Ladd more concerned about Jets than Olympic glory

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/01/2014 (4326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

His team mired in a three-game losing streak, Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd says he’s got larger problems to worry about right now than whether he’ll be named to the Canadian Olympic team.

“We’ve got bigger things we’re trying to figure out here,” Ladd said Monday morning at MTS Centre, where his teammates assembled but did not practice.

“We’re just focussed on what’s going on here. Losing three straight — that takes up most of my thought process right now… It’s going to happen tomorrow and everybody will find out and we’ll just wait and see.”

The Canadian Olympic men’s hockey team is expected to be named on Tuesday and Ladd is considered a longshot to make the team.

A couple of Ladd’s teammates, however, punched their Olympic tickets today, with the Jets confirming this afternoon that goalie Ondrej Pavelec and forward Michael Frolik are both on the Czech Olympic team named earlier today.

The Finns, meanwhile, are expected to name their Olympic men’s team on Tuesday and Jets forward Olli Jokinen said today he already knows if he’s on the team, but refused to share the news with reporters on Monday.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“I know what’s going to happen, but it’s not my place to say anything before they announce the team,” said Jokinen.

The Jets returned to Winnipeg Sunday evening after a 6-5 loss in Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon capped a winless three-game road trip that also included earlier losses in Boston and Ottawa.

Jets head coach Claude Noel gave his club the morning off today. The team returns to action Tuesday night at home against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Noel said today that he’s trying to stay positive after a road trip in which he felt his club let a couple games slip away.

“It’s another day trying to be balanced — I’ve had enough depression over the last three or four days to sink many humans,” Noel said.

“I’m probably a lot like the players — I think on that road trip we probably could have won two of those games possibly.”