Leafs at Jets!

Toronto at Winnipeg, just sayings those words have epic meaning for Winnipeg Jet fans tonight, what a year it's been! Today's NHL Eastern Conference standings show why, the Jets and Maple Leafs are dead even for the final playoff spots plus it's Saturday's Hockey Night in Canada, can't you just hear the classic "Hello Canada and Hockey Fans the USA.....Happy New Year!

Tonight statistics mean dick all, win streaks, loss streaks, plus and minuses go out the window because tonight's game is all about the win and beating Toronto, nothing else matters. So if you are at the game, enjoy the ride, if at home, stock up on beverages and snacks, it's going to be a good one, game time 6pm CST.

Kane Fury!

Evander Kane was possessed in last night's game against the LA Kings last night at the MTS Centre. Kane lead the team in hits, was continually in the play, fought the King's Jack Johnston after JJ ran over Tim Stapleton,  and was the man to score the goal in overtime to give the Jets the 1-0 win. Chris Mason was outstanding in the Jet's goal earning the shutout.

KINGS @ JETS - Game Day!

The Jets are coming off a huge 4-1 win in Denver on Tuesday. The Kings shutout the Blackhawks 2-0 in Chicago last night.

The Kings have a new coach in Darryl Sutter who was hired on Dec. 20, 2011. Sutter's coaching record is 409-320-131. The King's forward  Dustin Penner is a Winkler native as is the Jet's Eric Fehr. Fehr is three years younger than Penner, so expect the stands to be full of Winkler folks cheering on the hometownboys.

The King's Mike Richards is from Kenora, Ontario. Anze Kopitar is the top scoring forward for the Kings with  34 points. The Kings put 38 shots on goal in the Hawks game so expect the Jets goaltender to be busy tonight.

Game time is 7:30pm CST  - GO JETS GO!

A Mile High Win!

It seemed like like an hour before the Jets got their first shot against Avalanche goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere and then in a flash,  Evander Kane and the boys took off! Blake Wheeler made the pass to Kane,  played wide to draw the lone Avalanche defenseman over on a two on one break and watched as Kane snapped his trademark bullet wrist shot into the top left corner over Giguere shoulder to give the Jets the lead and the victory moved the Jets into a playoff spot.

The Jets played sound defensively, waited patiently for the Avalanche to make mistakes, and when a Colorado made a mistake the Jets attacked and scored, building up a 4-0 lead.  Jim Slater made a great effort to score on a Colorado defensive error.

Ondrej Pavelec was solid in goal, Mark Flood did a great job filling in for the injured Dustin Byfuglien, the was the Jets best road game to date, what a game!

JETS GAME DAY: Jets at Avalanche

JETS GAME DAY: Jets at Avalanche: Tonight is the first regular season meeting between the Winnipeg Jets and the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 ...

Jets at Avalanche

Tonight is the first regular season meeting between the Winnipeg Jets and the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 last night in Minneapolis and will fly back to Denver to face the Jets tonight. Colorado is on a five game winning streak and have not lost at home at the Pepsi Centre in Denver in eight games.

Will the Jets take advantage of Colorado playing back to back games and get an early jump on Colorado. Last nights results in the NHL Eastern Conference was good news for the Jets, the teams below the Jets lost, thus the Jets remain in  9 or 10th place, two points out of a playoff spot, and obliviously need this win to stay in the playoff hunt. The Avalanche are one point out of playoff spot in the Western Conference. This is the first road game for the Jets after being at home for the past six games, the Jets road record is at 4-8-4, not good at all.

The Avalanche's Cody McLeod  who is from Binscarth Manitoba, had a 5 minute penalty and a game misconduct in last night's game in Minneapolis,  and may be suspended for this behind hit on Jared Spurgeon. Jets fans were hoping to see our fellow Manitoban  in action, no decision has been announced on McLeod.

VIDEO: Cody Mcleod on Jared Spurgeon

Cody's fans used to gather at the 580 Hotel in Binscarth to watch the games can now see the games at the Jets channel.

Brian Little will not play for the Jets, he is still out with an injured foot from getting hit with a shot from the point on December 17th.
Game Time is 8:00 CST on TSN JETS!

JETS GAME DAY: Claude Noel - NHL Raconteur of the Year!

JETS GAME DAY: Claude Noel - NHL Raconteur of the Year!: Not many hockey fans in Winnipeg know this, but Claude Noel once played against the Jets, the Johnstown Jets that is, in his former days a...

Claude Noel - NHL Raconteur of the Year!

