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Time flies when you’re having fun.
And these last two weeks, dating back to when we last spoke in this space, have been quite a joyride.
Our amazing daughter graduated from high school, with us attending a terrific dinner ceremony and then, a few nights later, her convocation. We’re still grinning, ear to ear.
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Life on the Winnipeg Jets beat has been action-packed as well. Which, quite frankly, is just the way I like it.
Pierre-Luc Dubois was traded. Blake Wheeler was bought out. Connor Hellebuyck came up just short of winning the Vezina Trophy. The 2023-24 NHL schedule came out. The draft was held, with Winnipeg adding five fresh new faces to the prospect pool. Free-agent frenzy began. And now the summer development camp is underway.
Did I miss anything?
Add it all up and I’ve written 20 different stories between June 22 and July 4.
There’s no question that interest in the Jets has been sky-high. We have an internal metrics system at the Free Press which gives us all kinds of fancy stats about how our pieces do when it comes to the online audience.
And pretty much anything about the local hockey club is doing monster numbers these days. For that, I say “Thank You.” Truly. Your continued support means everything.
(I also apologize for a wee bit of a backlog when it comes to responding to emails. I assure you I read each and every one, and I fully intend to respond to all once life starts to settle down here a bit).
Anyways, happy to be back in the newsletter saddle after a one-week hiatus. Let’s get down to business with a bunch of random thoughts roaming through my mind:
*So, today is going to be a blast. I’m proud to be participating in the first-ever Canadian Animal Blood Bank charity golf tournament, which is being held at Wildewood. It’s for a great cause that is near and dear to my canine-loving heart, and the organizers didn’t have to ask me twice if I’d like to participate once they mentioned that dogs are actually part of the event. Participants are welcome to bring their four-legged friends, who will be guided around the course by designated “dog caddies” as they compete in the nine-hole scramble event. How cool is that? If you want to find out more about the important work they are doing, go to their website.
*I’ve now got eight rounds of golf under my belt so far this season, and my goal of playing 20 times is definitely within reach. My latest round occurred earlier this week at Breezy Bend, which is in absolutely pristine condition. I should know, considering I saw pretty much every inch of the course as I sprayed my ball all over the place.
*My favourite story I’ve got to tell recently is that of fifth-round draft pick Thomas Milic. A couple hours after the Jets called his name last Thursday, I tracked him down in British Columbia for a quick one-on-one over the phone. The gold-medal winning goaltender of Canada’s world junior team shared how he was on the ice for a workout when a bunch of kids in the gym above the facility began pounding on the glass and giving him a thumbs-up. Milic, having been passed over by every team the previous two years, quickly realized what was happening, skated to the bench where his phone was sitting, and confirmed the good news. What a special moment for everyone that day. You can read my yarn here.
*The best thing I’ve seen recently is the “Kyle from Chicago” video that some Nashville-based podcasters put together. In case you missed it, they were doing “person on the street” type interviews with people in Music City, given that the NHL draft was in town. And they had no idea the man they’d just stopped happened to be the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, Kyle Davidson. He played it perfectly, simply identifying himself as just a regular guy from the Windy City and hilariously answered their questions, including ranking himself as a 4 when asked on a scale of 1-10 what his knowledge of hockey was. Absolute gold. Several members of the hockey team have now made up “Kyle from Chicago” t-shirts, which should be a hot seller (behind Connor Bedard jerseys, of course).
*I was excited to learn that Book of Mormon is coming to Winnipeg for a quick run Jan. 5-7, with four shows at the Concert Hall. I saw it earlier this year on Broadway in New York while on a Jets trip, and it instantly became my favourite musical I’ve ever seen in the “Not Les Miserables” category. (Les Miz will always and forever be No. 1). Book of Mormon is absolutely hilarious, to the point that my face hurt as I left the theatre that night. Nate Schmidt, Adam Lowry and Brenden Dillon all went and saw it a couple of nights later and also gave it rave reviews when we discussed it. Trust me folks: You won’t be disappointed. (Unless you are easily offended, in which case I’d suggest staying far, far away!).
*I was one of 200 hockey writers across North America asked to vote on the year-end NHL awards this year. And now that the hardware has been handed out, I can officially unveil my ballot in the name of full transparency.
Here are the awards we had a say in, how I voted and what position the players ultimately finished:
HART TROPHY — most valuable player to his team
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton (1st)
2. David Pastrnak, Boston (2nd)
3. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado (5th)
4. Jason Robertson, Dallas (4th)
5. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida (3rd)
NORRIS TROPHY — top defenseman with the greatest all-around ability
1. Erik Karlsson, San Jose (1st)
2. Adam Fox, New York Rangers (2nd)
3. Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg (5th)
4. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo (8th)
5. Cale Makar, Colorado (3rd)
CALDER TROPHY — most proficient in his first year of competition
1. Matty Beniers, Seattle (1st)
2. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton (2nd)
3. Owen Power, Buffalo (3rd)
4. Wyatt Johnston, Dallas (5th)
5. Matias Maccelli, Arizona (4th)
LADY BYNG TROPHY — sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability
1. Jack Hughes, New Jersey (2nd)
2. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles (1st)
3. Aleksander Barkov, Florida (7th)
4. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina (4th)
5. Joe Pavelski, Dallas (5th)
SELKE TROPHY — forward with the most skill in defensive component
1. Patrice Bergeron, Boston (1st)
2. Nico Hischier, New Jersey (2nd)
3. Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles (5th)
4. Jordan Staal, Carolina (4th)
5. Joel Eriksson Ek, Minnesota (9th)
NHL ALL-STAR TEAM — best players at each position
Center
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton (1st)
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado (3rd)
3. Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton (2nd)
Right Wing
1. David Pastrnak, Boston (1st)
2. Matthew Tkachuk, Florida (2nd)
3. Mikko Rantanen, Colorado (3rd)
Left Wing
1. Jason Robertson, Dallas (1st)
2. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton (3rd)
3. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota (4th)
Defense
1. Erik Karlsson, San Jose (1st)
2. Adam Fox, New York Rangers (2nd)
3. Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg (5th)
4. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo (6th)
5. Cale Makar, Colorado (3rd)
6. Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey (7th)
Goaltender
1. Linus Ullmark, Boston (1st)
2. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg (3rd)
3. Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders (2nd)
NHL ALL-ROOKIE TEAM — best rookies at each position
Forward — regardless of position
1. Matty Beniers, Seattle (1st)
2. Wyatt Johnston, Dallas (3rd)
3. Matias Maccelli, Arizona (2nd)
Defense
1. Owen Power, Buffalo (1st)
2. Jake Sanderson, Ottawa (2nd)
Goaltender
1. Stuart Skinner, Edmonton (1st)
How’d I do, folks? Feel free to let me know.
Enjoy the rest of the week, and see you back here next Thursday.
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