The Check In - 03.28.26 - Jets at Avalanche

The Jets begin a four game road trip in Denver against the Avalanche. Sara and Jamie look back at the missed chance for the Jets to move within three of Nashville, plus Mitchell Clinton of CJOB will be the special guest.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 2:40

You're welcome.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Thank you, Summer Swamp.

SPEAKER_06 2:54

Okay. I had we had to start with that because it was adorable. It was obviously the disappointment that the Jets did not pull out the win, but it was jerseys off their backs um after the game. And I just thought that interaction was so cute. And it was so let's start the day that way. Good morning, afternoon, or evening, depending. Where's a Brian Williams watch check when you need it?

unknown 3:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 3:20

Hello to all of our friends in the central time zone at 11:31, Eastern time zone, 12:30. Friends out in Newfoundland.

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Um you got to work with him. That's the best part.

SPEAKER_06 3:30

Yes, it was great. Uh good morning, everyone. I'm Sara Lesky. He's Jimmy Thomas. We have been kicked out of our studio again. Um, so we are coming to you remotely, but looking forward to setting up this game as the Jets close out this home and home series against the Colorado Avalanche for the second time in less than 48 hours. These two teams will do battle tonight as the Jets kick off a four-game road trip um today. So we will see whether or not they can come up with the two points that they missed out on on Thursday.

unknown 4:01

Mr.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Clinton will be joining us here momentarily from his hotel room in Denver. He gave me a long-winded answer a while ago that he might not be in his room on time. It was probably like a 15 second, 15-minute read of the description of what could be happening for him to be late. Well, I saw someone he's in his room.

SPEAKER_06 4:18

I saw someone say that is it just basically, is it just me or is this show earlier than what it usually is? Yes, it is. And there was a thought process behind it originally because Jamie thought to himself, and rightfully so, you know what a great idea would be? I mean, it's a six o'clock game. We can go earlier. It'll be 10:30 in Denver, and we would be able to get Mitchell Clinton right at morning skate.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

So as that's what I was I was describing that whole thing to Mitch, and I was all excited about it.

SPEAKER_06 4:49

And so he said, We'll be able to get the lines. Obviously, there will be some changes because of injury. So we'll we will get live up to the minute real-time information. And then Mitch said to Jamie, okay, but you know it's an early start, right? So there isn't going to be a morning time.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

It's a five o'clock mountain time, which means what? No morning skate.

SPEAKER_06 5:12

No morning skate, which is uh too bad. But Mitchell will join us shortly. So looking forward to that. We will continue to get you set up though for the game, even though there is no morning skate with it. On Thursday, if you joined us when these two teams first met in Winnipeg, you will know that we teased a little bit that idea of the face of the franchise. And so TSN has been doing something not only with hockey, but now with the baseball season kicking off. Who do you view as being the face of the franchise? So we thought we'd throw that, we'd steal that and throw it out to you all in the chat because we love to be able to hear your opinions on it. We love to get the uh conversation going. So we want to know your top three, and we'll give ours in a little bit, your top three face of the franchise, one through three, and it has to be we're gonna limit it to Jets 1.0 or what jets 2.0, should I say? So no Dale Howerchuk, no Tamu. Um bit and I think that we know that for many of us, at least Dale Howerchuk would have been the the number one face of the franchise had we included, but we are just going 2.0. So anybody that has played for the Jets in the last 15 seasons. Yeah. So let's hear from let's hear from all of you. We'd love to know what your opinions are. And throughout this next 30 minutes, we will also update you on what we're seeing.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

Um so yeah, one of the guys, my face of the franchise, Josh Morrissey. It's his birthday today.

SPEAKER_06 6:39

Hey, you like that?

