Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Nov. 15

November 15, 2021 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in hockey –

Just so there’s no confusion when I’m spewing my bias, I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Ice, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.

I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps. You’ve been warned. 

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets went 2-0-1 last week and improved their overall record to a very sneaky 8-3-3 on the season.  With one more game left in their 7-game homestand, the Jets are 4-1-1 in the first six games with a huge match-up versus the Edmonton McDavids on Tuesday night.  

2. Jets:  Every once in a while you get “goalied” and there is nothing you can do about it.  The Jets got “goalied” by Jordan Binnington last Tuesday and outside of a weak opening goal that Connor Hellebuyck whiffed on the Jets played extremely well and I have no complaints about their effort.  They definitely deserved a better fate.    

3. Jets:  Hockey is a game of mistakes.  There is no such thing as a perfect game without mistakes and the Winnipeg Jets still make their share but I believe they have greatly reduced their errors and it has shown so far this season and it should continue to get better.    

4.  NHL:  After watching Jordan Binnington’s effort against us last Tuesday I am now convinced he has to be the front-runner for Team Canada’s #1 goalie for the upcoming Olympics.  He was a little lucky but he was a lot very good.  (see #2) 

5. NHL:  The NHL might need to rethink their Covid protocols because it seems to be getting out of control.  It is getting serious enough that it may affect Olympic participation.  With only 50-60% of Americans vaccinated, it looks like Covid will be around for a while.  My body, my choice though, right?     

6. NHL:  Regulars that visit her know my stance on NHL officiating.  The officiating really irritated me for the games that involved the NYI, St. Louis Blues, and the LA Kings recently.  It pisses me off when plodding teams are allowed to come into our building and get away with their style of play.  The Winnipeg Jets are a fast, skilled, skating team that had to endure countless interference, clutching, and grabbing infractions going uncalled in those two games.  There would be a hockey summit if this went on in Edmonton with the GOLDEN CHILD.  Actually, I think there was in the off-season.  I’m sick of the double standards and inconsistencies in this league.  Ask Nik Ehers what he thought of the officiating after getting kneed by Brendan Lemieux with no call on Saturday night.       

7. Jets:  Why do NHL coaches worry about having a defenceman on the ice in 3 on 3 overtime?  Overtime is not about playing defence, it is about puck possession and speed.  You should put your best players on the ice regardless of position.     

8. Jets:  Kyle Connor is off to the best start of his NHL career.  He is 6th in scoring with 11 goals and 8 assists for 19 points in 14 games.  KC has never had this kind of success playing without Mark Scheifele.  In the past any time KC was moved off the Scheifele line he went ice cold.  KC used to be linemate dependant but now he is becoming a line driver.    

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9. Jets:  Going into camp most Winnipeg Jets fans think this is the biggest talking point.  The concern seems to be waning in light of Eric Comrie’s play so far this season although I still need to see more and against some tougher competition BUT so far, so good.

Will Eric Comrie last the seaon as Jets back-up goalie?

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10. Jets:  Kristian Vesalainen is slowly and I mean slowly starting to show a little bit of his offensive skill that made him a late 1st round draft pick.  I have all the patience for him in the world because he looks to have some offensive upside.  Patience grasshopper.  

11. Jets:  When Paul Maurice gets the itch to put Kyle Connor back with 55 and 26 and you know it is just a matter of time I hope that he considers giving Nikolaj Ehlers a shot playing there first.  I would love to see how many goals Ehlers would score playing with an elite center. 

After I wrote this earlier in the week PoMo actually played Ehlers with Scheif and Wheeler.  I’m not sure how long it will last but it made for a nice OT winner versus LA on Saturday night.      

12. Ice:  The Winnipeg ICE went 3-0 last week improving their overall record to 17-1.  The ICE are still in first spot in the CHL’s weekly rankings. (updated Wednesdays)  Notice that 4 of the top-5 teams are all from the WHL.  This should make for some interesting competition.  The ICE’s only loss so far was to the #5 ranked Oil Kings in Edmonton.   

Kia CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 6

2. London Knights
3. Kamloops Blazers
4. Everett Silvertips
5. Edmonton Oil Kings
6. Sherbrooke Phoenix
7. Quebec Remparts
8. Shawinigan Cataractes
9. Seattle Thunderbirds
10. Soo Greyhounds

 

UPDATE: ICE sweep WHL weekly awards-

The Western Hockey League announced today that Winnipeg ICE goaltender Gage Alexander has been named WHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending November 14, 2021.

AND

The Western Hockey League announced today that Winnipeg ICE forward Matthew Savoie has been named WHL Player of the Week for the week ending November 14, 2021.

13. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose went 2-1-0-0 last week and finished their 6-game road trip with a modest 3-2-1-0 record and now sit with an overall record of 7-5-1-0.  A couple of Jets top prospects (Ville Heinola and David Gustafsson) lead the team in scoring with 10 points.  Goaltenders Mikhail Berdin and Arvid Holm both have a SV% under .900 which will need to improve if the Moose want to be taken seriously as a contender in the Western Conference.

 

14. Jets:  PROPS to CJOB’s Kelley Moore on coining the phrase “Pionkian Pirouette” after Neal Pionk’s spin-o-rama goal versus the St. Louis Blues this past Tuesday.

 

15. Jets:  My weekly question for Kevin Cheveldayoff and Paul Maurice. 

Why is Ville Heinola still in the AHL?  

16. Jets:  Attendance:  Winnipeg Jets attendance has never been an issue or a talking point but after a year with no fans, with people still a little hesitant on attending games because of covid, and maybe some fan backlash toward TNSE and Kevin Cheveldayoff, the attendance is down and I’m a little concerned.  I’ve gone through the pain of losing an NHL team and once in a lifetime is enough for me.  Yes, we have rich owners but the club still needs to be viable on its own merits.

Vs St. Louis Blues – 14,004

Vs San Jose Sharks – 14,229 

Vs Los Angeles Kings –  13,776  

17. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  The line of Dubois, Svechnikov, and Connor has taken over as the #1 line.  Update: PoMo has switched up Evgeny Svechnikov and Blake Wheeler on this line as of Monday morning’s practice.  Go figure.  
  • Bad:  NHL officiating. (I sound like a broken record)         
  • Ugly:  Connor Hellebuyck’s puck handling.      

18. Jets:  Special Teams: Rule of thumb. Have the two red numbers (PK and PP) total at least 100% when added (as your minimum). 

  • PP:  8th at … 23.70% down from 4th at … 28.10 last week.
  • PK:  30th at … 65.80% up from 32nd … 65.70 last week.
  • FO:  14th at … 50.30% down from … 50.90 last week.

19. Goaltending:

  • Conner Hellebuyck:  5-2-3 … 2.87 GAA … .911 SV% 
  • Eric Comrie:  3-1-0 … 1.98 GAA … .926 SV%

20. CFL:  While resting a few starters, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost 28-14 in a meaningless game to Montreal last week but one thing was abundantly clear, if Zach Collaros ever gets injured this team is in a world of hurt.  Mr. third and one, Sean McGuire may be able to get one yard when he needs to but as a passer he is an absolute train wreck.  I’m not interested in hearing about McGuire’s lack of playing time and the poor weather conditions BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, the bottom line is Sean McGuire was awful.  They don’t call me a curmudgeon for nothing.   

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PS:  Winnipeg Hockey Talk needs someone interested in writing about the Winnipeg Ice.  If you are interested contact me (Mitch) at winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

In memory of my friend Darryl Manchulenko.

If you have any questions, please give me a shout. You can use the comment section or use the #ASKWHTPOD hashtag on Twitter.

If you like our new format, let us know in the comment section or hit me on Twitter at WpgSportsTalk or WpgHockTalk

If you are interested in writing for Winnipeg Sports Talk or if you know somebody interested, please contact us at:

winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

We are looking for writers to cover the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, The Winnipeg ICE, Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg AAA, MJHL, MMJHL, KIJHL, and Winnipeg High School or any sports team in town.

If you have any thoughts on any of these comments or questions, please let me know. We would love to hear your opinions.

Thanks, Mitch

Filed Under: Featured, Random Thoughts Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Nov. 8

November 8, 2021 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in hockey –

Just so there’s no confusion when I’m spewing my bias, I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Ice, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.

I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps. You’ve been warned. 

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets went 2-1-0 last week and improved their overall record to 6-3-2 on the season.  The Jets still have 4 more games left in their season longest 7-game homestand. 

2. Jets:  The Jets’ streak of gaining points in consecutive games reached 8 after beating Chicago 5-1 on Friday night but ended after losing 2-0 to the Islanders on Saturday night.  Not a bad run considering they played like crap in a couple of those games.   

3. Jets:  As each game goes by it looks more and more like Evgeny Svechnikov is getting comfortable in his role with the Jets.  He was a low-risk/high-reward gamble that looks to be turning into the steal of the UFA season.   

4.  NHL:  Now the NHL has hearings for tripping a guy? 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

I watched the replay of Subban’s “tripping” penalty but it wasn’t any worse than Phillip Danault’s TWO slewfoots against two Jets players vs the LA Kings a couple of weeks ago.  One was called tripping and one was let go.  The Subban slewfoot was a penalty but it wasn’t any worse than Danault’s.  The NHL’s inconsistency never fails to disappoint. 

By the way, PK was fined $15,000 for his bad behaviour.  What a joke.

