The Montreal Canadiens will not be in the playoffs this year and if you want to cheer for a specific team, you need to adopt a new one. As a native Winnipegger currently living in rural Manitoba and the managing editor of the Winnipeg Jets blog Arctic Ice Hockey, I would like to welcome everyone to cheer for the Jets for many reasons.
- Depth: The Winnipeg Jets have excellent depth, especially at centre with the acquisition of Paul Stastny. He solidified an already solid lineup by giving Nikolaj Ehlers and Patrik Laine a centre to play with. It is a joy to watch a team not know what to do with three offensive lines all the time.
- Patrik Laine: He’s in contention for the Rocket Richard, he can score with a snap of his wrist, and he has a really ugly beard. One of the most remarkable players on the Jets this year has been Laine and the season he has had comes after a good part of the start of the season was spent talking about his “struggles.”
- Joe Morrow: We do have a former Hab and he is as loved in Winnipeg as he was in Montreal. He is also only in the lineup until Tobias Enstrom returns after being shut down for the regular season.
- Fast, exciting team: For the first time since coming to Winnipeg the Jets do not have a fighter playing every game and their fourth line is now a legit checking line after the acquisition of Paul Stastny. Due to years of higher picks, the Jets have accumulated many fast, skilled forwards including Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, and Laine. They are a lot of fun to watch and can create something out of nothing.
- Goaltending: The Winnipeg Jets no longer rely on Ondrej Pavelec in net and the results have been amazing. Due to injuries to Steve Mason and Michael Hutchinson, Connor Hellebuyck has spent most of the season without a NHL backup and has turned in a Vezina-worthy performance. He won the Jets many games they should have lost at the start of the year and is the main reason they are where they are in the standings.
- The Vets: The Winnipeg Jets have some veterans who have been on the team since the Atlanta days who have stuck around and patiently helped the young players in the rebuild. Players like Blake Wheeler, Tobias Enstrom, Dustin Byfuglien, and Bryan Little are so important to the success of the team and it is really nice to see them on a good team finally.
- Laine’s Beard: Honestly, it is so bad it is good and you should watch the Jets to see it because it is amazing…and he technically has to shave it for the playoffs.
- Perfect Timezone: Central time is a great timezone for anyone who wants to watch a game. If you live in the East you can put your kids to bed and then watch; if you live in the West you can eat supper and then watch. Perfection.
- White Out: Many teams try to replicate it, but you can’t beat the original and when it comes to the White Out, it was a Winnipeg thing first during the Avco Cup days of the WHA.
- We’re Friendly: Our license plates say “Friendly Manitoba” on them, when it snows we spend too much time helping people get unstuck. However, we make fun of Toronto as we cannot be perfect.