SPEAKER_02 6:41

Yeah, see right there, Shifecom's Morrissey. I like your thinking. I like listen, after Eric Harmer's performance yesterday, I could see why you guys are like choosing him as uh a possible face of the franchise. Lowry Morrissey Shifley, I love it. Um, nothing wrong with that. Bob Shifley Heli. See, there's in five 15 years, I can see why people get attached to certain choices. Um, and when after I released my initial list, and I'm like, oh my gosh, Dustin Buffalo, I still feel Mark Shifley, Connor Hellibuck, and Josh Morrissey, I think we're doing okay, especially with Ship's taking over so many lists. Josh Morrissey taking over many lists, and of course this franchise isn't where it is without Connor Hellibuck, so that's where I am. But none of none of these are wrong.

SPEAKER_06 7:36

No, and we've given no criteria other than it has to be Jets 2.0. So it doesn't, it could just be who you associate most with this organization. It couldn't be who you feel has had the most impact. I mean, you can take this however it's your list. That's your list.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

You get we would never tell you wrong, so that's the best part. I like buff with the muscle of the arm flex beside it. That's good.

SPEAKER_06 8:03

You know what? And that would be uh the same uh that would be the same list that I have as well.

SPEAKER_02 8:09

Uh Trace H 5513, you're right. Comms will take my job when he retires. Um, that's where see I was watching him yesterday. I'm like, this guy's like, he has there's two people in this organization right now that will be perfect in the business that we do. It's gonna be it's uh Adam Lowry and uh Eric Homery.

SPEAKER_06 8:29

100%. So here's but they're they're very different in their styles and what they do.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

Yeah, I feel that the the comms could be intermission, so you would allow highly entertaining, yes. So almost like a coach's corner, but not as controversial.

SPEAKER_06 8:46

Oh, interesting, okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:48

You know what I mean? But uh a light side of enjoyment, like there's too much negativity on television nowadays. So comms would be the perfect guy to take you around the league about cool stuff that's happening because we see this in socials all the time. There's like the capitals are great about posting stuff, we're really good, we're really good about that stuff. Our our social department's fantastic, obviously, as the best social team in the NHL. Those I think comms could take us around the league in a positive way about the cool stuff that's happening around the National Hockey League. But Adam Lowry would be your guy you would break down between periods. But comms needs a segment.

SPEAKER_06 9:24

Oh, I I don't remember if we've ever said on here, Jamie, but you and I have spoken many times about how we think that we, you and I, yes, would really excel at doing a segment called Thought Bubbles, where you see two players interacting from a distance, and you and I would say it's what we think. This is what they're saying right now. Yeah, Eric Homery would be fantastic. Um, would be fantastic at something like that. So we will continue to have this conversation. Uh, love to see all of your answers. Number 44, not his 44th birthday. Yeah, no, definitely, definitely not. Although it'd be very impressive if he was playing at this level and was 44. Uh, let's turn our attention though a little bit to what's going to be going on to the ice and where the jets stand right now. So they left yesterday, they had an optional skate before they flew. It was sparsely attended on the ice. It's the way I describe it. We do know that all injured players, um, say other than I presume Morgan Barron being in concussion protocol is not flying with them. But we do know that Nemesnikov, Nita Ryder, and Colin Miller were all going on this trip, although no timeline, not really expecting any of them, I don't think, to make an appearance on this four-game burn trip, but at least they are traveling with them. Before they left, they made up they made a couple of emergency recalls. Danny Jilkin called up. Um, he's played four games, if you remember. Also, Home Ice, you remember that his NHL debut, he found out about it when he was at the barbershop, was when he got the call, and there was a lot of talk. Uh, so he has been called up, as has Parker Ford, who was up with the Jets earlier in the season as well, played 11 games to start things off. And uh, those two have been called up as an emergency recall because you know one of them is gonna be going in for Morgan Baron, but they had no extra forwards with them. So they were able to make the call. So it'll be interesting to see what Scott O'Neill elects to do with his lines today.

SPEAKER_02 11:25

That is the million-dollar question, and I think if you're gonna ask anybody these types of questions, it's the guy that is embedded in Denver. All right, don't you think, or should we he's here?

SPEAKER_06 11:38

Yeah, I mean, we don't want to keep him waiting. May leave his hotel room.

SPEAKER_02 11:42

All good, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:43

I was enjoying the show.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

Hey, before hey, we're asking everybody their face of the franchise. Sarah stole the idea from TSN.

SPEAKER_06 11:52

Um as one tends to do.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

We're boring stuff. Um so who are your three faces? And Jets 2.0 only, Mitch. Okay, because I was gonna say I think. And nobody you there's no wrong answers. This is your list. We believe in you. You've seen some people.

SPEAKER_03 12:10

I have. Um I was gonna say if it's if it's 2.0 only because I think it's still Dale Howerchuk at this point, but I would say it would be hard not to go see Shifley, just because I mean he's been I mean, first pick, it pretty much makes sense and what he's done since then. Um it would have to be Connor Hellibuck. And then I think you bounce between Morrissey and Lowry just because they've been here through all of it and have been big parts of how this Winnipeg Jets team has been constructed. It's you always hear when you when you talk about organizations building their franchise, they always talk about through the middle and on D and uh between the pipes. So I think your faces of the franchise, just the way it's worked out for Winnipeg, it's some concoction of those four. Could I pick three? I don't know. It would be really rude of me to leave Josh Morrissey off of it on his birthday. Yeah, so I should probably not. You're a thoughtful guy, buddy.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

You're all hard. All heart, man. What did we see on Thursday in that game against the Avalanche? Because it seemed like they were in the the Jets were in a good place for a long time, and they survived the five on three towards the end of the second period, and of course, in typical Jets fashion, they kill off one of the penalties, and as that one's ending, Avalanche scored. But what do you what did you see where Colorado turned that game?

SPEAKER_03 13:43

Yeah, I mean, I saw about 56 minutes of really, really good hockey from the Winnipeg Jets, and you know, Colorado, I think the last two times that Winnipeg's played them, uh, has had that push in the third period. Now, contextually, I think it's a little bit different because Winnipeg was holding a lead last time against Colorado going into the third. So of course they're going to be pushing forward. And then the power play, I think if there's one thing that Winnipeg would love to, I guess, redo, maybe two things. One would be that opening face-off to start the third. I think they really would have loved to have snapped that one back. You get the clear, that penalty ends, and then you're probably in a much better spot to defend the rest of that five-on-four. But it is what it is. You credit Colorado for winning that draw and getting set up as quickly as they did. And then I think it's coming out of that because Winnipeg against Colorado's transition for really the last six periods has been so good. They haven't really generated much outside of a goal in each game. And unfortunately for Winnipeg, it was that one goal that they score off transition, the one turnover that they made in the neutral zone that really came back to haunt them with who else but Arturi Lekinen, who seems to just find ways to get points and against the Winnipeg Jets, as does Nathan McKinnon. Obviously, in this situation, uh they end up with the goal, the challenge doesn't go their way. So um I think for the most part, we've seen Winnipeg play Colorado very well this season, which isn't anything to sneeze at given what kind of record the Colorado Avalanche have. So there's definitely a blueprint in place for how Winnipeg wants to play this game. Obviously, context changes a little bit with Colorado having last change, but you saw from Winnipeg exactly, I think, how they want to play against the Avalanche and how they can have success against the Avalanche. It's a matter of going out and doing it for a full 60 minutes and not having that little three to four minute blip that Colorado jumped on.

SPEAKER_06 15:29

One of the most talked-about elements out of that game isn't necessarily related to structure, but was the fight between Morgan Barron and Josh Manson. And you look very different experiences when it comes to fighting. I think that Josh is somewhere around 44 career fights, Morgan around three. So, and I mean, I thought Morgan was holding his own on it. He obviously wasn't happy with the hit that he took. Yeah, he was holding his own until he just uh I mean, until Josh was able to connect, and then and then it was a different story. He's in concussion protocol now. We had mentioned just before you came in that Parker Ford, Danny Jilkin have been called up. Morgan had been playing so well, I thought. To me, he was one of the standout stories of this season of a player that you could look at that has elevated his play, um, elevated expectations and the different ways that the coaching staff can utilize him. Who in your mind goes in today, if you were a guessing man, between Ford and Jilkin? And what does that do in terms of the lines?