5. NHL:  I thought that Mark Chipman and Kevin Cheveldayoff handled their presser fairly well and for the most part I believed most of it but they put a lot of spin on their narrative and had the benefit of following that brutal Gary Bettman/Bill Daly presser.  It was staged well, scripted well, and it was conveniently scheduled at 4 pm where it could only last one hour.  They left some satisfied, a lot frustrated, and a lot wanting more.     

6. NHL:  Finally the Jack Eichel trade happened and TSN is more relieved than Buffalo Sabres fans.  Now TSN can spend more time talking about Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.   

7. Jets:  Paul Stastny and Andrew Copp aren’t exactly the fastest guys on the ice but somehow it works.  They leave the skating to Nik Ehlers.   

8. Jets:  Winnipeg Jets fans are now seeing the REAL Pierre-Luc Dubois and he is becoming a fan favourite.  He has a contrasting style to most of the Jets skill forwards but he also does it with speed and skill.  He plays very well in the heavy areas and seems to have found some nice chemistry with Kyle Connor.  Jets fans will never forget Patrik Laine but at least now they see why the Jets made that trade. 

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9. Jets:  Going into camp most Winnipeg Jets fans think this is the biggest talking point.

Will Eric Comrie last the seaon as Jets back-up goalie?

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This thought was written after the Dallas Stars game on Tuesday.

Eric Comrie got his second win of the season against a goal-scoring challenged Dallas team.  He basically did just enough for his team to get the win.  He wasn’t bad but he certainly wasn’t great. (.889 SV%)  Every win the Jets can get with him starting is a bonus but for me, the jury is still out. 

This thought was written after the Chicago Blackhawks game on Friday. 

Eric Comrie got his third win of the season against Chicago in a game where he wasn’t tested a lot but came up big a few times when he had to. 

This thought was written after the New York Islanders game on Saturday.

Eric Comrie was forced to start in back-to-back games on Saturday versus the Islanders with Connor Hellebuyck not available and he was very solid in a 2-0 loss.  Comrie played well enough to keep his team in the game but unfortunately got no support on the scoreboard.  Comrie didn’t lead his team to a win but I thought it was his best effort of the week.  I think he is starting to win the trust of his doubters, myself included with his early-season play. 

10. Jets:  Back to the 11 and 7 talk again.  Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler are both healthy and playing but Paul Maurice still stuck with 11 and 7.  I hate to admit this but I’m starting to dig the 11 and 7.  I like that we are getting to see the Jets’ top players a little more as they rotate them in with the fourth-line guys.          

11. Jets:  When Paul Maurice gets the itch to put Kyle Connor back with 55 and 26 and you know it is just a matter of time I hope that he considers giving Nikolaj Ehlers a shot playing there first.  I would love to see how many goals Ehlers would score playing with an elite center.     

12. Ice:  The Winnipeg ICE won both of their games last week improving their record to 14-1.  The ICE have now moved into the first spot in the CHL’s weekly rankings. (updated Wednesdays)      

Image

13. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose went 1-1-1 last week in the first 3 games of their 6-game road trip and now have a record of 5-4-1-0.  They have 3 more games on this road trip before returning home for 5 straight in Winnipeg. 

David Gustafsson is the leading scorer with 8 points in 1o games.  Ville Heinola and Johnathan Kovacevic are right behind with 7 and 6 points respectively.  Top prospect Cole Perfetti has 5 points in 7 games.  

I know a lot of Winnipeg Jets fans are waiting for the 2019 1st rounder, Ville Heinola to get his chance with the big club and with injuries in a long NHL season, he will definitely see some action BUT don’t be surprised if 2017 3rd rounder, Johnathan Kovacevic challenges Heinola for a shot at the big club.  Ville Heinola is no longer the default first call-up.

As of this writing, the Moose are in sixth place in the AHL’s Western Conference.

14. Jets:  The 2 goals by Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele in the shootout Tuesday vs Dallas were things of beauty but it still doesn’t change my mind about shootouts.  They are horseshit garbage.  I say keep playing 3 on 3 until there is a winner.  It should not take long and the lame-ass excuses about time constraints are just that …. LAME.  If time is an issue then scrap the anthems.  Funny there’s no time constraints when they have 15-20 minute pre-game ceremonies.  SCRAP THE SHOOTOUTS.      

15. Jets:  My weekly question for Kevin Cheveldayoff and Paul Maurice. 

Why is David Gustafsson still in the AHL?

I’m going to keep asking until they call him up.   

16. Jets:  Attendance:  Winnipeg Jets attendance has never been an issue or a talking point but after a year with no fans, with people still a little hesitant of covid, and maybe some fan backlash toward TNSE/Kevin Cheveldayoff and his role in the Chicago Blackhawks/Kyle Beach scandal the attendance is down and I’m a little concerned.  I’ve gone through the pain of losing an NHL team and once in a lifetime is enough for me.  Yes, we have rich owners but the club still needs to be viable on its own merits.

