Note: Don’t forget to tune into the Illegal Curve Hockey Show 2013 Season Preview special on TSN Radio 1290 from 7 to 11 am today as the guys kick off the game day discussion on TSN. This week’s show will have an emphasis (3 hours) on the opening of the 2013 NHL regular season and the last hour will be focused on your Winnipeg Jets. Guests: Eric Duhatschek (Globe and Mail), James Gordon (Ottawa Citizen).
Note II: Home Opening Weekend starts today and be sure to stay tuned to @illegalcurve as we will be bringing you all the latest from the MTS Centre as the Senators visit the Jets. During the game you can win IC Gear by participating in our twitter 50/50 and Game Winning Goal contests. Following the action, Dave and Ez will have post game reactions from the Winnipeg and Ottawa dressing rooms, while from the press box, Rich, Drew and Remis will bring you the Illegal Curve Hockey Post Game Podcast.
Jets news:
Winnipeg Free Press: Rebirth of a Jets nation. And so it all begins again. Today the Jets are tied for 1st in the East.
Winnipeg Free Press: We are the champions. Just 2 years into the return of NHL hockey and Winnipeg remains the talk of the league and with good reason. Manitobans have added a unique blend of passion for hockey.
Globe and Mail: Hockey and its unrelenting grip on the nation’s soul. Not much of a surprise that the state of hockey in Manitoba is alive and well. The MTS Centre is going to be rocking today.
TSN: Season opens against Senators on TSN Radio 1290. Coverage kicks off today with the Illegal Curve Hockey Show. Brian has the expected Jets lines and they are exactly what we anticipated for today’s game against the Senators.
Winnipeg Sun: Fans deserve hard-working team that makes playoffs. Whether this team is blue collar or not, fans just want a winner. While they may put up with growth and building for another year or possibly two, a turnaround is going to be expected.
Winnipeg Sun: Can Jets prove pundits wrong? The deck is stacked against the Jets. Not many are predicting that this team to be a playoff bound team although perhaps they can use their home opener opponent as inspiration. Not many thought Ottawa would do anything last season and they surprised the league by making it into the post season.
Winnipeg Sun: Need to go both ways. This team has improved over last season and they are going to need a collective effort to have any chance this season.
CBC: Excited fans await season opener. Jets fans start your engines. We are less than 24 hours from the first game of the year and the excitement level in Winnipeg is off the charts.
Ottawa Citizen: Hoping to model themselves on Senators’ rise. James Gordon will be a guest on today’s Illegal Curve Hockey Show on TSN Radio 1290 and the guys will discuss this idea with him.
Illegal Curve: Jets afternoon news. The Winnipeg Sun has put out a 64 page insert on the start to the Jets season. And they started releasing some of the articles yesterday. If you missed anything there are another 10 Sun stories about the Jets ranging from contracts, Ladd’s leadership, Scheifele’s 2nd chance, Mark Chipman moving on up, importance of Big Buff, Pavelec and more.
Illegal Curve: 50/50 & Game Winning Goal Contests. For the 2013 season we will be bringing back our 50/50 contest and we have added a Game Winning Goal (GWG) contest as well. The contests take place during Jets games on twitter so be sure to follow us on @illegalcurve.
Illegal Curve: Assessment of James Wright. Our own prospect expert Kyle Kosior had these thoughts on the Jets’ newest acquisition.
Illegal Curve: Coach Noel presser. Talking about James Wright. How close is he to knowing his lineup. Tough on players trying to make an impression, especially without exhibition games. How much does he know about Ottawa? How does he prep for Game 1? Role of Perry Pearn. What players who get reassigned learn. Planning for 3 games in 4 nights. How have Winnipeg’s expectations changed this year? Any clarity on Bogosian’s status? Will goalies be on a short leash? Does the opinions of ‘experts’ impact him?
Jets Affiliate and prospect news:
TSN: Brittain leads way as Admirals defeat IceCaps in shootout. Another loss although at least the Caps were able to salvage a point from the game. They had a 2-0 lead (both power play goals) but could not hold on to the win.
Winnipeg Sun: Machacek, Meech and Macenauer sent back to AHL. Not an unexpected move after the short week of training camp.
University of Michigan: U-M Begins Road Swing with Victory at LSSU (Boxscore). Prospect Jacob Trouba scored in the Wolverines win. The two teams resume play again tonight.
NHL news:
Toronto Star: Roommate culture becoming thing of past. Many things changed in the new CBA and this is one of the modifications that was made.
Globe and Mail: NHL predictions. The writers at the Globe and Mail share their predictions on the 2013 season.
CBC: Many questions as curtain raises on 2013. It may be shortened but there are going to be some very good times this season.
CBC: Saskatchewan hockey fans keen for NHL return. Great hockey fans to our West. Perhaps we should hope for an NHL team to end up in Regina….would create quite an exciting Banjo Bowl on ice.
Globe and Mail: Hockey is back. Did it ever really go away? Based on the numbers we saw from our own readership it is clear that hockey fans stayed away from hockey during the lockout but let me tell you they are back in a big way right now.