SPEAKER_03 16:27

Yeah, it's a good question. Um, you know, it's it's hard to say because I think it depends what you're looking for, right? And yeah, because both Jilkin and uh Parker Ford have done some penalty killing this year, because I think that's one of the main things that you're missing outside of the fact that Morgan Barron plays center is you're missing that one-two punch with Cole Kepke on the PK. Because I mean, Colorado's given up a boatload of short-handed goals this year. So that could be an area that Winnipeg wants to focus on. So I think the coaches would be going over how each player performed in the penalty-killing role just to get an idea of exactly what they would be getting. Because one of the things that I think Morgan Barron brought to the to the PK that really complimented with Kolkepke, A, of course, faceoffs, but B, the the speed. They can both play at that speed, they read off each other really well. And I remember talking to them about, you know, when you're going up against a team that does give up shorthand and goals, obviously part one, kill the penalty. But do you look at it as maybe an opportunity to maybe turn the game or or or whatnot? And do you clear the puck differently? And they said absolutely. Like you sometimes you're you'll you'll get the puck, and if you have a second, maybe instead of just ripping it down the ice, you're playing it off the wall into the neutral zone, and your other guy is just going and winning a race, which we've seen both Barron and Kepke be able to do. So we will have to see my guess, and it would be a guess because there's no morning skate whatsoever. My my guess would be Jilkin draws in, if only for recency and for the fact he can play with that pace. But again, I wouldn't be surprised if it was if it was Parker Ford either, just because of the fact that Parker Ford is, I believe he's the right-hander. Yes, he's the right hand shot, and that's not a small thing either. Um, for the Winnipeg Jets when it comes to taking the draws and having the ability to work both sides. So it's a tough question. I'm not sure. I know the the coaching staff has been in meetings throughout the day here, so we'll we'll see what ends up coming together. But um, if I had to guess, it's it's Jilkin just based on recency.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

Well, going back to that that fight and and Morgan Baron and then back course to the game before that with Mark Scheifley having a choosing to drop the gloves. Now the whole question comes in against team toughness, and we've heard this a lot over the years. So here's before we get your comment about it, Mitch, let's hear from Adam Laura on the the subject of team toughness.

SPEAKER_05 18:42

I think it's uh a team toughness perspective. I I don't necessarily you know think any additional liberties. Um guys are gonna play our play our star players hard. Um it was Brett Howden. Yeah, that Mark fought it wasn't like it was you know a real season fighter. Um you know, it's just a guy playing hard and you know, he catches one of our best players, and you know, our other best player doesn't like it. So and then you know the the Manson one, I think you know, that's just two big bodies. Um obviously Bear was you know upset with the hit and he was penalized as I think it should have been for interference. Um you know, I think that's another one a guy standing up for himself, doesn't want to give an inch. I think you know losing those guys, yeah, we we lose some of the fighting aspect, but you know, I don't think there's a ton of that in the game anymore. And you know, we're we're comfortable with the guys we have in the room that you know if the game goes that way, there's some of us that know we can step up and handle that business.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

But the thing is, um you should hashtag analysis.

SPEAKER_06 19:57

Before you get going, I want you today to at some point during the broadcast to Paul, he'll give some sort of great comment and you just look at him and go, ditto. It's just because I would love to see we put the GoPro often in the booth. I would love to see Paul's reaction if all you didn't know.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

It reminds me of the major league season where he's not the best color in the league for nothing. Anything to add? No, not the best color guy in the league for nothing, folks. Yeah, um, I think time of year is also important with this, too, right? Like when you get to this time of year, there really isn't that much of the liberties being taken as maybe earlier on in the year. Um it's it's a tough thing because, yeah, like do you want Mark Scheifley fighting? No, not really. Um, do you want Morgan Barron fighting? Not really, like, just because of the value to their team, but you also don't want Adam Lowry doing it either. And it's just kind of it's a tough spot because if nothing happens, then the question becomes, oh, the is the team culture good? And like clearly that isn't an issue with the Winnipeg Jets. So, I mean, I think it's it's purely contextual if only because hey, I mean, how many times have I said context in this interview? This might be a record, but I think like for Morgan Barron's situation, gets hit, doesn't like the hit, gets up, seeing red, like he just kind of does it, right? Like, I think a lot of this is so purely instinctual, and I think it was that way for Mark Scheifley as well with Kyle Connors. He's Kyle Connor get hit, doesn't like the hit, just happens, you know what I mean? It's not necessarily that you know there's a member of the Jet laying on the ice and nobody's doing anything. So I think the team toughness is there. The fact that you know we're into the the later part of the year, you're probably gonna see a lot less of some of the stuff that maybe earlier in the year you're seeing a little bit of extra hacking and whacking. Now that doesn't mean that the competitive and physical nature of the game isn't there, but I don't think you have anybody from the Jets that's necessarily.

SPEAKER_06 22:02

What do you look for from the Jets tonight to be able to have success? I mean, we talked a little bit about some of the elements that they had Thursday, but when you're playing in Denver, I mean, we know every time a team goes and plays in Denver, and there's a reason why this Avalanche team, in addition to being as strong as they are, has the best points percentage at home, is you get that little bit of the advantage because of the elevation. And no players will. I was talking to one guy after or before last game, and I said, What is the difference? Where do you feel it most? And the comment was if you were to go 40 seconds hard at CLC at Canada Life Center at about 23 seconds in Denver, it feels the equivalent. So there's obviously challenges to playing in Denver, but when you think of this game tonight, in order for the Jets to try to close that gap, to try to, you know, maybe take advantage of it, what do they need to do?

SPEAKER_03 22:59

I would also add that you can take that ratio and apply it to climbing stairs at Ball Arena as well. If you can do 20 at Canada Life Center, you can do six at Ball Arena. And then that's when you start to breathe a little bit heavier than you thought. Um for Winnipeg, uh, it's A, it's it's middle of the ice, right? So it's making sure that Colorado can't thread passes through get your seams or whatever it may be. Even if they're ripping around in the offensive zone for Colorado, Winnipeg's defensive zone, if they can't necessarily find a spot where they're able to you know find the play that they're looking for, and you're keeping them to the outside, you're handling sticks, managing deflections, that's something Colorado does very well. I think you're going to be fine in your defensive zone. In the offensive zone, so much of it is based on can Winnipeg beat Colorado's swarm? Because Winnipeg will get that puck deep. But even if you're first on the puck and then you got Colorado right behind you, now all of a sudden Colorado wants to keep it in that corner. They want to keep it pinned. One of the reasons that Dylan Sandberg had that great opportunity was because of the fact Winnipeg was able to get it out of there, work it low to high, east to west, get Colorado moving in between their structure, and you can create an opportunity there. Stay above them. Also, in terms of protecting against transition, that's how Winnipeg scored their second goal with Gabriel Ballardi doing that. So it's little things taking care of the details in in both ends. I know Jared Bedner wasn't thrilled with how Colorado played along the walls in their own zone. So if Winnipeg can exploit that as well, that would be another thing for them to do. But so much of it centers on take care of the middle of the ice, especially in your zone and neutral zone. And then if you're able to turn some of that offensive zone time that you do have against Colorado and get yourself to the middle of the ice, you can create there.

SPEAKER_02 24:45

Man, I appreciate your time. Um enjoy the air, go run 20 stairs. Five stairs.

SPEAKER_06 24:53

And you know that there are gonna be many people from the chat that are listening to you and Paul tonight.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

Waiting for waiting for Ditto. Yeah, hashtag analysis.

SPEAKER_03 25:04

I might maybe I'll uh maybe I'll throw it right in the intro because he always has a really good intro and he throws to me. And yeah, I'd like to start it with that's right, Paul, to get us feeling good and confident. Maybe uh maybe it'll be ditto today, and we'll see.