Not many hockey fans in Winnipeg know this, but Claude Noel once played against the Jets, the Johnstown Jets that is, in his former days as a player for the Buffalo Norsemen. It was in the 5th playoff game that the wheels fell off for the Norsemen.

A huge part of the Jets success so far is Claude Noel, Noel is a card, an astute coach and raconteur of the highest caliber. I mean watch this video, Noel should be on Johnny Carson, or maybe Jay Leno, Noel is easily the NHL Raconteur of the Year!

Noel recounts the "Slapshot" game!

There are rumours circulating that Noel might have been part of the Hansen family, there were four Hanson brothers, Claude the oldest, then Jack, Steve and the baby Jeff. The Hanson family were on hard times, the gold mine was closing in  Kirkland Lake, Ontario and the Hanson family were having a hard time feeding four growing boys and thus Claude was taken in by the Noel family and the rest is history, just look at the photo and see the comparison. I've been to Kirkland Lake, all there is are moose, rock, swamp, black flies, and pine trees, hard to feed a big family, so you know times were tough!

Claude Noel is also a honoured member of Hockey Heritage North, so as 2011 closes out, we salute the 2011 Raconteur of the Year - CLAUDE NOEL!

THANK-YOU Mark Chipman and True North Staff

The Jets lost 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the last Jets game before Christmas, of course we wanted to win but with three games in four nights, the boys ran out of gas in the third period, sad about the loss, happy for the chance to cheer our team, the Jets!
Since Mark Chipman announced on May 31, 2011 "that I am excited beyond words to announce our purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers", the folks at TRUE NORTH Sports and Entertainment Limited have worked their butts off to get the Jets off and flying, they have done a magnificent job!

It has been a magical fall and winter in Winnipeg, the Jets have brought a buzz to Winnipeg, it's been so much fun, from the gathering of fans at the Forks, to last nights game, we are grateful for the opportunity to share your passion. THANK-YOU, MERRY CHRISTMAS, and the best to all you in 2012!

GO JETS GO! Thanks for the memories!

Huge Jets Win Against the Habs, Penguins NEXT!

The Winnipeg Jets came through with a huge win last night against the Montreal Canadians giving Ondrej Pavelec his third shoutout of the season with a convincing 4-0 win.  Blake Wheeler was on fire all night and scored two goals.

The Penguins came into town Wednesday and will be well rested for tonights game. The Peguins are without stars Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Jordan Stall, who join four other Peguins on the injury list.

Game time at 7:30pm CST, televised on TNS Jets!



Dion to mediate Montreal Canadiens French Language Uproar

Dion to mediate Montreal Canadiens French Language Uproar, advice to Cunneyworth "You no Quite Me, I Fire!



Jets Stall - Hope to Recover Against the Habs

The Jets home stand is turning into a free fall, after Tuesdays loss to the New York Islanders. The Jets dropped from 9th to the 11th spot in the conference, a win instead would have put them into a playoff spot.  Ondrej Pavelec was sensational, the score could have been 4-1 after the first period if not for Pavelec's great saves, Pavelec was sharp, stopping point blank shots on many one on one scoring opportunities that the Jets offered up to the Islanders.

The mood in the stands was cranky, the fan sensed the Jets lack of hustle. 

Montreal is 8th overall in player salary spending ,Montreal lost 5-1 in Chicago last night,  Montreal has a coaching French language controversy, Winnipeg must exploit these advantages against Montreal and go hard for 60 minutes for the win.

Tonight's game is a huge huge game, any chance of the Jets making the playoff depends on the Jets winning this game, no ifs or buts.

Game time is 7:30pm CST at the MTS Centre, watch on TSN Jets.

Zamboni Safety Check after football cart runs away

Can you imagine this happening to a Zamboni??

Cowboy's Stadium runaway cart

Teemu Selanne - Thank-You

Teemu Selanne, one the classiest hockey players ever!  Nuff said - watch the video.

Teemu Selanne loved by Winnipeg Jets Fans

JETS GAME DAY: Washington Captials verses the Winnipeg Jets

JETS GAME DAY: Washington Captials verses the Winnipeg Jets: The Washing Capitals roll into town. to face the winning Winnipeg Jets. The Jets had a huge 2-1 victory Tuesday night over the league leadin...

Washington Captials verses the Winnipeg Jets

The Washing Capitals roll into town. to face the winning Winnipeg Jets. The Jets had a huge 2-1 victory Tuesday night over the league leading Minnesota Wild. The Jets have won five games in a row at home, and are 9th in the eastern conference and one point out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Jets are 1-1 against the Capitals this season so far.

