Captain is leading by darn fine example

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/03/2015 (3866 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The pressure isn’t getting to the Winnipeg Jets. That’s likely because Andrew Ladd is so clearly thriving under it.

The captain can smell the playoffs. He knows the satisfaction of playing hockey at the most important time of the year and he’s a man with little interest in being denied.

Ladd hasn’t played in the post-season since winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. Last spring, when the Jets missed the playoffs he wondered aloud if his chances at another championship weren’t “slipping away.” Saturday, he flatly stated, “I’m 29, so I could care less about the draft-and-develop model. I want to win right now.”

Words, one might say. But not if they’ve seen Ladd play lately. The man is all about action these days. He’s unburdened and instinctual. He’s hitting and scoring.

Ladd is leading from the front and forcing others to push from behind. If you’re not part of the plan, Ladd wants you out of the way.

The Jets looked heavy and tired and bereft of spirit last week in losses to the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The weight of the moment had settled upon them and they didn’t respond as a group ready for the challenge. Then Ladd found his legs and his joy and his drive and grabbed his teammates and yanked them into his reality.

A win over Dallas, a shootout loss to the Blues and Sunday’s slam-the-door-in-the-visitor’s face 5-2 win over the L.A. Kings has let the rest of the NHL know keeping Winnipeg out of the playoffs isn’t going to be easy.

The Jets aren’t taking a dive. No rumour of an uppercut is going to put them on the floor. They’ll need to be bludgeoned out of this race.

With 18 games to go and 76 points, the prospect of the playoffs is growing. Winnipeg sits fifth in the Western Conference and owns the top wild-card berth.

They swooned recently, but then corrected, and it was Ladd with his hands on the controls, pulling back. Hard. He wasn’t interested in a nosedive and he made sure it didn’t take place.

These are the most important games played in Winnipeg since the Jets returned and Ladd has been his team’s most impactful player. Now, when it matters most, Ladd is bringing his best.

“They’ve got some really nice pieces there, boy. Andrew Ladd is really driving the bus right now. Really pushing hard,” said St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock the other day, after Ladd had 10 hits against his team. “He was runnin’ over everybody.”

Jets coach Paul Maurice, who called Ladd’s play the last few games “spectacular,” was asked about the winger’s impact on the rest of the team.

“When he’s going, usually everyone else is going,” Maurice said.

Ladd has 202 points in the four seasons since the Jets returned to Winnipeg, second only to Blake Wheeler’s 220 over that time. Ladd also leads the Jets with 17 game-winning goals in that time.

Sure, he wears the C, but he leads with his play more than anything else. He’s the Jets thermometer and as his mercury rises, so does that of his team’s.

Ladd has money and two Stanley Cup rings, but remains driven. He’s a pro in his approach and works hard on a daily basis. Right now, it’s easy to see where that comes from. He wants to play in the post-season. He wants to win a series. And then another and another.

For Andrew Ladd, at this point, there is only one path to satisfaction and it leads to a championship.

This path leads him to the gym in the summer, to the hard areas on the ice in games and, he hopes, back to the playoffs as captain of the Winnipeg Jets.

“These games are fun, but still not what it’s like when you get to the playoffs. That’s another level altogether,” said Ladd, following Sunday’s match.

Up until now it was questionable the Jets could get to the level needed to reach the post-season. They’ve shown this week they can. Ladd showed his teammates and they responded.

The Jets are for real. Just ask Andrew Ladd. First he’ll tell you. Then he’ll show you.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @garylawless