SPEAKER_06 25:17

That would be amazing. Could you imagine what Paul's face would be and how quickly Paul would go from zero to a hundred in terms of redness in the face of just wanting to reach over and just throttle you, to be honest?

SPEAKER_02 25:37

Because Mitch and I have both well, Mitch currently and I did for three years, sitting in the booth with Paul while he pours over that intro. And I remember going, he would say all these things that are so well written, and I was like, I'd say something I didn't even put any effort into this all because all I'm doing is reacting to what Paul said, and that's where honestly, it his vocabulary is what always gets me.

SPEAKER_03 25:58

Yeah, me too. And then I actually one younger broadcaster that I met uh was asking for advice more on the play-by-play side of things, and yes, Paul was on the phone, so I was trying to give my best advice. And I said, if I've learned anything of the many things I've learned from Paul, it's vocabulary because so many times during a game you can say they dumped the puck in, they dumped the punk it. You know what I mean? Yeah, you can find different ways to say it and make it exciting, which I think Paul does really well. Uh, I think it changes how the broadcast feels. So that's that's my uh complimenting Paul. I hope we clip this for his year and yeah.

SPEAKER_06 26:32

JT will send it to him shortly. Don't you worry about it.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

But I you know what I'm talking about, right, Mitch, because Paul spends so much time on that intro. Oh, yeah, all we do is react to what he's saying. No, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 26:43

Hey, it's how the broadcast starts off. We want to get it off to a good start, and Paul does a great job doing it.

SPEAKER_06 26:47

Yeah, you both do. I mean, whether it be, you know, I always love the boys in the booth segment that happens half an hour beforehand is warm-ups going on with you and Kelly Moore and company, but then the top of the show as well. For runway, I'm always sending through to Kelly for audio from CJOB saying, Can you send me Boys in the Booth and the top of the and the top of the broadcast because it's always top-notch and we expect it again tonight. We look forward to it. As uh as always, you can listen to Mitchell Clinton and Paul Edmonds on CJOB. Thank you very much, my friend.

SPEAKER_03 27:21

Of course, have a great day, everyone. You too.

SPEAKER_06 27:28

Um you mentioned earlier on and continue to see people talk about the faces of the franchise, which is which is great. Uh you mentioned early on Eric Comrie, Adam Lowry being two contenders for going into broadcasting rover. Eric Comrie, as we all know, if you have listened to any of his interviews before, always gives some of the most entertaining um questions or answers, should I say, to questions. And so yesterday he spoke to the media before they flew out. And you were there. How maybe you want to set up this clip because it's in typical Comri fashion, highly entertaining.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

It's it's amazing when he's available and he has these conversations and you talked about stuff, and you're like, what is he gonna come up with today? Well, Daniel Bain from TSN, by the way, was holding a sportsnet microphone yesterday helping out because Sean Reynolds is in Denver for the game tonight.

SPEAKER_06 28:21

Yeah, because we always help out people.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

We do. I took a photo of it by the way, so I might use it for blackmail later. Um, so Daniel Bain asked this great question because we as we were walking right now, I've said for the last month, every time we're walking by the Jets dressing room to go upstairs for the game, the ping pong table table is out, and it's Gustav Nyquist and Eric Carrie. I haven't seen anybody else playing, I've seen Gabe Villardi watching, but this ping pong thing is starting to take over. Um, so here is that question and analysis from Eric Carmrie.

SPEAKER_04 28:54

Any insight into who runs the show on the ping pong table and kind of the hierarchy?

