Goals Galore! Hawks & Jets Win Big!

Dylan Strome's first of three goals early in the first.

 

Both the Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets were involved in games where eleven goals were scored in each game and both teams came out on top. The Hawks took a 5-0 lead in the first period, to cruise to a 8-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks, while the Jets kept their playoff hopes alive with an impressive 7-4 victory over the Stanley Cup champion, Tampa Bay Lightning.

Takeaways:

• I attended the Jets/Lightning game in person, it was my first game since COVID restrictions were lifted to allow 100% capacity (15,000). I'm guessing there was probably less than 12,000 (they don't announce the attendance), where we sat there was three people to the left of me and the entire row was empty to the right. There were quite a bit of empty seats, especially the upper level and the lineups to the washroom were reasonable. Masks are still enforced, but on March 15, it will be optional, but recommended. 

• For the past few games at home, I thought I heard some noticeable "boos" during the, "glorious and free" part of the Canadian national anthem, when watching on TV. It was confirmed live in person. Apparently, someone let in some freedom convoy supporters. You were vaxxed to attend the game, right? (see past post: Does the NHL have a Russian problem?)
  
• The Jets took an early 2-0 and 3-1 lead before the Lightning tied it 3-3 at the end of the first period. Lots of goals and an exciting opening period. The second period was scoreless and I must admit it was one of the most uneventful periods of the season. Not much going on, with the Jets struggling to do anything and the Lightning content to kill off the period. When the Jets scored the go-ahead goal in the third, the crowd and the team woke up and suddenly, the Jets played with urgency and realized they could win this hockey game. 
• I was disappointed by the play of Tampa Bay. They seemed to coasting out there and going through the motions most of the night and only put in an effort when they were losing. Their stars, Stamkos, Point and Kucherov were non-factors with their lower lines accounting for their scoring. Nikita Kucherov, especially was either giving the puck away or falling, which is uncharacteristic for him. The game against the Hawks a couple nights ago could have gone either way, but the Lightning scored in quick bunches twice. I kept waiting for them to turn it a notch after the Jets took the lead in the third, but maybe they have no urgency in their game because they are solidly in the playoffs and don't feel they need to play harder than they need to.
  

Hawk Thoughts:

• During the second intermission of the Jets game, my daughter messaged me and said, I was missing a crazy Hawks game and that they played, "the best period of the season"! I checked my phone and saw the Hawks scored 5 in the first and 6-0 early in the second, but then I saw the Ducks scored 3 quick ones within three and a half minutes to make it 6-3...(I have to admit I had flashbacks of past blown leads, but from 6-0, no way!)
  
• When I got home after the Jets game, instead of watching the highlights, I replayed the whole first period, then skipped to the goals for the second and third. Sounds like a much more exciting game than the one I went to...at least for Hawks fans!

• What a crazy game it was! Kaner had 6 points (1-5), a career high with five of those in the first period. Dylan Strome notched his second career hat-trick and an assist and the other member of the line, Alex DeBrincat had a goal (his 33rd) and 3 assists. In total the Kane/Strome/Cat line accounted for 14 points! Rounding out the scoring, Toews scored a shorthanded goal, Carpenter scored his third and Hagel scored a beauty early in the second period. Interestingly, despite all the goals, the Hawks didn't score a power-play goal.

Up next: The Hawks are in Boston for a 6:00 pm start. The Jets travel to Jersey for another "must" win game against the Devils. Go hockey!

Proof Of Vaccination: Respect

 As a season ticket holder of the Winnipeg Jets, I received and responded to the letter/survey about the upcoming provincial health orders that would include lifting the proof of vaccination to attend games. The survey asked: Are you very comfortable, comfortable, uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with the lifting of vaccination proof on March 1, 2022? It followed with: When would you feel comfortable with the lifting of restrictions and I believe the options were March 1, end of March, end of April or after April? 

The response from the 3900 responses were: 42% were comfortable/very comfortable having the proof of vaccination lifted on March 1, while 55% indicated they were uncomfortable/very uncomfortable. Of those that were uncomfortable, 90% would prefer the vaccination proof stay in place until at least April 30. (The full letter from True North)

Takeaways:

• Personally, my response was I was uncomfortable about the proof of vax being lifted March 1 and I indicated end of April was my preference for it to stay in place. My reason is that at full 100% capacity we are crammed into this already too small space (yes, the concourse, lineups, washrooms included), I don't feel comfortable about having unmasked, unvaccinated fans standing face to face, sitting side by side just yet. There is some comfort with the fact everyone is vaccinated and I will still wear a mask (this will be an option March 15th) when I'm in the concourse and lineups.
  

