Flying under the radar
Hometown fans aside, Jets garner no respect
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/10/2011 (5111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Soak up all the pomp and circumstance while you can, Winnipeg Jets fans.
No doubt Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Montreal Canadiens will surely be remembered as one of the greatest moments in this province’s sporting history. Hey, the prime minister will be here. Ditto Don Cherry and Ron MacLean and Jets legends from the team’s previous life, including Dale Hawerchuk and Thomas Steen.
But after that — if we are to believe venerable outlets like Sports Illustrated and The Hockey News and put any stock into what Vegas bookies predict — the feel-good vibe of the NHL’s return to River City will quickly fade and the new local heroes are in for a long, cold winter.
And by the spring, well, forget about any playoff hockey at the MTS Centre.
“That’s OK, we’ll gladly take the position as the underdog,” began Jets winger Chris Thorburn after Thursday’s practice at MTS IcePlex. “That means the only way to go is up, and that’s what we’re striving for right now.
“I think we’ve got a lot of offensive skill, but we’re like a blue-collar hockey team that’s going to come to play every night. And if somebody wants to take us for granted, well, go right ahead.”
Just for the record, SI has the Jets finishing in the Southeast Division’s dungeon and dead last in the entire Eastern Conference in their NHL preview. The Hockey News is only slightly more optimistic, picking the Jets to finish ahead of only the Florida Panthers in their division, but out of the playoff picture. And Vegas oddsmakers have the Jets wrapping up the 2011-12 season around the 85-point range, as 30-1 long shots to win the Southeast, 35-1 to be crowned Eastern Conference champs and 60-1 to be slurping champagne out of the Stanley Cup come next June.
Fair enough, reasons Blake Wheeler.
“We haven’t really accomplished anything yet — this group hasn’t made the playoffs,” said Wheeler. “So for there to be predictions of us making the playoffs and doing this or that… that’s something we don’t need.
“We’ll fly under the radar and have a quiet confidence in ourselves and in our own group, that’s going to be the best thing for our team.”
Now, we understand all this is a bit of a buzz kill right now, especially given all the euphoria/hysteria leading up to Sunday. But a couple of key factors are undoubtedly in play here while the Jets get seemingly dissed by most media outlets and NHL experts. First, the team didn’t exactly make any roster splashes through the summer, adding solid but hardly flashy pieces like Eric Fehr, Derek Meech and Randy Jones.
And, second, even with all the hype surrounding the return of the NHL to Winnipeg, the Atlanta Thrashers arrived as one of the most-unheralded and unknown outfits in the NHL.
Honestly, until May 31 did anyone other than the nuttiest diehards know that the Thrashers had the 27th-ranked penalty-killing unit last year or that six of Dustin Byfuglien’s 20 goals were game-winners?
That may be common knowledge now here, but outside of our borders this team remains a bit of a mystery.
Understandably, then, it’s hard for some media outlets to respect what they don’t really know. Maybe that changes with the Jets now under a more-powerful microscope. Maybe not.
But at least there is this: with the current roster the third youngest in the NHL — according to NHLnumbers.com only the Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators are younger — the arrow is trending upwards for this organization.
“If teams aren’t going to be ready for what we can bring to the table, then maybe we can sneak up on ’em,” said Wheeler. “That’s not going to go unnoticed for long, but even if you can do that for a little bit it’s going to give you a better chance every night.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm. We’re a young team and we certainly have the city behind us. We’ve got a lot of good jump, young legs. Everyone’s just excited about getting this going. There’s a lot of energy out there.”
ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait
