Winnipeg Free Press > Opinion > Columnists

Ed Tait

  • New Blue stadium lives up to the hype; now it's up to you

    We begin today with a confession: Yours truly is a sucker for gimmicks, easily distracted by shiny objects and often influenced by advertising hype. An example: Last winter we bought an ergonomic toilet seat which featured "injection moulded polypropylene construction." Sounds amazing, right?

    View Full Column | 05/17/2013 8:27 AM | 0

  • Windy conditions for Motown

    Full disclosure: The first name yours truly scribbled atop my Hart Trophy ballot before submitting it late last month -- and it was done without a nanosecond of hesitation -- was Jonathan Toews. Full disclosure, part deux: When the National Hockey League announced last Friday its three finalists for the Hart -- awarded to the player "adjudged to be the most valuable to his team" -- and the Chicago Blackhawks' captain wasn't among them, the first reaction from this corner went something like:

    View Full Column | 05/14/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • It's broke - Fix it

    It is traditionally a day all about sifting for silver linings and spitting out answers on positive steps forward and building blocks. It's about looking in the mirror, of coming back stronger next year and blah, de-blah, blah. The Winnipeg Jets are used to this now, having been there, done that last year and in the four springs before in Atlanta. And so, as they gathered Friday for exit meetings and one last required session with the media, there was an all-too-familiar feel to it all for those asking the questions and those answering them.

    View Full Column | 04/27/2013 6:39 AM | 0

  • Weak, flat, Jets no longer on top

    MONTREAL -- They are a beaten, lifeless lot. But, just so we're clear: There is no truth to the rumour that instead of flying home on a charter, the Winnipeg Jets were toe-tagged and wheeled the entire distance on a gurney. Although that may be the best analogy for where this crew is right now.

    View Full Column | 04/5/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Time is running out to prove playoff cred

    NEW YORK -- It was a simple question and Olli Jokinen didn't flinch, not for a second. The Winnipeg Jets were in the process of conducting their own autopsy after Monday night's 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers when Jokinen was asked in a scrum of media if he thought his squad was a playoff club. Good question, especially given the current freefall.

    View Full Column | 04/2/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Seed of doubt

    Maybe it would be easier for Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff if the Stanley Cup was clearly within his club's grasp. Then, just as Ray Shero has done with stockpiling the already-gifted Pittsburgh Penguins with more talent, he could push his chips to the middle of the table and go all in before the NHL trading deadline. And yes, it would also be just as straightforward for the Jets' GM if his team was wallowing in the Eastern Conference basement, giving him the green light to approach the deadline with an obvious rebuild in mind.

    View Full Column | 03/30/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Full speed ahead

    NEW YORK -- Not long after the Winnipeg Jets had put the finishing touches on one of the most-successful road trips in franchise history, the crews at Madison Square Garden began dismantling the joint for another event. The Knicks were home to the Golden State Warriors Wednesday, and today at the MSG Theatre, The Who is playing a benefit concert with Elvis Costello. Yes, it's 24/7 for crews at the "World's Most Famous Arena" in the City That Never Sleeps.

    View Full Column | 02/28/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Two minutes for being so very stupid

    PHILADELPHIA -- Truth be told, the Winnipeg Jets had a legitimate right to bitch about the officiating Saturday afternoon in the City of Brotherly Love. And they likely spent most of their Saturday night stewing about the work of the men in the striped shirts on the bus ride to New Jersey. But here's a bigger question the Jets might want to ponder in the aftermath of their 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers and in advance of today's matinee against the Devils:

    View Full Column | 02/24/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Ugly, scary day ends with nice win on ice

    RALEIGH, N.C. -- It's the image of all that blood -- the giant pool of crimson on the ice, the red all over his teammates' socks, jerseys and hands -- that Ondrej Pavelec will remember most. "I've never seen anything like that," said the Winnipeg Jets goaltender. "It was scary. You never want anybody to be in that situation. He's your teammate and your friend."

    View Full Column | 02/22/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Ex-Sabres boss Ruff won't be unemployed long

    raleigh, N.C. -- One man's completely haphazard collection of NHL notes, random thoughts and half-baked ideas we like to call... 'Just thinking out loud here... '  

    View Full Column | 02/21/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • The iceberg is in sight

    BUFFALO -- It was in the moments after the Winnipeg Jets had fallen again -- this time a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday -- when we came across three fans all decked out in team jerseys as they made their way to the exit. "So," began the first diehard, addressing his compadres, "who do you guys like the most, Jones, MacKinnon or Drouin?"