Vs Dallas Stars – 13,174

Vs Chicago Blackhawks – 13,756 

Vs New York Islanders –  13,424  

17. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  Jets PP is is starting to have different looks and not being so predictable.   
  • Bad:  Jets PK is still too passive.         
  • Ugly:  To be honest nothing really ugly this week.     

18. Jets:  Special Teams: Rule of thumb. Have the two red numbers (PK and PP) total at least 100% when added (as your minimum). 

  • PP:  4th at … 28.10% up from 10th at … 25.00 last week.
  • PK:  Last at … 65.70% up from … 63.60 last week.
  • FO:  13th at … 50.90% up from … 50.00 last week.

19. Goaltending:

  • Conner Hellebuyck:  3-2-2 … 3.42 GAA … .899 SV% 
  • Eric Comrie:  3-1-0 … 1.98 GAA … .926 SV%

20. CFL:  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers improved their record to 11-1 by sweeping their seven-game home schedule with a 31-21 victory over Montreal on Saturday night.   They also responded to some early week trash talking by a few Alouettes players that said the Bombers haven’t played anybody tough and they (Als) are better.  Pretty tough talk from a team that has Ottawa on their schedule THREE times. 

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PS:  Winnipeg Hockey Talk needs someone interested in writing about the Winnipeg Ice.  If you are interested contact me (Mitch) at winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

In memory of my friend Darryl Manchulenko.

If you have any questions, please give me a shout. You can use the comment section or use the #ASKWHTPOD hashtag on Twitter.

If you like our new format, let us know in the comment section or hit me on Twitter at WpgSportsTalk or WpgHockTalk

If you are interested in writing for Winnipeg Sports Talk or if you know somebody interested, please contact us at:

winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

We are looking for writers to cover the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, The Winnipeg ICE, Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg AAA, MJHL, MMJHL, KIJHL, and Winnipeg High School or any sports team in town.

If you have any thoughts on any of these comments or questions, please let me know. We would love to hear your opinions.

Thanks, Mitch

Filed Under: Featured, Random Thoughts Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Nov. 1

November 1, 2021 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in hockey –

Just so there’s no confusion when I’m spewing my bias, I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Ice, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.

I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps. You’ve been warned. 

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets went 2-0-1 again last week to improve their overall record to 4-2-2 on the season but it wasn’t pretty.  Right now this team is a train wreck in their own zone and the turnovers are piling up like snowbanks in a Winnipeg winter.  On the bright side, the team has points in 6 consecutive games (4-0-2) after losing their first 2 games of the season.    

2. Jets:  John Gibson 1 Connor Hellebuyck 2 …. Helle broke serve and won round #3 of the fight for Team USA’s goal crease in the upcoming Olympics.  It will be an interesting competition for the #1 job but I think Helle is starting to round into form and should win that job but it could be close.  Gibson is a quality goaltender.

3. Jets:  Are fans’ expectations of their team mostly based on an inflated value or evaluation of their team’s players?  I think it is.  Most fan bases including Winnipeg’s think their players are better than they are and I think that is because most fans don’t spend a lot of time watching a lot of other teams play.  Right now I think we could be guilty of this.  The Jets haven’t actually played any of the better teams and although they are 4-2-2 they haven’t looked very good in my opinion.     

4.  NHL:  Watching the Kyle Beach interview was heartbreaking and there is no doubt he was failed by multiple people but for me, the biggest fail was from the NHLPA.  As a “black ace” I’m not sure what his official standing was as it pertains to the NHLPA but since he was practicing as a Chicago Black Hawk he should have been protected by the PA.  The NHLPA’s sole objective is to serve and protect its members.  Donald Fehr has a lot of explaining to do.  Kyle Beach did not deserve this, nobody deserves this.  I commend Kyle’s bravery and hope he gets some sort of closure out of this process.

5. NHL:  I would have liked to have heard more from Chevy but he along with Mark Chipman will be addressing the media this afternoon and I hope our beat writers don’t let them off the hook and ask the tough questions we all want answers to. 

UPDATE: 

Mark Chipman/Kevin Cheveldayoff presser is scheduled today (Tues) at 4 pm MB time.

6. NHL:  Gary Bettman’s statement regarding Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.  Image

7. Jets:  Evgeny Svechnikov scored his first goal as Winnipeg Jet on a nice feed from PLD on Tuesday in Anaheim.  Svech and PLD are starting to show some of the chemistry they had in junior with Cape Breton in the QMJHL.  

8. Jets:  Nikolaj “don’t call me Nik” Ehlers has played well all season with little to show for it until Tuesday night in Anaheim when with just over a minute to play in the game he scored 2 goals in 19 seconds to steal a 4-3 win over the Ducks.  Nikolaj is an absolute stud. 

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9. Jets:  Going into camp most Winnipeg Jets fans think this is the biggest talking point.

