When Andrew Ladd, Mark Stuart, Eric Fehr and Nik Antropov stepped off the Hercules plane at 17 Wing Air Force Base in Winnipeg, and unveiled the jerseys to be worn by the Winnipeg Jets 2.0, the last remaining aesthetic question had been answered, and the attention/obsession of Winnipeg Jets fans can now be squarely focused towards the on ice product being put forth this coming NHL season and the machinations surrounding Zach Bogosian’s contract status.

With the sharp navy colour scheme as the home jersey (sorry, I refuse to call it polar night blue), and the road jersey being the classic, traditional white jersey, the team will certainly look good on the ice, regardless of the talent level being put forth. While I don’t believe this will be an issue this season, the question that is sure to arise when the team is of a playoff caliber, is what will become of the legendary, often imitated, never duplicated, Winnipeg White-Out?

More on this after the jump.

Ever since 2003 when the NHL switched the colour scheme, and decided the home team would wear dark coloured jerseys, the playoff white-out has been left in limbo. In some cities fans still wear white to support the home team, even if that same team happens to be clad in dark jerseys. In other cities, they have adjusted to the times and have started wearing the darker colour jersey being sported by the home team. The “Red Mile” in Calgary is a great example of fans adapting. In Winnipeg though, where the white-out is sacred and violating it may be punishable by biblical-era stoning, will Winnipeg Jets fans be willing to accept the difference between the whites worn in the stands and that of their on ice heroes?

The answer to the question as to why the home team ever adopted dark jerseys in the first place comes down to a familiar answer, money. New home jerseys mean new jersey purchases mean new revenue. For some of the cash starved NHL franchises, that’s no small matter. Same reason why 3rd jerseys ever came on to the scene—teams saw another potential avenue for generating revenue. Unfortunately, where seeing the dark jerseys was once unique and “fun” for the home fans, like every other flash in the pan idea, it has fallen by the wayside, and now only results in the awkward white-out related dilemma teams are currently faced with.

There’s an easy solution to the white-out, dark jersey problem. Yet, because it will demand that the NHL is moderately fan friendly it probably will never see the light of day. Simply put, and I refuse to believe this is too burdensome of an inconvenience for a visiting franchise, the home team should be allowed to wear whatever colour jersey they want to wear—dark, light, or alternate. Given the amount of luggage already hauled by the visiting NHL team, how much of an inconvenience is one more set of jerseys? With this solution, the fans of a particular team who are fortunate enough to attend multiple games per season, will see their team play in any and all of their available jerseys. Maybe the Winnipeg Jets will have a tremendous record while wearing their dark jerseys at home, and the white out will naturally morph into a black out? The point is that for a league that is always trying to stand out and not be the ugly stepchild of professional team sports, they need to do everything in their power to become as fan friendly as possible. Given the void that will be in the sporting marketplace with the NBA heading toward nuclear Armageddon over their collective bargaining agreement, the NHL would be wise to position themselves as THE fan friendly sport, and reap the rewards that doing so would bring them.

If being more fan friendly means I have to stand at the MTS Centre clad entirely in Polar Night Blue because the Jets are more comfortable in their darker jerseys come playoff time, I’m confident I will stand and cheer just as loud as I did when I was clad entirely in white. If foregoing the white out is the cost of a trip deep into the NHL playoffs, which as every Jets fan will tell you is their white whale, that’s a price I would be willing to pay. For the Jets 2.0, I would prefer to have actual victories on ice, as opposed to the paper victories the Jets 1.0 were forced to “celebrate”.

I’ve been thinking of talent and athletes more in the last few days with news that Nikolai Zherdev, he ex of the Blue Jackets, Rangers, and Flyers, is interested in becoming a member of the Winnipeg Jets.  Dripping with talent, the former fourth overall draft pick has yet to harness the talent he has and really maximize his skill set.  Sure, he has had some productive seasons (61 points in 2007-08 with the Blue Jackets), but so much more was expected of him given his lofty draft status and natural talent that most can only dream to possess.

More on Zherdev after the jump.

Throughout the week, as news regarding Zherdev’s (alleged) desire to play in Winnipeg has come to the forefront, the general reaction has been mixed at best, and in many occasions negative towards Zherdev becoming a member of our beloved Jets.  I understand that sentiment from fans, as if there is one thing hockey fans cannot handle, it’s a player not giving maximum effort, especially one with the natural talent that Zherdev possesses.   Even with a modicum of effort, Zherdev should  be able to score 30 plus goals per season.  Watching Zherdev play in 2011-12 will probably (potentially) be as frustrating for Jets fans as watching Evgeny Davydov play was in the early 1990s.

Despite the obvious distaste that Zherdev has left in Columbus, New York, and Philadelphia the question is should the Jets pursue Zherdev?

The answer, which may be to the chagrin of many Winnipeg Jets fans is an unequivocal yes, with the caveat that it needs to be relatively risk free (read: few years).  Looking at the Winnipeg Jets roster, as we have documented many times before, the team is not dripping with an abundance of talent.  Some nice pieces, certainly.  The team has some players who should develop into top NHL players, but for the 2011-12 season, talent among the forward group is not overwhelming.  Should we expect Zherdev to come in, and be an eighty point player while carrying the team?  Of course not.  It would be naïve at this point to expect that, and unfair to Zherdev given the player that he has been thus far in his career.

Thus far in his stint as General Manager of the Winnipeg Jets, Kevin Cheveldayoff has been very prudent and logical in his decision making.  Acquiring Eric Fehr for a small price is a good example.  Same with the Blake Wheeler contract signing and terms.  As we (especially Richard) have said on The Illegal Curve Hockey Show on more than one occasion, there is no such thing as a bad one year contract.  Maybe Zherdev comes to Winnipeg, loves the cold weather because it reminds him of Mother Russia, embraces the city’s Ukrainian & Russian heritage and finally harnesses his immense talent.  Or he performs like he has in his other stints in the NHL, and plays uninspired hockey like most fans would expect.  The point is, that given the team’s current salary cap situation (space galore), the fact their talent level can be described as average, and the fact that they have a void on the right wing to start the season given Fehr’s bum shoulder, the risk in signing Zherdev would be off set by the reward possibilities.  I think a 1 year, $1.75 million dollar contract or a two year, $3.00 million dollar contract would be fiscally responsible with minimal downside.

For more on Zherdev’s interest in the Jets, and other Winnipeg Jets news, tune in to tonight’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show. 7-9 PM on Sports Radio 1290 in Winnipeg and streamed live on www.illegalcurve.com.  

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Ooh, I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends,
with a little help from my friends

“With a Little Help from My Friends”

The Beatles

The assistant coach is one of the most unique roles in the world of professional sports. Often tasked with great responsibility, they are in the enviable position that rarely do they receive the brunt of the blame, but rather are often singled out for praise for their role in shaping a certain aspect of the team. Whether the assistant coach has direct responsibility for defensive strategy, goaltending, or power play productivity, their impact is often cited as the reason why team X has performed so well in area Y. Conversely, when a team is struggling, most often the blame falls on to the head coach for the failure, sparing the assistant from the most significant amount of public scrutiny.

In Winnipeg, during the first incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets, our assistant coaches for the most part have been fairly anonymous. Sure, some of their names were known by the most hardcore of fans, but for the most part we knew the head coach, and we knew they had assistants, but we weren’t quite sure who they were. The head coach was responsible for the team, and the praise and blame began and ended with him. His assistants were anonymous. (Case in point, the story about the 1989-90 playoffs told by ex-Jets head coach Bob Murdoch during the interview we conducted with him on May 28. Murdoch ended up losing his job, while Alpo Suhonen was just one of many assistant coaches to pass through Winnipeg).

More on the Jets assistant coaches after the jump.

As with anything in life, the impact of the assistant coach has changed dramatically since the NHL left 15 years ago. Once anonymous, the hiring and impact of an assistant coach now results in significant coverage, analysis, scrutiny and conversation among fans both casual and hardcore. When the Winnipeg Jets announced the hiring of Charlie Huddy as assistant coach, and Wade Flaherty as goaltending coach it wasn’t just agate on the sports page as it may have been 20 years ago, it was front page, breaking news and received extensive coverage by all media.

In the case of the Winnipeg Jets 2.0 and their choice of assistant coaches, the decision has been met with praise. A rookie (NHL) head coach in Claude Noel tabbed Charlie Huddy, an experienced, consummate professional, to man the role of assistant coach. On its face, the marriage of Noel and Huddy seems to make perfect sense, as Huddy can act as an experienced voice that Noel can use to bounce ideas off of, and to get advice from, throughout the trials and tribulations of the long NHL season. In terms of on-ice impact, the Winnipeg Jets young, talented, defensive corps will be molded and tutored by a 14 year NHL defenseman who has spent much of the last decade tutoring defenses, and being the right hand man of head coaches throughout the NHL. It’s a hiring that simply makes sense—both for what he will do for the Jets defense, and for the steadying influence and advice he will provide to coach Noel.

In terms of the goaltending coach, the Winnipeg Jets stayed to form and hired someone that the organization is very familiar with. Wade Flaherty has played in Winnipeg, as a member of the Manitoba Moose, and most recently was tasked with working with the goaltenders in the Chicago Blackhawks organization where Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff bore witness to the work that Flaherty was doing. Another area in which the Jets are considered strong, with Ondrej Pavelec expected to be the starting goaltender for the foreseeable future, Wade Flaherty will help ensure that Pavelec continues to develop as expected, and will also impart his wisdom gleaned from an almost 20 year professional hockey career. A veteran who has been through the “wars”, educating a younger player who has more talent than the veteran ever possessed–It’s another hiring that just makes sense.

The Winnipeg Jets are still expected to add another name to their coaching staff in the coming weeks. As has been discussed, the defense and goaltending seem to be in good hands, under the oversight of head coach Claude Noel. In the coming weeks I would expect the team to round out the coaching staff with a hire of a coach who should focus the bulk of his time and energy on the team’s forward corps—the area that most experts/pundits point to as the Achilles heel of the team. While the name of Winnipeg native Mike Keane has been bandied about, this is not the role I would expect to see him occupy with the team. Nor should this be his role, given his inexperience as a “formal” coach. The Winnipeg Jets would be wise to employ Mike Keane in some capacity, given his pedigree, but he isn’t yet suited to be the 2^nd assistant of an NHL team.

The NHL season is a long grind, filled with ups and downs, emotional highs and emotional let downs. Winnipeg Jets head coach Claude Noel is going to have to rely on his assistants throughout the season to help him through those times when the lows are more prevalent than the highs, when the grind is taking its toll. As the Beatles so eloquently sang, he’s going to have to “get by with a little help from my friends.” Fans can only hope that the partnership of the Winnipeg Jets coaches is as successful as that of The Beatles, and Yoko Ono never rears her ugly head behind the bench of the Winnipeg Jets.

For most of us, it’s not a difficult question to answer. We all have our cherished childhood memories, and we re-live them be it through food, experiences, whatever. That’s part of the reason that we like when family comes to town—we get to eat and have experiences we no longer undertake on a regular basis. When family comes to town, we go hog wild in the name of nostalgia. (My uncle loves Pizza Place pizza in Winnipeg—triple salami, double cheese. I may get this once a year—if I had it any more often, I would be next in line for an angioplasty. Of course, when he comes to town, I get to indulge in the name of nostalgia.)

While for many of us the issue of nostalgia does not involve any decision more consequential than which restaurant is going to be responsible for a coronary, for a sports franchise, especially a returning sports franchise (read: Winnipeg Jets), the question of balancing nostalgia with new, is one they have to ponder deeply.

Now that True North bit the proverbial bullet and named the team the Jets, many fans have been clamouring to see all of their old memories & favourites return as well.

The question then, is what old memories should Jets management carry forward, and what memories should be left in the dusty bin of recollections?

The answers to that question after the jump.

Jump (Entry Song)

One of the quintessential songs of the 1980s, Jump was the introduction song for the Winnipeg Jets. While it was not the only song the Jets were introduced to (few fans remember that the team scrapped Jump in its last season), when people hear Jump, the Jets immediately come to mind. That, and cheesy 80s style music videos

Verdict: Considering that most of the members of Van Halen, and their original fan base, cannot jump without breaking a hip, it’s time to provide Jump with a walker and move it into the retirement community

Benny (Mascot)

How to describe Benny? The “hair” of a push broom, the nose of a long lost ancestor of Rudolph the Reindeer, the googly eyes of a drug addict, the “skin” tone of a Smurf, Benny was the Winnipeg Jets mascot. Much like a wrestler under a mask, he hailed from “parts unknown” but was named for both Benny Hatskin, the original founder of the Winnipeg Jets, and to pay homage to the song “Benny and the Jets” by Elton John.

Verdict: There’s something about the big blue oaf that makes me want to see him again. That, and I have no earthly idea what a better mascot would look like.

Logo & Jersey

No real sense in delving too deep into this topic, as True North has been clear that this won’t be a “Cleveland Browns situation”, and the team will be getting a brand new logo, jersey and colour scheme.

