Post by swervinmervin on Aug 8, 2012 21:20:46 GMT -5
The Brookes Brothers Blog
What Kind of Jets are those New Winnipeg Jets?
by Geoff Brookes, August 8, 2012
Welcome to the Brookes Brothers Blog! From time to time, my brother Derek and I will provide our Jets fan perspectives from P5 (Section 307).
With this first edition, we decided to focus squarely on the Jets. Sure, there are some big stories in the NHL right now, but it’s only been a year since we got our Jets back. Even if many of us believed that the NHL could work again in Winnipeg, this event was enormous. It’s unusual for a major league to return to any city, but it’s especially momentous for a city that is not normally associated with the major leagues. This unique reversal of fortune still gives us chills, even in the middle of summer.
So, now that we have our Jets back, what kind of team do we have? (And what kind of jet is that on the new logo, anyway?)
I will avoid the “moneyball” type of hockey analysis for this article. It’s not so much that we don’t believe the numbers – my brother and I are math and science guys, after all. It’s more that I would like to compare the style of this team to the best Jets teams of the past. I want to ask “who” they are. What types of plays will this team make that will bring us to our feet?
There are many good players on this team, and some excellent players. But there are three players who have already achieved the level of creativity and skill to make us jump out of our seats screaming:
Blake Wheeler.
“Wheels” has the speed to make beautiful things happen on the ice. But it’s more than that. There were many times in the second half of the season where Wheeler got that look in his eyes – “the Wheeler glare” – that told every fan that he just wasn’t satisfied with what had happened so far in the game. And when he got that look – when he got that fire going - he threw off sparks like fireworks on Canada day. I am too young to have seen Maurice Richard play, and it is far too early to compare Blake Wheeler to Maurice Richard. But when I saw Wheeler take over the game, as he often did last year, he looked to me what I imagine Richard must have looked like.
Evander Kane
What is it about guys who want to wear the number 9? Put me down as a big supporter of Evander Kane. I think that we have only seen glimpses of what Kane will do in the next 10 years. Possessing great speed, he frequently splits the defense or goes around them. But on some rare occasions last year (I’m thinking of the shoot-out goal against Minnesota), Kane revealed a laser-beam shot that can freeze the best of goaltenders. Kane has already shown defenders that they need to respect his speed. Now he needs to work more with his line-mates to get himself into open ice, to release that rapier strike to the back of the net. Another number 9 scoring 50 goals?
Like Halladay’s perfect game, it’s just a matter of time.
Dustin Byfuglien
OK. You know the disclaimer is coming. Well… forget the disclaimer.
Hockey games are won by scoring goals. There is a beauty to this task, that is akin to a magic trick. Dustin Byfuglien is a big man who deftly performs magic on the ice. Using misdirection, speed, and passes that find line-mates wide open, Dustin makes it look as simple and effortless as turning a page in a book. Folks, you can’t teach that. “Big Buff” has it. And you can say whatever else you want about his game, he will make that kind of play for your team, and produce the goals that you need to win. Buff’s style of play reminds me of Phil Esposito, except that I think Buff is a better natural skater. But they both look like bears on the ice – with incredible talent.
Even magic.
The New Jets
These are the players that will bring the fans to their feet, time and time again. But what kind of a team do we have? Is it like the Jets of the 1970’s? The Hawerchuck era? The Selanne years?
I think that the best comparison might be to the cup-winning Dallas Stars teams, or the championship Islanders. There is a decidedly North American feel and style of play for these Winnipeg Jets, despite their Russian contingent. Even Antropov’s style is more North American than the classic Russian or European hockey style. For every skilled play, there is a determined back check or a crushing hit (oh, hello Zach!).
It’s definitely too early to say for sure. But it sure is fun to dream again!
Swervinmervin
@justgotupndjava
During the day (and after my coffee), my nickname is Geoff Brookes.
What Kind of Jets are those New Winnipeg Jets?
by Geoff Brookes, August 8, 2012
Welcome to the Brookes Brothers Blog! From time to time, my brother Derek and I will provide our Jets fan perspectives from P5 (Section 307).
With this first edition, we decided to focus squarely on the Jets. Sure, there are some big stories in the NHL right now, but it’s only been a year since we got our Jets back. Even if many of us believed that the NHL could work again in Winnipeg, this event was enormous. It’s unusual for a major league to return to any city, but it’s especially momentous for a city that is not normally associated with the major leagues. This unique reversal of fortune still gives us chills, even in the middle of summer.
So, now that we have our Jets back, what kind of team do we have? (And what kind of jet is that on the new logo, anyway?)
I will avoid the “moneyball” type of hockey analysis for this article. It’s not so much that we don’t believe the numbers – my brother and I are math and science guys, after all. It’s more that I would like to compare the style of this team to the best Jets teams of the past. I want to ask “who” they are. What types of plays will this team make that will bring us to our feet?
There are many good players on this team, and some excellent players. But there are three players who have already achieved the level of creativity and skill to make us jump out of our seats screaming:
Blake Wheeler.
“Wheels” has the speed to make beautiful things happen on the ice. But it’s more than that. There were many times in the second half of the season where Wheeler got that look in his eyes – “the Wheeler glare” – that told every fan that he just wasn’t satisfied with what had happened so far in the game. And when he got that look – when he got that fire going - he threw off sparks like fireworks on Canada day. I am too young to have seen Maurice Richard play, and it is far too early to compare Blake Wheeler to Maurice Richard. But when I saw Wheeler take over the game, as he often did last year, he looked to me what I imagine Richard must have looked like.
Evander Kane
What is it about guys who want to wear the number 9? Put me down as a big supporter of Evander Kane. I think that we have only seen glimpses of what Kane will do in the next 10 years. Possessing great speed, he frequently splits the defense or goes around them. But on some rare occasions last year (I’m thinking of the shoot-out goal against Minnesota), Kane revealed a laser-beam shot that can freeze the best of goaltenders. Kane has already shown defenders that they need to respect his speed. Now he needs to work more with his line-mates to get himself into open ice, to release that rapier strike to the back of the net. Another number 9 scoring 50 goals?
Like Halladay’s perfect game, it’s just a matter of time.
Dustin Byfuglien
OK. You know the disclaimer is coming. Well… forget the disclaimer.
Hockey games are won by scoring goals. There is a beauty to this task, that is akin to a magic trick. Dustin Byfuglien is a big man who deftly performs magic on the ice. Using misdirection, speed, and passes that find line-mates wide open, Dustin makes it look as simple and effortless as turning a page in a book. Folks, you can’t teach that. “Big Buff” has it. And you can say whatever else you want about his game, he will make that kind of play for your team, and produce the goals that you need to win. Buff’s style of play reminds me of Phil Esposito, except that I think Buff is a better natural skater. But they both look like bears on the ice – with incredible talent.
Even magic.
The New Jets
These are the players that will bring the fans to their feet, time and time again. But what kind of a team do we have? Is it like the Jets of the 1970’s? The Hawerchuck era? The Selanne years?
I think that the best comparison might be to the cup-winning Dallas Stars teams, or the championship Islanders. There is a decidedly North American feel and style of play for these Winnipeg Jets, despite their Russian contingent. Even Antropov’s style is more North American than the classic Russian or European hockey style. For every skilled play, there is a determined back check or a crushing hit (oh, hello Zach!).
It’s definitely too early to say for sure. But it sure is fun to dream again!
Swervinmervin
@justgotupndjava
During the day (and after my coffee), my nickname is Geoff Brookes.