Will Eric Comrie last the seaon as Jets back-up goalie?

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Eric Comrie finally got his first start of the season in his old stomping grounds in LA in front of family and friends and played very well in a 3-2 win.  Like I mentioned last week he should still be in line for a start on Nov. 5 versus Chicago or Nov.6 versus the Islanders.    

10. Jets:  Once again, don’t ask me because I can’t explain Paul Maurice’s decision to dress 11 forwards and 7 defencemen.  I could buy into the reasoning that with the captain and Scheif out of the lineup (Covid 19 protocol) that 11 and 7 were because of salary cap implications but Blake Wheeler was back on Saturday and Paul Maurice still went with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen.  Hopefully, PoMo comes to his senses when Scheif returns this week.        

11. Jets:  I can’t help but think the Jets’ sloppy play is a result of Paul Maurice dressing 11 forwards and 7 defencemen thus not having any consistent lines and rotating 7 defensemen.  This team needs to settle into regular lines and defence pairings to clean up play in their own end if they want to be considered contenders.  Contenders don’t get outplayed and lose to a team with FIVE AHL call-ups.      

12. Ice:  The Winnipeg ICE had their eleven-game winning streak snapped in Edmonton last week but still had a very successful 4-1 road trip.  Their 12-1 record is currently the best in the WHL and they are currently ranked #2 in the CHL.      

UPDATE:

Winnipeg ICE goaltender Daniel Hauser was named the Western Hockey League’s “Goaltender of the Week”.  Congrats Daniel!

13. Moose:  The Manitoba Moose are off to a decent start this season with a 4-3-0-0 record and now head out on a tough six-game road trip.  I’m not sure where they finish in the Western Conference since we haven’t seen most of these teams for quite some time.

14. Jets:  It hasn’t bared any fruit yet but Kristian Vesakainen’s confidence and play look better and I think/hope it’s just a matter of time before we see some results.  

15. Jets:  Why is David Gustafsson in the AHL?   

16. Jets:  The way the Winnipeg Jets are playing in their own end may Paul Maurice should consider dressing 9 forwards and 9 defencemen.  (see #10)  

17. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  Pierre-Luc Dubois.  
  • Bad:  Outside of Dylan DeMelo not one of the other six defencemen has played up to their expectations.  All have had some good moments but are very inconsistent overall at this time.  This needs to be cleaned up if this team wants to be considered serious contenders.        
  • Ugly:  The overall sloppy play and turnovers.   

18. Jets:  Special Teams: Rule of thumb. Have the two red numbers (PK and PP) total at least 100% when added (as your minimum). 

  • PP:  10th at … 25.00% down from … 26.30 last week.
  • PK:  31st at … 63.30% up from … 54.60 last week.
  • FO:  18th at … 50.00% up from … 48.90 last week.

19. Goaltending:

  • Conner Hellebuyck:  3-2-2 … 3.42 GAA … .899 SV% 
  • Eric Comrie:  1-0-0 … 2.00 GAA … .938 SV%

20. CFL:  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers clinched home-field advantage before their bye-week and now have three meaningless games left and it will be interesting to see how Mike O’Shea manages his roster.  Now it’s all about keeping sharp and staying healthy. 

PS:  Winnipeg Hockey Talk needs someone interested in writing about the Winnipeg Ice.  If you are interested contact me (Mitch) at winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

In memory of my friend Darryl Manchulenko.

If you have any questions, please give me a shout. You can use the comment section or use the #ASKWHTPOD hashtag on Twitter.

If you like our new format, let us know in the comment section or hit me on Twitter at WpgSportsTalk or WpgHockTalk

If you are interested in writing for Winnipeg Sports Talk or if you know somebody interested, please contact us at:

winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

We are looking for writers to cover the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, The Winnipeg ICE, Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg AAA, MJHL, MMJHL, KIJHL, and Winnipeg High School or any sports team in town.

If you have any thoughts on any of these comments or questions, please let me know. We would love to hear your opinions.

Thanks, Mitch

Filed Under: Featured, Random Thoughts Tagged With: , , , , ,

Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Oct. 25

October 25, 2021 by

Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in hockey –

Just so there’s no confusion when I’m spewing my bias, I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Ice, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.

I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps. You’ve been warned. 

UPDATE:

Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman has resigned after the findings from the sexual assault scandal were released.  The investigation into the allegations began in August led by former federal prosecutor Reid Schar.

Kevin Cheveldayoff previosly stated he had no knowledge of any allegations involving Mr. Aldrich until he was asked if he was aware of anything just prior to the conclusion of his employment with the Chicago Blackhawks.

This story is far from over and could reach as far as Florida (Panthers) and Winnipeg (Jets).  There will be more news coming soon but things don’t look good for Panthers coach Joel Quennevile and maybe even Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets went 2-0-1 last week getting back to .500 and eased a bit of the angst around town.  The Jets did play a lot better in stretches but are very far from a finished product.  They now head back to California for three more games before returning home for a seven-game homestand.  Their record currently sits at 2-2-1. 

