Comments / New

New Year’s resolutions and the Winnipeg Jets

I'm awful at making New Year's resolutions.

Every year, I take a few days before that big, shiny ball in New York City drops to mull over and map out goals that I have no intention of completing for the upcoming year. So far, I'd say I'm batting somewhere close to .000 in achieving in what I set out after.

Take that, Mendoza Line. I'm shattering you in the game of life.

Now, I honestly say that there's a multitude of reasons for why I fail to see my resolutions through — a debilitating form of ADD being chief among them — and, at the same time, I also understand that there are millions of people across the globe who are in the same boat as me. Well, maybe not because of the ADD, but you get the picture.

So this year I've decided to review and study some of my old resolutions in hopes that it helps formulate more sensible goals heading into 2014. Before we finally throw the trail-ends of what has been a lacklustre 2013 in the trash, let's use these fleeting minutes to look back on past shortcomings and then forward to a better and brighter New Year.

2011 New Year's Resolution – Start a career in hockey: Woah, slow down there, crazy. This isn't your fifth birthday. You can't just wish to get a job in the greatest sport in the world like you'd wish for a pony or a dirt bike. It doesn't work that way. You have to be willing to make life sacrifices and you, my friend, don't strike me as someone willing to hustle hard enough on a resolution that big. You don't even hustle to blog anymore, something that comes easily to you. Also, you might want to hone in on a specific field since, you know, there are a billion different career paths you could potentially take to make your inroads. It's like a seven layer dip. Tons of options in every scoop.

2012 New Year's Resolution – Finish your education: Yeah, that one worked out swimmingly. Again, this requires actual hustle. And money. Or, in the lack of money, student loans. Given your paralyzing fear of debt repayment, it's no wonder this one fell by the wayside on January 3, 2012. What was it you wanted to study again? I ask because it seems to be a moving target that changes by the week. At this point, you're not sure what will make you happy in life. Table this thought until you're more certain.

2013 New Year's Resolution – Blog more: Finally, you're devoting yourself to a hobby that you enjoy. And you picked a resolution that requires minimal hustle levels. So why have you been a ghost since July? 2013 started out strong enough but now we get what — a weekly column? In case you didn't know, weekly has never been synonymous with more. Disappointed we couldn't see this one all the way through.

See what I mean about batting .000? I've got this covered.

Alright so now comes the time that I make some achievable resolutions for 2014, ones that require minimal hustle since, you know, it's a huge problem.

Here we go.

2014 New Year's Resolutions:

Be a better Winnipeg Jets‘ fan and blogger: Picking up the ball where it was dropped next year. I’m challenging you — by which I mean me — to start caring about the Jets past celebrating their shortcomings. Showing more passion in the team should translate to more passion in your writing. Try to find any positives with this team every once in awhile. Hope is the crux of the sports fan who cheers sub-mediocre teams. And try to broaden your horizons, man. Write more opinion pieces. Dedicate yourself to your hobby.

Show more respect on Twitter: You play the internet tough guy to a T, of this there is no doubt. But contrary to belief, not everyone should bow down to your cunning wit and sharp sense of humour. You are not the intellect you believe yourself to be. So it's time to be less condescending on the Twitter, homie. Make love, not war.

Be a better husband: This is easily the most important of all the resolutions. Hey, you didn't write the book on marriage. So why act like it? There's a lot to learn when it comes to meeting and — at times — exceeding the expectations of your significant other. Work on being more caring, more patient, more kind. This is love, after all. Treat her the way you wish to be treated. Be a listener. Be a sounding board. But most important, just be engaged. The benefits of following through on this resolution will truly be everlasting.

Well, that was fun. Feel free to throw up your resolutions in the comments section, it would be nice to start a discourse on the matter.

Now, let's kick it into this week's Love Hate.

Three things I love this week:

World Junior Hockey: I wanted to put this in last week’s Love Hate but alas, had to give props to Eric O`Dell, the second line and point out that the Edmonton Oilers are a train wreck (that the Jets’ happened to lose to). So this week we dedicate some love to watching Nic Petan and Joshua Morrissey at the World Junior Championships. Petan has shown flashes early in the tournament, scoring in Canada’s opening game against Germany. Other than that, his line has had a difficult time generating offense. Morrissey, for his part, has looked cool, calm and collected — much like Jacob Trouba did at last year’s tournament. He’s making strong decisions with the puck, though it would be nice to see him shoot a bit more. Regardless, we’re hopeful both players continue to flourish throughout the tournament. Oh, and Andrew Copp has looked pretty darn good in a two-way role as well.

A tad more of Toby: Quiet but effective, Tobias Enstrom has put up fantastic possession numbers in his past five games played, averaging a Corsi For percentage of 53.9% over that span. Though he only has two points during this stretch, I’ve got a feeling an offensive breakout is in his sights. In any event, his puck moving abilities will be required against tough opponents in the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins.

Little for Selke: I’m fully cognizant that it’s too early to start campaigns for the NHL awards in June but hear me out. Oh sure, there have been outlandish award pushes out of Winnipeg like naming Ondrej Pavelec the team MVP and voting Andrew Ladd for the Hart Trophy (yikes!) but now is the time to show Bryan Little some love. His Quality of Competition sits at 30.1% (15th) and to put it in context, Jonathan Toews leads all players at 30.4%. He’s within four points of being a top twenty scorer (31st) and his Corsi For percentage is 51.5%. Though his Corsi numbers are a bit low compared to players like Patrice Bergeron, Pavel Datsyuk and the aforementioned Toews, it’s still enough to get him in the conversation. So let’s build a reputation here.

Three things I hate this week:

Big, bad Bruins: They’re rough, they’re tough and they are one of the NHL’s best puck possession teams. The Jets will pay the Boston Bruins a visit this Saturday in what should be a spirited affair. Winnipeg has been a respectable 3-3-1 against Boston in their three year history since their return, however, it’s impossible to ever love this match-up since Boston has the edge in roster talent by a wide margin. Brad Marchand, Patrice Cormier and [insert winger here] continue to arguably be the best line in hockey.

Al for starter: Yes, it’s true that Al Montoya has been fantastic in his past two stints for the Jets and deserves to be named at least the intermediate starter. But in his ten career appearances against the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators and Bruins, his save percentage is a below league average .904. I do believe in his talents against the awful Sabres, and he did shutout the Sens once last year but let’s be trepidatious before crowing the Big Cubano as the saviour to right the ship.

The life of a .500 team: The Jets won a thriller devoid of structure against the Minnesota Wild on Friday night and followed it up with a strong performance (so I’m told) against the Colorado Avalanche last night. So what better way for a team that’s gone 4-5-1, 4-4-1, 5-3-2, 3-6-1 in their first forty games to set the bar than by losing a clunker to the Sabres at home on New Year’s Eve? Since they’ve won two in a row, they’re kind of due for a loss. Such is the nature of the mediocre hockey team.

Looking for an easy way to support Arctic Ice Hockey?
Use our Affiliate Link when shopping hockey merch this holiday season!

Talking Points