Paul Maurice is frustrated after Jets’ four-game losing streak

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This article was published 20/10/2014 (3984 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A four-game losing skid has certainly frayed the nerves and tested the patience of Winnipeg Jets coach Paul Maurice.

The Jets coach was clearly still frustrated with his team in the wake of Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames. And when the media repeatedly posed questions on the subjects of accountability, handling adversity and the leadership group’s role in all that, Maurice – as calm and respectful a coach as there is in the NHL – dropped the ‘F’ bomb in his scrum before apologizing.

Here’s Maurice when repeatedly about his team’s mental toughness and accountability:

“It’s not the player’s job to tell YOU about it. I don’t have to open this book up to you and tell you everything that goes on in the room. I can make you cry in the f—ing room. Listen, I understand you have to work with what you’re given and I appreciate that. But the accountability in the room is fine. We deal with our problems direction.

“And I apologize for the profanity.”

The Jets did not skate on Monday in advance of tomorrow’s matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes, but are in full soul-searching mode. A lot of that has been heard before, but Maurice is relatively new to this crew after having taken over last January.

And Monday wouldn’t have been a good day to be around the Jets boss.

“Not happy being 1-4, but there is an opportunity with this group to handle it a certain way,” said Maurice. “And most importantly identify it, talk about it, communicate the concepts of what the adversity you are facing is now and why we’re facing this adversity and what has to happen to change it. I understand you in the media want the answers to those exact questions… that’s what we talked about in the room and that’s all your getting.”

When it was suggested that the Jets don’t have a superstar on their bench that they could count on to alter the outcome of a game or stop adversity from taking roots, Maurice was blunt.

“That’s not where we’re at. That’s not what we need,” he said. “We don’t need one guy to change a game. It’s not like we’re rolling here and we need a guy to light up two or three tonight then say we’re fine. So (Ondrej Pavelec) Pav throws up a 45-save performance in the exact same game and we’re not coming back to the rink saying our game is solid, here we go.

“We don’t need an individual to rise above the rest. We need the whole damn group to do their jobs. And regardless of who they are, it’s a very specific job they need to do.

“And we can’t do the second job until the first guy does his.

“So looking for a saviour will do us no good.”

Ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait

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