Update:

The National Hockey League announced earlier today that Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor has been named the NHL’s First Star of the Week for the week ending October 24, 2021.  Congrats KC.

2. Jets:  John Gibson 1 Connor Hellebuyck 1 …. Helle easily won round #2 of the fight for Team USA’s goal crease in the upcoming Olympics.    

3. Jets:  Sometimes Paul Maurice makes it just too easy.  Replacing Blake Wheeler (out with covid) on the first unit powerplay with Riley Nash is his latest head-scratcher.  Just because he is right-handed?    

4. Jets:  The sky is falling, the sky is falling!  Yup, Cole Perfetti was assigned to the Manitoba Moose.    

5. NHL:  They couldn’t get Evander Kane on gambling allegations, they couldn’t get him on spousal abuse allegations but the NHL nailed him for something stupid like him using a fake covid vaccine card.  C’mon Evander, really?  He has been suspended for 21 games and is probably done in the NHL.  The Sharks players have publicly said they don’t want him back and I don’t think teams are lining up to give him 3rd, 4th chance.  Good luck in the KHL Comrade Kane.   

6. Jets:  Pierre-Luc Dubois has scored in four straight games and finally looks to be comfortable as a Winnipeg Jet.  PLD has a nice mix of skill, speed, and strength in his game and it’s been on display so far this season. 

7. Jets:  Kristian Vesalainen scored his first NHL goal on Saturday night and his line (with Adam Lowry and Jansen Harkins) were dangerous all night.  This was definitely their strongest game of the season.  Hopefully, there’s more to come and now that Ves has scored his first goal maybe he can relax and start sniping.

8. Jets:  Regular readers here know I’m not an Andrew Copp is a “top-6” guy and he didn’t do anything to change my opinion in his first two games of the season playing on a line with PLD and Nikolaj Ehlers BUT I must admit he was very good in Minny playing with Scheif and KC and Thursday night with Paul Stastny and Nik Ehlers.  Copp isn’t the most skilled forward on the team but he balances that out by being responsible defensively.  No, I haven’t been abducted by aliens, it’s still me.   

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9. Jets:  Going into camp most Winnipeg Jets fans think this is the biggest talking point.

Will Eric Comrie last the seaon as Jets back-up goalie?

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Looking at the Jets schedule it looks like Eric Comrie’s first start should be Nov. 5 versus Chicago or Nov.6 versus the Islanders.    

10. Jets:  The Jets passive penalty kill drives me crazy.  There are times when they are two feet away from a player that can be challenged and they collapse into a passive position.  This team relies way toooooooo much on Connor Hellebuyck on their PK and even when Helle is at his best the Jets PK falls into the middle of the pack statistically in the NHL.  The last few seasons the problem hasn’t been the personnel, it’s been the system.       

11. Jets:  I don’t get all the angst because Cole Perfetti was assigned to the Manitoba Moose.  I’d rather see him play big minutes as a center and learn that position in the AHL rather than playing lesser minutes in the NHL as a winger.  To be honest I think he could play in the Jets’ top 9 forward groups but I get why he was sent down.  (see #4)     

12. NHL:  The Vegas Golden Bettmans need to turf those gold helmets, they are beyond FUGLY.  They wore them again last week and I haven’t heard one positive review from anybody.  Surprise, surprise.

13. NHL:  To Gary Bettman:  Put the player’s benches on opposite sides of the ice like they used to be and were meant to be.  The excuse that the home team has an advantage because the penalty box is closer to the home team’s bench is beyond lame.  Even if it is a slight advantage, who cares, it is part of being the home team and last time I checked ALL 32 NHL teams play 41 home games.  Sounds even to me.  

14. Jets:  Unpopular take but I don’t think Josh Morrissey has had the great start everybody thinks he has.  He is off to a better start offensively with two goals already but he has only been average at best in his own end.  Yes, he is breaking in a new partner but he is struggling mightily in front of Connor Hellebuyck in the physical game.  A lot of the goals have beaten Helle because Josh can’t move guys in front or tie up their sticks.  Helle can’t stop what he can’t see.  Neal Pionk has been equally bad.  It really showed versus Minny where the Wild owned the front of Helle’s crease.     

15. Jets:  The line of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Kyle Connor and Evgeny Svechnikov have looked very good in their two games together and myself along with other fans in Jetsville are now wondering if they continue to play well together what Paul Maurice does when Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele return to the lineup?      

16. Jets:  Don’t ask me because I can’t explain Paul Maurice’s decision to dress 11 forwards and 7 defencemen.   

17. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  The improving powerplay.   
  • Bad:  Opposition camping out in front of Helle.     
  • Ugly:  The number of turnovers/giveaways by a veteran defence corp.   

