Note: This past weekend was a wacky one. Friday alone felt like ten days in one as it included the Jets saying goodbye to Paul Maurice, naming Dave Lowry as interim head coach, play and lose to the Caps later that night. They practiced on Saturday which came with an injury update and had their game against the Predators on Tuesday postponed. They concluded the weekend yesterday by placing captain Blake Wheeler on LTIR and then pick up a big win against division rival St. Louis. They also had their game against the Stars on Wednesday postponed because the NHL and NHLPA suspended cross-border travel until after Christmas. The team is off today and will practice on Tuesday and Wednesday before they take their Christmas break.
Note II: The wackiness extended to the local AHL club as the Moose ended their five-game road trip after just two games. They returned back to Winnipeg and have had their season paused until December 22nd (which effectively pauses it until after Christmas). The team did get to celebrate Kristian Reichel and CJ Suess get a recall up to the big club which meant the first NHL game for the hard-working Reichel including his first ever solo lap. Their schedule for this week is uncertain as to whether they will practice. Their next game is scheduled for December 30th here in Winnipeg as they face Abbotsford (Canucks farm club) for the first time ever.
Jets news:
Winnipeg Sun: Jets return to successful brand of hockey in win over Blues. As complete a game as we have seen from this club as they really worked out there for 60 minutes. Scott takes you inside the building to share his game thoughts with you.
Winnipeg Sun: Jets season halted until after Christmas as NHL, NHLPA announce stop to cross-border travel. With the way things are going the NHL and NHLPA are obviously hoping to break the current escalating numbers of players and staff who are coming down with COVID. Pretty certain this is the end of Olympic participation although that is simply my own speculation.
Winnipeg Free Press: Dream now a reality for Reichel. (Paywall). The undrafted forward has consistently worked to get better each year (now in his fourth season with the Manitoba Moose) and last night he was rewarded for all of it. I suspect his family back in Czech must have been feeling a lot of pride in seeing his hard work pay off.
Winnipeg Free Press: Jets still have jump. (Paywall). Perhaps the rumours of their demise were in fact greatly exaggerated. Of course one game does not make a season so this Winnipeg club will have some time to heal up and allow interim coach Dave Lowry to continue to put his stamp on the club before they resume games. Mike recaps the action from his spot inside Canada Life.
Sportsnet: Stastny’s assist milestone a testament to his rejuvenation with Jets. It wasn’t a coincidence that the power play went into the tank when he was injured earlier in the season. While he doesn’t have the speed he more than makes up for it with an intelligence that allows him to anticipate where to be and how to best facilitate with his teammates.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
Toronto Star: Paul Maurice walks away from a good Jets team on his terms. He saw the signs only coaches see. I didn’t realize that former NHLer Dave Poulin, who usually can be seen on TSN, was a freelance contributor to the Star. Check out his thoughts on the surprise resignation.
Jets video:
TSN: ‘Jets were able to push the game at the St. Louis Blues’. TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button joins Sara Orlesky to discuss the Jets dominant win over the St. Louis Blues. Button says that the Jets were able to push the game at the St. Louis Blues, and that the teams consistency played a huge factor in their success.
Sportsnet: After Maurice departure, Jets win against Blues a huge momentum booster. Sean Reynolds and Ken Wiebe discuss the Winnipeg Jets win against the St. Louis Blues, how important the win was against a divisional rival and what they will do with time off before their next game.
Yahoo Sports: What to make of the father-son dynamic on the Jets’ bench. It is a rather unique occurrence in the NHL and once that has garnered quite a bit of attention.
Jets audio:
Illegal Curve Hockey Show: Podcast. Topics covered on yesterday’s show included Paul Maurice’s resignation as head coach of the Jets, Dave Lowry taking over as interim head coach of Winnipeg, What sorts of changes might be implemented, Manitoba road trip cut short, Moose players that could have an impact in NHL. We were joined by Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun and Chris Johnston of the Toronto Star/TSN.
