Lowry impressed with effort in loss to Caps

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/12/2021 (1359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dave Lowry wanted to coach with Paul Maurice, not instead of Paul Maurice.

The Winnipeg Jets new interim head coach said Saturday he’s had very little time to reflect on the series of events that led to his promotion.

But he noted it’s difficult to feel good about the way things transpired for the struggling NHL squad and its former bench boss.

“Obviously, you’re disappointed in the events. Like I’ve said before, I came here to work with Paul (Maurice), I didn’t think I would be taking over from Paul,” Lowry said, following his first practice at the helm. “We have a tremendous friendship. It was a difficult day because of that. And obviously the outcome of the game (a 5-2 defeat to Washington). But I’m sure that in a few days, we’ll sit back and kind of reflect once we get through here.”

Lowry was impressed with his team’s response, off and on the ice against a true Stanley Cup contender Friday night at Canada Life Centre.

“I thought they handled the whole situation like true professionals. It came as a surprise to everybody, including the players. I really felt their preparation, they were ready to play a hockey game,” he said.

“I thought we played a very strong game. I know that with two empty-netters, maybe the score isn’t really indicative of how we played. But I really thought that the preparation was outstanding.”

Paul Stastny, a 16-year NHL veteran forward who has gone through coaching changes before, said the end of the Maurice era in Winnipeg hit him hard.

“For me, stunned or shock. I would’ve liked for it to be longer, but I’ve only had Paul for two and a half plus years. I know how much of an impact he’s made on my career,” he said. “Not just hockey, but away from hockey, that’s probably where I learned more life lessons and philosophy through him. That’s one of the attributes I really loved about him. As a man, it wasn’t just hockey all the time. He really put life into perspective. I’m going to miss that.

“He gave me a chance to rejuvenate my career, gave me the energy and love of the game again. For him, leaving, it’s a shock for everyone.”

Not once did Maurice exhibit signs he was ready to pack it in, Stastny said.

“No, because I think once he walked in the rink he was good at keeping that away from us. If he felt outside pressure or if there was stuff going on in his life, he never brought it on us,” he said. “That’s another hard thing to do, right? Everyone has different stresses outside of the workplace.

“Sometimes you don’t know and sometimes you have to talk to people and you realize there is a lot more going on. I think it’s also been hard this year, last year, the year before with the bubble, the COVID protocols and constantly changing. It takes a mental grind on you.”

•••

When it comes to disruptions owing to the pandemic, Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck has clearly had it.

The Michigan product is at odds with the NHL’s policies and procedures on COVID-19, and some of the health orders governments at all levels have put in place.

“The whole COVID protocols, I think, are just tough on people. I think it’s doing a lot more harm than good. Everyone I’ve talked to, they’re (in agreement) with that,” Hellebuyck said Saturday. “We need to be informed and then we need to be able to make our own decisions. I think our fans need to be able to come to the games and need a team to cheer around to bring the community back together and bring peoples’ spirits up.

“All of these shutdowns, and I know me, personally, all of these shutdowns are just hard on families, mentally and not being able to live your life the way you want to live, it’s tough on people. When this league is starting to go back to those ways, I just don’t see if they’re really thinking about how it is affecting people.”

The NHL, in partnership with the players’ union, reintroduced stricter COVID-19 protocols Saturday that include daily testing and other steps in a bid to limit a growing outbreak among players and team personnel. Several Canadian provinces, including Manitoba are or will soon limit attendance at large events like NHL games to 50 per cent of capacity.

True North Sports & Entertainment has indicated it will provide more details to ticket holders on Monday or Tuesday

The enhanced NHL protocols went into effect immediately and will last through Jan. 1 with an evaluation of their impact no later than Jan. 7. Several teams, including the Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators, are basically shut down owing to virus cases.

Besides the daily testing for players and coaches, “additional pre-game testing may be implemented, on a case-by-case basis, when a COVID outbreak occurs within a team,” the league said.

Hellebuyck said individuals who’ve heeded the advice of health professionals are still trapped.

“That’s how I feel about that. We all chose to be there, we all got vaccinated, we made the sacrifice to show the people we care about them. That’s why we do what we do, for the fans. We care about giving them something to cheer for, something to watch,” he said. “I don’t want to go too much further into this because it’s too personal, but I think it just needs to be people’s decisions.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell