Hey all! Here is our feature running Monday through Friday that will bring you up to date on what’s going on in the media pertaining to the Winnipeg Jets and elsewhere in the NHL.
Ed. Note: Now that we are through with the Stanley Cup Finals, Altitude Check will only be running on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Here is what's in the news for Friday, August 3, 2012:
We are currently prepping for Monday's Mailbag, remember to send in your thoughts or questions to us via Twitter @arcticicehockey, or email us at sbnarcticicehockey@yahoo.ca
One year after their move to Winnipeg, True North Sports and Entertainment has made it official: Larry Simmons has been named Assistant General Manager of the team. For Simmons, his promotion parallels to one seen in NBC's television sitcom "The Office" as he previously served as Assistant to the GM, making him TNSE's Dwight Schrute. (Hat tip to canadian texan for the joke) [Winnipeg Sun]
Gary Lawless subtly criticized Evander Kane again, who has still yet to accept Winnipeg’s reported contract offer, be it a negotiating tactic or not: “Kane is one-dimensional at this point. He’s a finisher and while that’s a valuable asset for a team, Kane hasn’t shown the ability to lift his teammates. Tavares is a franchise player. One can’t say that about Kane.” While I’m not a fan of comparing playmaking centres to scoring wingers just because their contracts are in the same ballpark, it should be noted that Kane’s 5v5 points per 60 is 2.42 while Tavares’ actually comes in lower at 2.37. It would be interesting to see what Kane could do if given an even playing field. [WFP]
Chris Peters of United States of Hockey provides an in-depth preview of all USA defensemen attending this weekends U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, NY. Winnipeg Jets prospect Jacob Trouba will be there as he prepares for his second World Junior tournament. [USOH]
Trouba will be wearing number 29 for Team Blue during the Evaluation Camp. [USA Hockey]
The Goalie Guild previews Winnipeg's depth between the pipes: "I think Ondrej Pavelec is on the brink of becoming an elite talent, and I think over the next 12 months, he’ll ultimately reach that point. Adding Al Montoya as a backup was a nice move, and while adding Mark Dekanich to the system is clearly a risk, he’s a perfect guy for Eddie Pasquale to learn from. Pasquale was one of the most improved prospects over the past 12 months, and I like the direction his game is taking, But beyond him, the Jets have very weak depth, and they need it to improve quickly." [The Goalie Guild]
The Winnipeg Whiteout blog asks: Is Mark Scheifele a stud or a dud? [Winnipeg Whiteout]
BREAKING NEWS! New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro has been removed from Injured Reserve and is cleared to resume practice. Errr, maybe we shouldn’t have used the word Breaking. Best of luck to Rick as he tries to battle through yet another setback. [Islanders.com]
The Isles have also signed defenseman Griffin Reinhart to an Entry Level Contract. [Lighthouse Hockey]
Talks between the NHL and NHLPA continue, but the PA continues to await the independently audited financials for all 30 NHL teams, which from having a background in finance, is a totally fair request. [ESPN]
Dillon Donnelly of the Shawinigan Cataractes confesses to breaking the Memorial Cup. [Buzzing the Net]
The Hockey Writers’ Mike Colligan explains how the Phoenix Coyotes use advanced metrics in order to compete with other NHL teams. Hey, there’s a link to Behind the Net! [The Hockey Writers]
The journey of Russian netminder Sergey Kostenko who recently signed a one-year AHL contract with the Hershey Bears — afiliate to the Washington Capitals who drafted him in with their last pick in the 2012 Draft. [Dump 'n Chase]
That trembling you hear beneath your feet stems from the NCAA rocking the core of the world of collegiate athletics. Over the next few weeks, we will find out if Simon Frasier University, currently of the CIS will become the NCAA's first international member. [Globe and Mail]
Finally, Daniel Wagner hits another one out of the park, this time with 5 Awesomely Terrible Hockey Romance Novel Titles. My favourite is number three! [Backhand Shelf]
Enjoy your long weekend, friends!