SPEAKER_07 28:58

Oh, ping pong table is not even close. Gustav Nyquist and it's not even close. He beats everyone, like if he wanted to, he beats everyone 11-0. And then he beats like the second best player with his non-dominant hand. So he plays left-handed most of the time and beats us. Like he's as good as a ping pong player as I've ever seen. And I've played against some good ping pong players, he's as good as I've ever seen. Like, he gets to the point where he he embarrasses people. Like he like our second best guy on the team is probably Nino Nino Rider, and he beat him 11-0. And like not even breaking, like, not even trying. Like, I don't I don't think you've ever seen, like, I'm telling you, like, if you watched him play, like he like Taser starts to laugh because he watches him playing and he starts to laugh because he toys with me. He says, I mean, it's probably about to hit, but he says he's having a smoke back there and getting balls back. Like the easiest thing he's ever done in his life. It's it's it's it's actually bad now. I'm actually uh searching up on Chat GBT and uh ping pong lessons. My chat GBT went from golf things to uh ping pong really fast. And I'm like I my whole Instagram algorithm went to ping pong. It's all ping pong lessons now. So I'm trying to learn different surfs and different things, and it's honestly it's making me worse. My my I'm in my head. I'm in my head.

SPEAKER_04 30:05

So is this like just another thing that helps with your mental preparation?

SPEAKER_07 30:09

No, I just like playing ping pong. I I've I've come to the realization that I love competing and doing different things, like playing mini games and golfing and stuff like that, and I just I'm fully people say I'm fully addicted to ping pong now because all I do is play ping pong. First I get to bring a ping ping pong. I'm literally last night I woke up at like 2.30 in the morning and I thought about maybe I can do that against him. Like that's how much I'm thinking about ping pong right now.

SPEAKER_00 30:31

So if the NHL ever uh adopts a uh ping pong tournament as part of the all-star weekend, uh, should we be all putting our money on Gustav Nyquist, or are there other guys around the league that could give him a run?

SPEAKER_07 30:42

No, it's Gustav Nyquist, and it's not even close. So he told me that every team he's played on, he's never actually faced any competition that's come close to him, except for Daniel Efforts. He's the only guy that's ever given. I asked him yesterday, I said, I said, because I was in Detroit, I'm like, I was in Detroit too, and like like how do you how do you do that? Like, how do you like I was in Detroit for a long time and like I play against guys, and I wasn't that much worse than like any of these guys. And he's like, he's like, yeah, I can be honestly in Detroit, I beat everybody like 11-0 as well. And I started playing left hand. I'm like, this is ridiculous. Left hand, like he's playing left-handed and beating me every single time. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_06 31:15

It's hands down, it might be the best questionslash answer that we've heard all season long. His eyes, how expressive he is when he's talking about it. Absolutely love it.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

That's why. So Morgan Barron's um an ex-guest on ground control, and one of the questions I asked him was When you go home in the summertime, who do family and friends ask you about the most? And he said it was Eric Comrie, if he's that way all the time. So it was it all makes sense right there, that how that rolls out. So you're you're right. Comment for the win, comms is the best interview.

SPEAKER_06 31:52

He is absolutely uh so Comri, Connor Hellibuck, they're obviously the present. Our latest home ice, which just came out yesterday as a segue to it, is about the future in net. There we go. Uh, here's a look at the latest home ice, which you can now watch on the Winnipeg Jets YouTube channel. How did you become goaltenders? What was it that how did it start for you?

SPEAKER_04 32:16

Uh for me, it was I was actually uh on the ice as a player, learning to skate and walking out of the rink. I was with my dad walking out of the rink. There was a goalie session going on, and I asked my dad, like, what are those? and he was like, Those are goalies. And my grandfather, and then I went home and asking my grandmother if she can get me goaliequeman. Street hockey here. You wear me like real stuff. And then I didn't take the black ever like I would watch games with my goaliequeman on and read and like what was going on, and then they ended up getting me a pair of real equipment, and from there it's been a history.

SPEAKER_02 33:12

Nice work, Arleski. Good job.