    View Full Column | 02/19/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Monu-freaking-mental

    It was described as dull, lacklustre, boring and sloppy -- especially by those who follow the Ottawa Senators closely. But for the Winnipeg Jets, the hardly-a-masterpiece 1-0 win in the nation's capital on Saturday might best be called something entirely different, like:

    View Full Column | 02/11/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Victory was no Picasso, but a decent Montoya

    If you ever wondered what elation, satisfaction and relief might look like when mixed together, it was perfectly depicted by the look on Al Montoya's face right around 10 p.m. Sunday night. Check that -- it was the same look being worn by just about every player in Winnipeg Jets colours after a sloppy, all-over-the-place, but highly entertaining 5-4 overtime win over the New York Islanders that was Montoya's first with his new squad.

    View Full Column | 01/28/2013 11:40 AM | 0

  • Winnipeg shows grit, better effort on the road

    WASHINGTON, D.C. -- It's the nature of the sports media biz to make grandiose statements and hyperbolic proclamations. That's what we do. It's the very foundation of this wacky gig.

    View Full Column | 01/23/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Not just happy to be there anymore

    BOSTON -- Deep down, something must have told Ondrej Pavelec he should be kicking and screaming, cursing and spitting mad. The Winnipeg Jets dropped a 2-1 decision to the Boston Bruins in a shootout here Monday afternoon and the party line in the locker-room afterward seemed to be about the point that got away more than the one earned.

    View Full Column | 01/22/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Toss this one into the trash basket

    As debuts go, let's sum up the Winnipeg Jets' 2013 opener this way: The first 10 minutes -- with the joint jumping and the Jets responding -- was spectacular. And, then... well, this crew looked a whole lot like a squad that needed a dress rehearsal or two after nervously throwing up all over themselves and forgetting a pile of lines.

    View Full Column | 01/20/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Path to the NHL playoffs: 10 areas where the Jets must improve

    There is definitely an eye-catching allure to this photo. Down the hall from the Winnipeg Jets' dressing room and on full display just outside the doctor's office is a prominent new addition to the club's hockey-operations department:

    View Full Column | 01/12/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • The best game you can name

    There have been any number of signs which have screamed out the end of the National Hockey League lockout and a return to business as usual over the last couple of days, among them:  

    View Full Column | 01/8/2013 1:00 AM | 0

  • Walters' new gig as Bombers assistant GM means building a team well-stocked with Canadian talent

    Kyle WALTERS has been on the job as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' new assistant GM for less than two weeks. So, understandably, when pressed on issues like the future of Buck Pierce and the rest of the names on the quarterback depth chart, the re-signing of any of the team's 11 free agents or the organizational blueprint heading into free agency in February, the man has few answers to offer up publicly.

    View Full Column | 12/19/2012 11:23 AM | 0

  • 'Everybody's losing money'

    ALMOST three months in the making, hockey owners, players and fans now understand the National Hockey League lockout is a fight with many, many layers. It's about money and altruistic issues like protecting future generations of players. It's about players not wishing to be pushed around by the owners. And vice versa.

    View Full Column | 12/11/2012 1:00 AM | 0

  • Uncomfortably numb: Donald Fehr and Gary Bettman

    There was a point Thursday night -- not long after Don Fehr and his lieutenants ambled up on stage in New York for a second time and Gary Bettman's face took on various shades of red and purple -- when the 2012-13 NHL season appeared to be deader than dead.  

    View Full Column | 12/8/2012 1:00 AM | 0

  • Feeding The Beast

    Deep in the heart of Charleswood -- tucked behind a junior high school and a curling club and taking up a small chunk of Eric Coy Arena -- lives this province's most dominant hockey dynasty. Now, there is some evidence of the Charleswood Hawks' reign here, what with a number of championship banners on display at the north end of the rink.

    View Full Column | 11/30/2012 1:00 AM | 0

  • Jokinen finds silver linings in NHL lockout

    There have been days when the dominant tone coming from Olli Jokinen is raw anger. Other times the big would-be Winnipeg Jet centre has been the picture of pure frustration. He has also, on various occasions, had the few reporters who have gathered to watch the Jets practise at MTS Iceplex in turn laughing, nodding like bobble-head dolls in agreement or exiting one of his scrums just plain appreciative of his perspective.

    View Full Column | 10/11/2012 1:00 AM | 0

  • Jets' hangar is empty, remaining players can't wait for takeoff clearance

    Imagine, if you can, what the Winnipeg Jets clubhouse might look like right now if the owners and players weren't arguing over everything from hockey-related revenue to regulating the number of dudes to a room on road trips. Under normal circumstances the joint would be buzzing, with the curtain scheduled to be lifted on the Jets' 2012-13 regular season next Saturday with the Carolina Hurricanes in town.

    View Full Column | 10/6/2012 1:00 AM | 0

  • Truth, lies & statistics: Trying to make sense of the NHL lockout

    Sports has always been about winners and losers. It's about good guys vs. bad guys; us vs. them. It's why we keep score. It's why fans kill for those few hours when they can escape the doldrums of everyday life, throw on a jersey and do a paint-by-numbers rendering of their favourite team's colours all over their face.

    View Full Column | 10/3/2012 1:00 AM | 0

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