18. Jets:  Special Teams: Rule of thumb. Have the two red numbers (PK and PP) total at least 100% when added (as your minimum). 

  • PP:  11th at … 26.30% up from 31st … 00.00 last week.
  • PK:  30th at … 54.60% up from 27th … 60.00 last week.
  • FO:  20th at … 48.90% up from 26th … 00.00 last week.

19. Goaltending:

  • Conner Hellebuyck:  2-2-1 … 3.80 GAA … .886 SV% 
  • Eric Comrie:  0-0-0 … 0.00 GAA … .000 SV%

20. CFL:  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers improved their record to 10-1 after humiliating the BC Lions 45-0 on Saturday night.  The Bombers have now officially clinched home-field for the Western Final.  This is probably the most dominating defensive effort I have seen from a Winnipeg Blue Bomber team and this team has had some great defences over the years.*

PS:  Winnipeg Hockey Talk needs someone interested in writing about the Winnipeg Ice.  If you are interested contact me (Mitch) at winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

In memory of my friend Darryl Manchulenko.

If you have any questions, please give me a shout. You can use the comment section or use the #ASKWHTPOD hashtag on Twitter.

If you like our new format, let us know in the comment section or hit me on Twitter at WpgSportsTalk or WpgHockTalk

If you are interested in writing for Winnipeg Sports Talk or if you know somebody interested, please contact us at:

winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

We are looking for writers to cover the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, The Winnipeg ICE, Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg AAA, MJHL, MMJHL, KIJHL, and Winnipeg High School or any sports team in town.

If you have any thoughts on any of these comments or questions, please let me know. We would love to hear your opinions.

Thanks, Mitch

Filed Under: Featured, Random Thoughts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Random Thoughts On The Winnipeg Jets: Oct. 18

October 18, 2021 by
Mitch Kasprick is the “Motown Curmudgeon” aka “Motown Mitch”

Odds and Ends, Thoughts and Questions, from this past week in hockey –

Just so there’s no confusion when I’m spewing my bias, I am a fan of the Winnipeg Jets, Arizona Coyotes, Manitoba Moose, Winnipeg Ice, and all Team Canada Hockey teams.

I am NOT a fan of Gary Bettman or as I call him, Count Chocula.  I am a big believer in the 7Ps. You’ve been warned. 

1. Jets:  The Winnipeg Jets lost their season opener 4-1 versus the Anaheim Ducks and lost game two 4-3 to the San Jose Sharks after coming out strong in both games and then wilting as the game went on.  Losing to two Pacific Division lightweights is a bit concerning going into game three against a good Minnesota Wild team.  There is no way to sugarcoat these first two games.       

2. Jets:  John Gibson 1 Connor Hellebuyck 0 …. Gibson easily won round #1 of the fight for Team USA’s goal crease in the upcoming Olympics.    

3. Jets:  As expected Evgeny Svechnikov was inked to a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $750,000.  I love this signing, I really hope he works out.   

4. Jets:  I’m not just saying this because Kyle Connor scored the first goal in the game and won me $5.00 in my season-long “First Goal of the Game” contest with my buddy Ben on Wednesday BUT I thought this was possibly the best 200 ft game I’ve ever seen him play.  KC actually back-checked hard and made a couple of decent defensive plays and a couple of takeaways.  I thought he did the same in game #2 as well.  I guess he’s taken Paul Maurice’s challenge to heart.  I hope this is the start of a new Kyle Connor.

Embed from Getty Images

PS:  Ben kicked my ass last year in our “First Goal” contest but I beat him the year before. 

5. NHL:  I’ve always liked Andrew Ladd and I hope he can resurrect his career with the Arizona Coyotes.  Ladd potted a goal on Saturday versus Buffalo so he is off to a positive start.   

6. Jets:  Why would Paul Maurice and the Winnipeg Jets play Andrew Copp on the second line where he can ride the coattails of Nikolaj Ehlers and Pierre-Luc Dubois and boost his market value with better offensive numbers?  Andrew Copp is not a legitimate top-six winger but we do have a kid like Cole Perfetti that would make sense to groom in a top-six role.  Kowtowing to Andrew Copp is a no-win situation for the Jets and artificially boosting his stats so he gets paid just makes no sense to me.  

7. Jets:  The Jets home opener is Thursday versus Anaheim and it could be a surly bunch in the stands if they come home 0-3.

8. Jets:  I’ve seen enough of Andrew Copp on the second line to see it’s not going to work.  He needs to go back home on the third line with Adam Lowry.  Paul Maurice should consider trying Cole Perfetti or Evgeny Svechnikov with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nikolaj Ehlers.  (see #6)   

9. Jets:  Going into camp most Winnipeg Jets fans think this is the biggest talking point.

Will Eric Comrie last the seaon as Jets back-up goalie?

