As the final buzzer sounded at Ball Arena on New Year’s Eve, the Jets fell 5-2 to the Colorado Avalanche, dropping to a 27-11-1 record. This marked the fourth back-to-back loss of the season for the Jets. Eric Comrie now has a 3-6-0 record, and he’s started in all four of those back-to-back losses. Some people believe Comrie is the issue, but realistically, the Jets are failing him.

Now, if we look at Eric Comrie’s numbers, they’re not amazing, but they’re not bad either. Through 9 games played this season, he has recorded a .904 SV% and a 3.05 GAA. Quite honestly, I’d say these are relatively solid numbers, especially since goalies with a SV% above .900 in the NHL are becoming harder to come by. Although they’re not as spectacular as his partner Connor Hellebuyck’s numbers, which no one should expect them to be, Comrie deserves more respect for the way he’s been playing as of late.

Let’s take the previous game against the Anaheim Ducks, for example. Comrie faced 31 shots and stopped 28 of them, recording a .903 SV%. As you can see, these are what we consider ‘average numbers’ for a goalie. But based on how the Jets performed in that matchup, you can easily compare these stats to Connor Hellebuyck’s overall stats. Comrie played that well. All of his saves came on high-danger scoring chances that could’ve put the Ducks up by five goals. Let’s also not forget that the Jets allowed 12 shots in the first period, compared to their pathetic 4 shots on net. The Ducks dominated that period, and the majority of the game. There was only so much Comrie could do before the Ducks broke through, which they did.

In the loss to Colorado, it was a similar situation to the Ducks game. The Jets were outshot in every period, and heavily in the third period, 5-13. Colorado finished with 38 shots, while the Jets had just 22. Now, sure, you could argue that the Jets were tired since this game and the Ducks game were back-to-backs, but there’s no excuse for leaving your goalie out to dry. Recently, this has become a trend when Comrie starts. In his last five games, the Jets have been outshot, often heavily. I don’t know if the Jets have a grudge against their backup goaltender or what, but whenever he plays, it’s a mess on the ice. It’s already hard enough as a backup goalie to play once every 5-6 games, especially with a goalie partner like Hellebuyck, who is expected to play 65 games a season.

It frustrates me to see people on social media (specifically X and Instagram) say things like ‘This is why we start Hellebuyck’ or ‘That’s Eric Comrie for you,’ or whatever other nonsense they’re pondering. Most of these people probably don’t even fully watch the games, or they just have no idea what they’re talking about. Even though this is his third stint with the team and Jets fans’ trust in him is slim, in my opinion, this is the best hockey he’s played in his career. Maybe not statistically, but in terms of his overall play, absolutely. You can see the growth in his game from all of his seasons as a pro.

I’ve seen enough of therid Comrie hate, and it needs to stop. We have a goalie who loves playing for our team and is performing outstandingly on the ice, which shows how much he loves Winnipeg and wants to represent this city. I’m sure the support means the world to him, so why show unnecessary disrespect to a goalie who deserves more respect?