Zack Bogosian avoids any disciplinary action from the NHL after his hit on Minnesota;s Bouchard.

Bogosain hit on Bouchard

The Capitals will be playing under new head coach Dale Hunter after firing four year coach Bruce Boudreau in late November, under Hunter the Caps have gone 3 and 3. The Capitals were trounced at home 5-1 by the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.




The game is televised on the TSN Jets channel!

Jets Beat Wild

Oh, what a game, so fast so exciting, the Jets hit two posts in the first periods. The refs gave a Dustin Byfuglien a penalty for roughing - weak call, the Jets are skating hard, so are the Wild,  in the first period. Pavelec makes a great save off Heatley on the Minnesota PP, Heatley then hits the post, Minni score on the two man advantage, Jets took two dumb penalites. Jets almost score twice shortanded, close but no cigar the, Zack Bogosian blasts in a goal from the right point.  Pavelec making huge saves in the second period, Jets score but the goal is disallowed bue to goalie interference.


Brian Little scores in the third period, awesome pass by Byfuglin on the PP, Bogosian gets a 5 minute major penalty with a minute left, Minnesota has pulled the goalie, six skaters against 4, Pavelec makes a bunch on totally unbelievable saves, time runs out, JETS WIN, what a game!


Pavelec stops 34 out of 35 shots, 0.971 save percentage, an awesome performance!


Jets Game Day Three Stars: 
1. Andrej Pavelc
2. Brian Little
3. Danny Heatley

Jets snare Antti Miettinen

The Winnipeg Jets claimed Antti Miettinen off NHL waivers after the Tampa Bay Lightening agreed to terms with the free agent forward on a two year contract but Miettinen had to clear waivers first and the Jets based on their current points standing got first dibs on Miettinen.
Mietinen played the last three NHL seasons with the Minnesota Wild on the top line with Mikko Koivu and Andre Brunette. Both Miettinen and Brunette were let go by the WIld and the disappointing 2010-2011season the Wild had. 

Antti Miettinen stats 

Minnesota Wild Verses Winnipeg Jets

The Minnesota Wild head north to take on the Winnipeg Jets tonight. The Jets aim to recover their winning ways after getting the crap beat out of them Saturday in Detroit.

The Jets got Nik Andropov back in the lineup on Saturday and Randy Jones also stayed in the lineup, fans hope that Eric Fehr and Ron Hainsley get off the injured list soon.


The Minnesota Wild are tops in the Western Conference with 43 points, the Jets have 30 points.
The Wild play a tight defensive style, can the Jets avoid costly mistakes that the Wild will pounce on.


Next year the Jets and Wild will be in the same conference, how will the Jets measure to the Wild? 


Game time 7:30pm at the MTS Centre Winnipeg, TV coverage on TSN Jets, radio coverage on 1290TSN radio.

Red Wings Teach Jets Old School Hockey

The Detroit Red Wings gave the Winnipeg Jets a lesson in old school hockey pond hockey by hammering the Jets 7-1 with crisp passing and carry the puck in style!

The lesson was painfully delivered to the Jets before the national hockey nation on Hockey Night in Canada on CBC.

Ondrej Pavelc saw enough rubber go by him to fill a Fountain Tire store.

The weaknesses in the Jets defense were exposed big time when a big time skating team comes at you.

 Next season the Red Wings and the Jets will be in the same conference and will meet five or six times, ouch!  The Jets are a young team, time to learn old time pond hockey!

Teach Your Children Well CS&N

Jets Dominate Canes - Red Wings Next!

The Winnipeg Jets flew off to Detroit last night after dominating the Carolina Hurricanes in a 4-2 home ice victory. The JGD  three stars were:

1st star: # 26 Blake Wheeler

2nd star: #33 Dustin Byfuglien

3rd star: #14 Tim Stapleton

Tonight's Jets - Wings match-up will be the first and only meeting this season between the two teams. Detroit has 35 points in the standings while the Jets have 30. The Jets are one point shy of the 8th and final playoff spot. Randy Jones returned to the Jets lineup Friday night after being on the injury list for 14 games, expect to see Nik Andropov in the Jets lineup tonight.

Expect a fast skating game, JGD predicts 4-3 for the JETS!

Jets verses the Canes

The Jets are six points ahead of the Eastern Conference cellar dwellers Caroline Hurricanes. The Jets need to beat the Canes to keep the drive to a playoff spot going. The Canes look good on Wednesday night beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-3 and giving new head coach Kirk Muller his first win as the Canes head coach.