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10. Jets:  After two losses in Jetsville it has a different feel.  Normally it would be angst but it seems more like frustration.  I know it’s a tired narrative saying “relax it’s early” but it really is early as this Jets team is a work in progress trying to work in new players and a new system.  My patience meter is set to ten games before I overreact.  

11. NHL:  I’ve watched about a dozen games so far this season and I just shake my head at the lack of consistency in officiating from game to game.  It is amazing what is a penalty in one game and what gets let go in another.  No wonder coaches lose their hair. 

12. Jets:  Brendan Dillon has dealt out some punishing hits early on this season and it’s nice to have some physicality on the back-end but he needs to pick his spots.  He went for a big hit in the SJ game and missed his man and it lead directly to a big goal for the Sharks.      

13. NHL:  Too many fans and some television media put too much emphasis on the greatness of players based on goals scored in 3 on 3 overtime or shootouts.  New Jersey Devil’s tv guys were ready to induct Jack Hughes into the hockey hall of fame after his overtime goal last week.  It was a beauty but relax guys it was scored in a skills competition.

14. Jets:  Cole Perfetti really hasn’t looked out of place in his first two NHL games and it would make more sense if he was playing with PLD and Nik Ehlers.  (see #8)

15. Jets:  Just in case you and a buddy/buddies want to have your own “FIRST GOAL” contest here are the rules we use.  You can tweak them any way you want but here is a starting template.

Rules:  The player you select must score the first, second, or third goal of the game.

Top 6 forwards:

PP and even-strength goals:

1st Goal – $5.00  2nd Goal – $3.00  3rd Goal – $1.00

Bottom 6 forwards and all defencemen:
1st Goal – $10.00  2nd Goal – $6.00  3rd Goal – $2.00

Shorthanded goals:

All players:

1st Goal – $10.00  2nd Goal – $6.00  3rd Goal – $2.00

Powerplay goals:

Bottom 6 forwards and all defencemen:
1st Goal – $10.00  2nd Goal – $6.00  3rd Goal – $2.00

Top 6 forwards:

1st Goal – $5.00  2nd Goal – $3.00  3rd Goal – $1.00  (nothing extra)

Alternate picking first each game.

Can’t take the same player in consecutive games.

16. Jets:  Every fanbase has their whipping boy and early on this season it looks like Blake Wheeler is the choice so far in Jetsville.  I’m not there but I will concede that the team might be better off with him on a different line and he could still run the #1 powerplay.  The captain may want to play with Scheif but the coach’s job is to do what’s best for the team and not what’s best for Blake Wheeler. 

17. Jets:  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly this past week.

  • Good:  The mobility of the Jets blueline this year.  Comparing this group to last year’s is like night and day and should lead to better breakouts and a better transition game.  
  • Bad:  Connor Hellebuyck had bad starts in both games and it was just enough to give two weaker teams momentum after being outplayed early in the game 
  • Ugly:  The special teams and especially the PK that gave up four goals in ten attempts.

18. Jets:  Special Teams: Rule of thumb. Have the two red numbers (PK and PP) total at least 100% when added (as your minimum). 

  • PP: 31st at 00.00% 
  • PK: 27th at 60.00%  
  • FO: 26th at 47.10%

19. Goaltending:

  • Conner Hellebuyck:  0-2-0 … 4.10 GAA … .849 SV% 
  • Eric Comrie:  0-0-0 … 0.00 GAA … .000 SV%

20. CFL:  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers improved their record to 9-1 after winning a hard-fought game in Edmonton on Friday night.  The Bombers escaped with a 10 point win in a game where they were not at their best.  Edmonton’s defence came to play and the Elks may have deserved a better fate.  They say that good teams find a way to win games ugly and this was certainly the case on this night.  Next up the Blue Bombers host BC on Saturday night.   

*

PS:  Winnipeg Hockey Talk needs someone interested in writing about the Winnipeg Ice.  If you are interested contact me (Mitch) at winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

In memory of my friend Darryl Manchulenko.

If you have any questions, please give me a shout. You can use the comment section or use the #ASKWHTPOD hashtag on Twitter.

If you like our new format, let us know in the comment section or hit me on Twitter at WpgSportsTalk or WpgHockTalk

If you are interested in writing for Winnipeg Sports Talk or if you know somebody interested, please contact us at:

winnipeghockeytalk@gmail.com

We are looking for writers to cover the Winnipeg Jets, Manitoba Moose, The Winnipeg ICE, Manitoba Bisons, Winnipeg AAA, MJHL, MMJHL, KIJHL, and Winnipeg High School or any sports team in town.

If you have any thoughts on any of these comments or questions, please let me know. We would love to hear your opinions.

Thanks, Mitch

Filed Under: Featured, Random Thoughts Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,