew Ladd wrapped up the scoring 13:33 into the 3^rd period, scoring his first of what the Jets hope are many goals this season, with assists going to Nik Antropov and Paul Postma. A six to one final in favour of the Winnipeg Jets left the capacity crowd of 15004 fans cheering, and chanting the name of Mark Scheifele.

After the completion of the sixty minutes of play, and with more in depth analysis of tonight’s contest still to come on Illegal Curve, via the brain of Richard Pollock, the long and the short of what went down at MTS Centre tonight was a more talented Jets team, dominating the lesser weights that Columbus brought as competition. The reverse of what occurred in Columbus where a youthful Jets team was dominated by the Columbus regulars. Mark Scheifele had a magical night, proving that against this level of competition, charitably an AHL Blue Jackets roster, he belongs. Against NHL caliber it’s yet to be seen, but he has certainly given the Jets management something to ponder over the next 2 weeks of pre-season action.

3 Stars

1^st star: Mark Scheifele (2 goals, 2 assists in his professional debut)

2^nd star: Alex Burmistrov (dangled the puck and was dangerous all night long. Tantalized the fans of what yet might come

3^rd star: Dustin Byfuglien (aggressive, dominant physically. You think he had a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone?)

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets have already won over fans, now they have to win games.  The impression I have from this group of players is that they have a legit shot at the post season and if they do that this season, they will have made 700,000 people in Winnipeg even happier.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Times sure change over 15 years.  It seems almost incomprehensible to those of us who remember the NHL in 1996 to the NHL of today.  Social media alone makes it a vastly different environment for fans and the players.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets’ Stuart a crowd pleaser.  After meeting Mark Stuart for the first time at the Jets jersey reveal at 17 Wing, I could tell that he has what it takes to be a real crowd pleaser.  Super nice/genuine guy who the fans are going to really like.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Tinker with chemicals before finalizing formula.  This group seems to have a lot of chemistry already, but discovering that scoring formula will be the next science experiment that they should focus on.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets players put positive spin on hitting the road.  As Blake Wheeler said yesterday to the media, it seems like these guys just want to make sure they are in the linup for the October 9th home opener.

Kamloops Daily News:  Madaisky to be on ice for historic game.  The Blue Jackets rookie will be in for the experience of a lifetime when he takes to the MTS Centre ice tonight.

Winnipeg Sun:  Got grit?  Jets think so.  Seems a lot of the players are not wanting to be stuck with the label of fighter or enforcer, but won’t shy away from the rough and tumble.  During Evander Kane’s interview yesterday, he seemed to think this team will be able to handle itself.

Winnipeg Sun:  Plenty of room for fighting in NHL.  Further to this article and as Remis reported yesterday, the Jets Glass sees a place for it in the game still.

Winnipeg Sun:  It’s gonna get loud.  Perhaps they will crack out the old decibel meter to see if the Jets fans can hit new heights.

Globe and Mail:  Jets face early chemistry test.  This was the buzz word around the media room yesterday.  (This article was in yesterday’s afternoon news but b/c it was a late addition, I felt that it was worth sharing with those who missed it yesterday).

Monday:

Dustin Byfuglien’s historic shooting season.  Remis takes a look at the number of shots that Big Buff took last season, which saw him finish 2nd to Ovechkin overall in the league.  He even asked him a question in this regard during the Press Conference which followed the Jets fitness testing.

Tuesday:

Prospect Pulse:  Review of game 1 of the Young Stars Tournament.  Kyle, our prospects expert, gives a breakdown of those young Jets who impressed him after the shutout victory over the Sharks.

The rest of the Jets week on Illegal Curve after the jump including should the White-out be eliminated, pictures from the Jets informal practice, Jets players use twitter to find dinner, True North releases single ticket info, audio from Group A (Pavelec, Bogosian and Thorburn), audio from Group B (Kane, Byfuglien, Mason and Scheifele) as well as the replay of the IC Radio Show.

Wednesday:

Hosting the Petard:  Wither the White-Out?  We welcome Drew back to IC with a shocking thought; is it time to get rid of the White-out?

Thursday:

Jets Informal practice pictures.  With Bogosian signing the day before the Jets seemed in good spirits as the guys flew around the IcePlex.

Friday:

Jets use twitter to find dinner.  Remis looks at how the Jets players are using social media to interact with their 1000′s of twitter followers.

Jets announce individual ticket information.  When they say luck of the draw, in this case they mean it literally.

Saturday:

Winnipeg Jets Training Camp – Group A.  Some pictures from the 1st day of NHL training camp in this city in 15+ years.  Audio from Pavelec, Bogosian and Thorburn.

Part 1 of the IC Radio Show.  Action packed show with an interview with Shane Hnidy, Analyst for Sports Radio 1290.

Part 2 of the IC Radio Show.  More great Jets hockey talk including an interview with Roy McGregor of the Globe & Mail, Kalen Qually of the Pass it Forward Hockey Gear Program and Concussion Specialist Dr. Zach Eakman.

Winnipeg Jets Training Camp – Group B.  Audio from Byfuglien, Mason, Kane and 1st round pick Scheifele.

Hope everyone is enjoying the 1st weekend in over 15 years to have official NHL training camp activity back in this city.  Looking forward to another exciting week of Jets news starting tomorrow with Morning papers.