Despite a goofy logo, the Canes are a good hockey team, expect Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal to go hard for the Canes, Staal being from Thunder Bay Ontario will bring a contingent of fans from the Lakehead to cheer him on.


Expect Kane, Little, and Ladd to go hard for the jets, expect Byfuglien to continue his improved play, expect a solid Jets team effort, Jets are hoping to have Nike Adropov back.

Jets in tough against the Bruins

The Boston Bruins wish to ruin the Jets home stand this Tuesday. Earlier in November the Bruins beat the Jets in Boston on Nov. 26 4-2.  The Jets had jumped out to a early two goal lead but could not hold back the defending Stanley Cup Bruins.


The Jets have won two in a row, Evander Kane #9 for the Jets is playing hot, scoring at a goal a game pace.
The Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight, 3-1 in Pittsburgh, the Bruins look good.


Game time Tuesday at 7:30pm, watch the tv broadcast on TSN Jets.

Does Winnipeg Love Charlie Huddy?

There's a lot not to love about Charlie Huddy from a Winnipeg perspective.

Charlie Huddy was part of that Edmonton Oiler Dynasty with Gretzy, Messier, Kuri, Fuhr, and Coffee that always seem to beat the old Winnipeg Jets.

Charlie has five Stanley Cup rings, old Winnipeg Jets none.

Huddy then tried to beat Dave Babych at the moustache game.

Perhaps Winnipeg Jet fans will forgive and forget the old Charlie Huddy, and take a shine to the Charlie Huddy of the new Winnipeg Jets. Anyone who had to handle twelve defencemen (including two AHL call ups, Marc Flood & Arturs Kulda) on a six man defense rotation deserves some love.

 Anyone who had his top three defencmen injured in the first third of a new NHL city relocation season deserves some love. Anyone who has to work with the roving Dustin (did I get caught up again, do I need to skate back) Byfuglien deserves some love.

Anyone who is undrafted and plays on five Stanely Cup teams and crafts a 16 season NHL career deserves some love.

Were the Winnipeg Jets lucky that the Dallas Stars cut the ties with Charlie Huddy this summer and Winnipeg was able to scoop up a fine defence coach with twelve years of NHL experience.

  Can this be the making of a new Winnipeg love story, I'm getting all verklempt!

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Jets Win 4-2, Winnipeg Free Press asleep at the score board

The Winnipeg Jets beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 a for their second win in a row at home, everyone in Winnipeg were glued to their TV sets watching the game on CBC Hockey Night in Canada except for the Winnipeg Free Press that initially posted the wrong score on their web site.

Listening to the post game on TSN1290

New Jersey Devils vs Winnipeg Jets

The Jets coming off a big win at home against the Coyotes face the Devils Saturday in a CBC Hockey Night in Canada match up.

If you find the CBC Jets broadcast a bit uninspired, tune in the play by play of 1290TSN  Radio

Expect the Winnipeg boo birds to be out in force for Devils Ilya Kovalchuk, who after eight seasons with the Thrashers, he was traded to the Devils in February 2010. As a free agent he signed a 17 year, $102 million contract with the Devils in 2010, but the contract was ruled invalid by the NHL; new terms of 15 years and $100 million were later signed.

In the final year of his contract, Kovalchuk and the Thrashers could not come to an agreement on an extension.  Kovalchuk was traded on February 4, 2010, to the Devils. the New Jersey Atlanta received  Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, and a first round selection in the  2010 draft.

AT GAME DAY!

The True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd. is doing a fantastic job at the Winnipeg NHL games, the crowd is passionate about hockey and friendly in the stands. Sight lines are good and announcing is excellent. The rink (MTS Centre) is cozy!

A lot of fans are getting into role playing, check out theset wo outstanding dudes below!



My game prediction was totally off as the Jets beat the Coyotes 1-0, despite the low score the hockey game was fast and exciting, a complete TEAM effort. Evander Kane is extremely fast, Brian Little is in the groove, Andrej Pavelec unbeatable, and Mark Stuart stood up at the Phoenix Coyotes at the blueline.

At game end, the crwod gave the Winnipeg Jets a thunderous ovation, check out the video.



And yours truly was captured on this Winnipeg Sun newspaper article photo!

Going to Game Day

I scored two Jet tickets against the Coyoes tonight from my favorite sports station 1290TSN Winnipeg 1290TSN Winnipeg  - big thanks to the Jay Richardson and Troy Westwood morning show that offered up the tickets - YIPEEEEEEE!  Post game report to follow!