• I commend True North for taking the time to survey the fans. The fans are the ones that are paying to see their product and the satisfaction (and comfort level) of their fans should be their number one priority. The organization has following the provincial and federal laws to do with COVID protocols and they have been transparent with their protocols and rules and so far it has worked. They have responded to their surveys and have acted on the responds from that feedback. When the capacity at games were at 250 people or 50%, True North was taking a serious financial hit. When there was rumours and talks that the team would play some of their home games in another location (Saskatoon? North Dakota?) to help coup some losses, that didn't have any capacity restrictions, the team surveyed the options of their season ticket holders whether they would support the idea. The response was negative (myself included) and the team respected that feedback by playing without fans or limited capacity in Winnipeg.

• As a fan of hockey, it was tough to see postponements or games without fans, but you have to do what you have to do. True North is out to make money, but to abandon your fan base would have been a big mistake. There is a small vocal minority of fans, even season ticket holders that haven't been able to attend because they aren't vaccinated or don't want to wear a mask and as a result the Jets might not get a full sell out this season because of it. Some of the unhappy fan comments on social media are laughably predictable: "Shame on you True North, where is freedom of choice?", "My choice is to not give this organization a dime ever again. The absolute ridiculousness of this call is beyond my comprehension!", "Glad we canceled our season tickets! Shame on you for continuing to enable this discrimination.", "I will not be supported any discriminating places. Sad day when you realize just how segregated canada still is", "This is absolutely shameful, this entire time they’ve use the excuse that they just need to follow public health orders. And now they show their true colours by promoting discrimination and segregation. Shame on them for banning my children and I"....fortunately there are more comments that support True North's position. I would guess that the fully vaccinated fans that have been attending the games this season don't mind showing their proof of vaccine since they have been already.
  

This is those fan's choice, but I am glad True North won't give into complaints and "boycotts" of the dissatisfied and stick to what they feel is safest for the majority of their customers instead of just the all mighty dollar. Respect!

Hawks Beat The Jets: That Turned Out Better Than Expected!

 

 ...If you're a Hawks fan! If you're a Jets fan this was another setback during this up and down season. After a successful road trip, the Jets disappointed the half capacity crowd losing to a team below them in the standings and there aren't too many of them, at least in the Western Conference. Personally, as a Hawks first fan, this capped off a perfect night, not only because it was a jab back at the fans around me at the game, which was very satisfying, but also I had the opportunity to sit closer up the action, so it was a thrill in so many levels! If the Hawks can put together a good solid defensive game more often, they would definitely have more wins. Fleury once again was a big factor, but the defense kept their coverage and didn't hand out too many giveaways. They kept the Jets from gaining much momentum even after their only goal and overall the Hawks played a near-perfect road game.

 

Takeaways:

•  Not sure what's up with the Jets. They seem to be playing better on the road, but their lack of any intensity is costing them games at home. To be honest, it was a dull game and a the road team took advantage of it. Is it the near empty building because of the COVID restrictions? We'll see starting on Wednesday with the elimination of capacity restrictions where the Jets potentially can have a full arena. I doubt they'll sell-out, but the larger crowd should help...or not?
• This will be a key week for the Jets as they play a set of 3 games in 4 nights at home against teams they should beat. They'll be in tough against the Wild, but it has been done recently and you can't lose against the Kraken and Oil in your building, though they did lose to the Hawks. I losing streak will be very bad timing. We'll see what Jets team shows up
  
• Speaking of pivotal points in the schedule, the Hawks begin a six game home-stand starting on Thursday against the Jackets. If they have any faint hope of making the post-season, winning a majority of those games is essential. Otherwise, figuring out who to trade away before the trade deadline will be the main thing on the team's mind.
• I stood against the glass during warmup and you really appreciate the skill and speed of the players. The size of the players astounds me and the split second decisions they have to make before they get drilled into the boards is something you don't experience on TV or in the upper deck seats. I do have an appreciation for my usual seats in the upper levels because you can see the whole play, seeing the plays develop you maintain a sense of seeing all the action. Sitting close to the ice surface apart from the play directly in front of you (in our case close to the face off dot in the Hawks end), your view is obstructed anytime the play is in the other end, especially along the near boards. Your sense of perspective and depth is very challenging and you have to reply on the jumbotron for a lot of the action.
• It was a huge thrill to watch Marc-Andre Fleury, hopefully not the last time in a Hawks jersey! He's fun to watch, during the warmup and the game, there's so much going on with him and it's obvious how much he loves the game and he looks like he's having a good time. The last off the ice during the pregame was Hagel, Kane and Fleury...telling isn't it?