Six thoughts 10/09/11: Jets 1-5 Canadiens
Cam Charron
October 10 2011 11:43AM
A rough loss for the 'Peg early on, with the national media having descended upon Winnipeg and the hockey world, lovers, haters, it was probably tough to find a TV this thanksgiving in a Canadian home not tuned into the Jets first game back in Winnipeg. Montreal jumped out ahead early and won quite decisively 5-1.
SIX THOUGHTS
-I'm always wary of games like this for the home team. Distraction plays a major part when there's an event surrounding the game that's bigger than the game. The press suggested that the Canadiens were in tough because this would be a loud crowd in Winnipeg, but, they've already played this season and can approach this game like any other. It's just another road game in a loud building. For the Jets, you have to deal with questions pre-game from Scott Oake such as "what's it like to finally play in a building that cares?" (I'm, of course, paraphrasing the wooden CBC personality's god-awful question to Evander Kane) and I have to think the players think about that a little too much. Outdoor games tend to favour the road teams (the home team is 2-4), as do home openers (the home team is 9-10 so far this season).
Player types: The offensive forward
Cam Charron
October 02 2011 08:56AM
Earlier, I introduced on The Nations Network a new way of looking at a player's plus/minus rating, specifically to do with on-ice shot differential, in an effort to learn more about teams and players.
Six thoughts: Jets 3-1 Hurricanes
Cam Charron
September 29 2011 02:58PM
The Winnipeg Jets made their primetime national TV debut last night as they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 with generally an NHL roster against a pretty marginal one for the Canes. This was the first time I've been able to watch this team over anything more than a scoresheet and boxscore, and was quite impressed with their overall team speed.
Player types: The defensive liability
Cam Charron
September 25 2011 10:56AM
Earlier, I introduced on The Nations Network a new way of looking at a player's plus/minus rating, specifically to do with on-ice shot differential, in an effort to learn more about teams and players.
This month, somewhat regularly, I will break down types of players and teams in an effort to localize player talents and figure out exactly what certain teams need. There's definitely more to a hockey player than simply being "good" or "bad" and by how much, so today I will profile the defensive forward.
(Previous: The two-way forward, the defensive forward, the offensive liability and the no-way forward)
We move today into the higher event category for players. Remember, high-event players are the ones who drive and allow a lot of shots at both ends when they're on the ice. In short, some of the most exciting players in hockey fit into these next two categories. The first we'll deal with is the Defensive Liability.
Big Dustin Byfuglien, the offensive defenseman
Cam Charron
September 21 2011 12:12PM
Last night, Mark Scheifele took over the game story in Winnipeg's first NHL game on home ice in more than 15 years. The team's first overall pick from the draft had two goals and two assists in his debut in front of a roaring crowd in Winnipeg.
