Just when it seemed like things were calming down following coach Maurice’s presser, Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reported that Evander Kane skipped the game after an incident with Dustin Byfuglien. From Johnstone’s article:
“However, multiple sources familiar with the situation have since indicated that Kane was not on the team’s bus to Rogers Arena and then missed a pre-game meeting. Repeated attempts to reach him were unsuccessful until approximately an hour before puck drop, when Kane answered his cellphone and said he wouldn’t be playing against the Canucks that night.”
Bob McKenzie of TSN chimed in with this blog adding that there are more questions arising in this drama.
Today after the skate the players were pretty uniform in their comments about maintaining the focus on the ice and sticking together:
– “We are a team. We are behind each other. We have a job to do. We are a family. We are going to stick together….” Dustin Byfuglien
– “We enjoy battling for each other and that’s not going to change” Andrew Ladd.
– “We are focusing more on what we are going to do on the ice with the guys who are going to be on the ice”. Mathieu Perreault
Were the guys sending a message to the young 23 year old winger? If so, what kind of message is it?
Of course this leaves Jets fans wondering what they are to think about all of this? As if this situation couldn’t get any more bizarre! You have a Jets team that was, prior to the All-Star game, united and sitting comfortably in a playoff spot to one that appears to be anything but united and still in the playoffs but not nearly as comfortable, having dropped five straight games.
Buckle up Jets fans, it is going to be a bumpy ride. As always stick with @illegalcurve for the latest Jets news.