SPEAKER_06 33:15

Uh they're two of the nicest, uh, the nicest guys and self-proclaimed the most normal goaltenders that you will ever come across. But definitely worth a listen if you have the opportunity before today's game or really at any point in time again, you can go to the Winnipeg Jets YouTube channel. There's also from earlier this season we did a home ice with Danny Jilkin. So if you want to um learn a little bit more about the Jets call-up, then you can check it out there. But this is the Jets team as we close things out that they did not have morning skate today because it is the early start. It's five, it's a five o'clock start in Colorado mountain time. So we don't know what the lineup is going to look like. We do know that with no Morgan Barron, who's in concussion protocol, that one of Danny Jilken or Parker Ford is going to be going into the lineup. We don't know what that will mean in terms of uh their lines and how Scott O'Neill might change the bottom six, but uh you do know that there will be some sort of change. And the Jets, if if we have standings, I think we do. It's a very busy day in the NHL. So you look at it, the good news, although the Jets weren't able to get the win or any points against Colorado last game, they remained just five points back of Nashville. The concern being, uh, you look, San Jose's played fewer games, so they actually have a better points percentage is will the Winnipeg Jets run out of runway um with only 10 games remaining. So we'll look to see what happens uh with the Jets today. All every team, San Jose, Seattle, LA, Nashville, all in action um at some point today. So we could see some movement on there. The Jets, in terms of strength of schedule, out of all those teams, to say it because anything can happen on any given day, as we know. But the strength of schedule, the Jets do have the toughest schedule remaining based on it. LA has it goes in terms of and I use easiest very loosely because there are no easy games as we know, but LA, Utah, San Jose, Seattle, and then Winnipeg with the most challenging schedule based on uh points percentage of the opponents that they're facing the rest of the way. But it kicks off a four-game road trip, and what a great opportunity it would be for the Jets, Jamie, if they were able to grab the two points today, take advantage. Hopefully, you see a team like Nashville and some others come up short in their games, and it kicks off the four-game road trip because they play Chicago on Tuesday, then they are in Dallas. So another, I mean, your second best team in the league, and then they close it out in Columbus against uh Blue Jackets. It has exactly that face. That blue jackets team that Rick Bonus has just had on fire as since he took over.

SPEAKER_02 35:49

Uh Phyllis, uh, thank you for joining us. Yeah, it'll be Heli. There's no question in my mind, it'll be Connor Hillibuck. So um, that's the one that we can count on. But as Sarah said, there could be multiple changes to line up uh in terms of with no Morgan Barron. But uh, we will see that. I think there Mitch said it, there's a blueprint to how to shut down the Colorado Avalanche. Jets executed most of the time, really hard to do when you're short-handed, no matter how bad the pop the avalanche power play is. But uh, we will see soon if the jets can keep this rolling because every time they go on the road, we're like, this is the road trip. We're gonna find out if the Jets season is gonna go on or not.

SPEAKER_06 36:23

And then we come and then it ends and we go, okay, well, they gotta win this game at home.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

Yeah, still five points back.

SPEAKER_06 36:32

Uh, so we will uh we'll see how it goes uh today. I hope that all of you enjoy it. It is a sports net game, as Jamie mentioned. Uh Sean Reynolds is there now, so he will be doing ringside that crew, but you can always listen to CJOB as well if you are out and about or at home because you gotta love Mitchell Clinton and Paul Edmonds' call. We'll find out whether or not Mitchell is able to throw Ditto somewhere into their no he's gonna do it. So I hope so. And it we, you know, really at some point we should just set up Polly so that that way so that we make sure we've got a camera on just to see the reaction. Love seeing so many of you chiming in as to the face of the franchise. Uh, I think that in general, everybody agrees for 2.0 that your number one would be Mark Scheifley. Hard to um choose, really, anyone else when you think of the first overall draft pick. He has played more games in a Winnipeg Jets jersey than any other player Jets 1.0 or 2.0, having hit game 951 last game. And obviously, the production that he continues to have. He's got five points in his last two games. He was really uh he had two goals against the two goals against Colorado, and he was certainly he was buzzing on Thursday night. We'll see if he can continue to do it today in Denver.

SPEAKER_02 37:45

Thanks for watching, everybody.

SPEAKER_06 37:46

Thanks so much for checking in, everyone. Have a wonderful weekend. We'll see you on Tuesday.