Verdict: Perfectly fine to me. The logo/jersey of yesteryear was in desperate need of modernization, yet with the advent of the 3^rd jersey, fans will be able to hearken back to the older jersey. Plus, it has given graphic artists both local and from around the world the opportunity to experiment and design their suggested logo/jersey, some of which have been fabulous renderings. It’s worth noting though, that while “off-site” merchandise sales of all 30 teams are divided evenly, merchandise sold at the team’s local “pro-shop/home arena” are not included in the pooling, rather the revenue generated goes directly to the respective team.

Anthem Singer

The irony that Jennifer Hanson, she of sequined dress fame, currently lives in Atlanta should not be lost on anyone. I’m not sure there is enough money in being an anthem singer though to warrant a move back to Winnipeg

Verdict: Fly Jennifer in to sing the anthem at the home opener. After that, and for the regular season only, continue the Moose tradition of having local school choirs sing the anthem—it would continue a great community based program. For the playoffs, have the fans sing Oh Canada en masse, or get someone with a great set of pipes lined up to belt it out loud and proud. Please, no Maria Aragon.

Portrait of the Queen

Oh to have been a fly on the wall when the decision was made three decades ago that the Winnipeg Arena was in desperate need of a larger than life size portrait of the Queen. Of all the bizarre quirks of the old Winnipeg Arena, this may have been my favourite. Maybe if the team had still been called the Winnipeg Victorias then paying tribute to  the monarchy via portrait would have made sense, but regardless, it was completely illogical, random yet perfect.

Verdict: I like the suggestion made to us on Twitter (@illegalcurve) by “The Jets are Back”, suggesting we honour the potential future Queen, Kate Middleton, with a giant portrait of her. Of course, when Illegal Curve’s Richard Pollock inevitably tries to date the portrait, that will make for some awkward moments.

Ever since the fateful day in May, when the NHL was officially announced as returning to Winnipeg, the water cooler conversations throughout the city have been predominantly related to the Winnipeg Jets. The quest for season tickets begat the conversation about the team’s nickname, begat the actual make-up of the roster we will be cheering on come the first puck drop on October 9, 2011.

The excitement surrounding the return of the NHL to Winnipeg has yet to wane

With the start of the free agency period now firmly in the rear view mirror, and the Winnipeg Jets roster beginning to take final shape, we see that their commitment to “character” was not simply lip service—rather it seems to be the driving force behind many of their roster decisions. The free agent signings, Tanner Glass, Derek Meech, Aaron Gagnon, Randy Jones, Rick Rypien and Mark Flood, are all of questionable NHL talent, but what they are lacking in on-ice capabilities, they more than make up for in the great intangible, “character”.  The question though, especially in light of the team’s refusal to give Anthony Stewart a qualifying offer (covered in more detail here) is why is the team putting so much stock into character, potentially at the expense of skill and talent?

More after the jump.

Throughout the previous existence of the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL, they were often blessed/cursed with teams that weren’t loaded with dynamic skill. Yet, for the most part, fans still turned out in droves to cheer on teams that were most often on the losing end of contests. While there is no one reason why fans continually came to cheer on the team, it certainly helped that the team featured players that were, for the most part, well liked in the community. They were teams with high character.

Photo courtesy canescountry.com

As this new team gets established in the community, they will be doing their best to build a brand. For a franchise, in any sport, their brand is of the utmost importance. A franchise is asking fans to part with their hard earned money (lots of it), and in return, fans hope for a winning product but demand a brand that they can be proud to call their own. Ask fans of the Portland Trail Blazers and they will tell you they were embarrassed to call themselves fans during the “Jail Blazers” era. Same goes for fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the current debacle surrounding the ownership of Frank McCourt. When Mike Kelly was alleged to have committed domestic abuse, the management team of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was fortunate for the timing, as it allowed the team to fire him and thus prevent him from doing any more damage to the team’s brand. Damage the brand, and fans will repel from the franchise, as we saw in Portland and Los Angeles, regardless of the team’s performance.

The team that will take to the ice at the MTS Centre this coming season will, more than likely, lose more games than they will win. The educated and intelligent hockey fans of Winnipeg know this, and will temper their expectations accordingly. What they will demand is that the Winnipeg Jets put forth a top level of effort night in and night out. The words effort and character often go hand in hand. From Mark Chipman, to Craig Heisinger, to Kevin Cheveldayoff, to Claude Noel, we have come to know that the off–ice people responsible for the Jets are of the highest character. Come October, we will find that the on-ice talent will be average, but the effort will be top notch. The result of that night in-night out effort will be that the Winnipeg Jets brand will begin to manifest itself, both on and off the ice as a brand of the highest character, a brand that the fans of the Winnipeg Jets can be immensely proud to call their own.