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Patience, patience, patience: Jets boss
May 23
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"ALMOST one year into their existence, patience is becoming the new buzzword for the Winnipeg Jets. At least you'd think so the way Jets management uses the term. The team missed the Stanley Cup playoffs by eight points in the city's first season back in the NHL. "I think we're a long ways from where we want to be," Jets co-owner and governor Mark Chipman told reporters at 1 Canada Division Headquarters, where he was presenting a $100,000 cheque to Canadian Forces' charitable and support causes on Tuesday. "We got a decent start and I think we accomplished most of what we wanted to in Year 1 but we're a long way from where I have in my mind where we need to be. "But that's OK. We were"
From one Jet boss to another... 100,000 thank yous
May 23
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Winnipeg Jets co-owner Mark Chipman made it clear Tuesday he won't be bullied into apologizing for the organization's use of a military symbol for the team's look and logo. And to show his True North Foundation's commitment to the relationship with the Royal Canadian Air Force, the NHL team's governor showed up at 1 Canada Air Division Headquarters on Tuesday and made the first instalment of a $1-million donation the team has promised to the forces' charitable and support causes."
He's makin' a list...But Jets GM is checking his draft plan way more than twice
May 16
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"The Winnipeg Jets are getting closer to finalizing what will eventually be their map and guide to Draft Day. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff led his amateur scouting team through meetings in Florida over the last few days wrapping up Monday night. "We've been in a board room with 16 people on our amateur side going over players and forming our list," said Cheveldayoff. "You put together a list and rank players and take that into the draft. We've listened to input from all of our people and we'll take this list to the combine (May 28 to June 2) and interview as many as 80 players and then work on our list some more." Cheveldayoff told the Free Press the organization now has a list of about 130"
Jets' Slater named an assistant captain for Team USA
May 4
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Winnipeg Jets centre Jim Slater has been named an assistant captain for Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championships in Finland and Sweden. Hockey USA announced the selections Thursday, naming defenceman Jack Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets the team captain, with Slater and Nate Thompson of the Tampa Bay Lightning named assistant captains."
Burmistrov not going anywhere: Agent
April 30
Winnipeg Sun
 
"Alexander Burmistrov's agent says there is no truth to a report the KHL is trying to lure the Winnipeg Jets forward to Russia. An online Edmonton Journal story today says Ak Bars Kazan has offered a contract to Burmistrov, who has one year left on his contract with the Jets. But Mark Gandler told the Winnipeg Sun the report is baseless. "Nobody talked to me," Gandler said, Monday afternoon. "The guy is under contract. End of discussion." The report says the Russian club has already talked to Burmistrov, a Kazan native who is training with Team Russia for the upcoming World Championship. "We have no interest in making it happen," Gandler said. "If people in Edmonton want to print gossip"
Gold medal's the plan for Jets' Ladd at world championship
April 26
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"ANDREW LADD has compiled an impressive collection of hockey hardware over the last seven years -- it would certainly be the envy of many who have made the game a career -- but he wants to add one more piece in the next month. An IIHF World Hockey Championship gold medal. The Winnipeg Jets captain, already a two-time Stanley Cup champ with Carolina and Chicago who also won world junior gold for Canada in 2005, heads to Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday as part of a Team Canada squad hell-bent on erasing last spring's fifth-place finish and re-establishing this country's place among the sport's elite. Canada is currently ranked fourth in the world by the IIHF (behind Russia, Finland and"
Jets sticking to long-term game plan
April 25
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has been on message since the day he took the job. He vows to build a future for the city's new NHL team. Trades will be simply an option. In the 11 months since relocating the Atlanta Thrashers, Cheveldayoff's hockey department has had a long list of tasks that at times may seem overwhelming. Among them is getting a handle on and keeping an eye on the franchise's future players, almost all of them chosen by those from another management regime. Even last year's draft picks were made by the scouts from the Thrashers, under Cheveldayoff's watchful eye, of course."
Ladd looking forward to playing in world hockey championships
April 25
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Andrew Ladd will readily admit this: he loves playing hockey well into June -- especially if the season concludes with him hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head. And so for the Winnipeg Jet captain, playing in next month's IIHF World Hockey Championships will have to provide his spring fix for the two-time NHL champ. "I'm excited to play some more hockey for sure," Ladd said Wednesday prior to a quick skate at MTS Iceplex. "It's fun to be playing hockey at this time of year. Obviously we came up short with what we were trying to do (with the Jets), but this is another opportunity to play and to win. "We're going to have a good team going over there. That in itself is exciting and there's"
Jet prospect Scheifele joins IceCaps
April 20
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Mark Scheifele's crazy, all-over-the-map hockey season still has some life left. The Winnipeg Jet prospect had his junior season with the Barrie Colts end Tuesday night in a Game 7 loss to the Ottawa 67s, but the first-round draft pick is headed to St. John's to join the IceCaps in their push for a Calder Cup title. Scheifele, drafted seventh overall by the Jets last June, will join the IceCaps in Newfoundland. St. John's opens the playoffs Friday night in Syracuse against the Crunch for Game 1 of their best-of-five Eastern Conference quarterfinal (can be heard on TSN 1290). Scheifele would be available to the IceCaps for Games 3, 4 and 5 – if necessary – on The Rock."
Byfuglien to face jury on boating charges
April 19
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"The boating charges against Winnipeg Jet defenceman Dustin Byfuglien will be decided by a jury. Mitchell Robinson, the lawyer for the 27-year-old Byfuglien, met this morning with the judge and Hennepin County district attorneys in Minneapolis in a last-ditch chance to come to a resolution, but were unable to do so. As a result, the next step in the case – which stems from an incident last August 31st on Lake Minnetonka in Minneapolis – will be to schedule it for a jury trial on July 23rd. "We'll pick a jury then and let a jury decide," said Robinson Thursday when reached by The Free Press. "I'm not surprised. I mean, I'm always optimistic that we can settle these cases, but we're still so"
Jetcetera: Jets fans are LOUD
April 17
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"It's been said all year long that the MTS Centre is one of the loudest buildings, if not the loudest, in the NHL. If you've been to a few games, you know that it gets crazy in there, especially when the Jets score a goal or two in a hotly-contested game. But how loud is loud? We asked officials at the MTS Centre that very question and they volunteered to take decibel readings at the last Jets home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning for us. The peak level of 109 was reached after Jim Slater scored the tying goal late in the third period. Van Halen wasn't in the building that evening, it just felt that way. Panama!"
Pavelec deked out by Jets
April 14
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec is in the middle of a controversy with officials from the Czech Republic national team over his availability for next month's IIHF world championships. At his exit meetings with Jet coaches and management last weekend the 24-year-old native of Kladno told the club he was tired from a long season -- he appeared in a career-high 68 games and was hoping the team would throw up a stop sign at his participation at the worlds. But the Jets opted not to be his 'out' and told him they would support his decision whether he opted out of the championships or suited up and played. Earlier this week Czech head coach Alois Hadamczik seemed to be under the impression the"
10 Future Jets?
April 13
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"An update on some of the Jets prospects/draft picks and their 2011-12 season (in no particular order): Paul Postma, D, St. John's (AHL): Age: 23: Named the IceCaps MVP after registering 13 goals and 31 assists in 55 games. Offensively gifted, management still wants him to hone his defensive game -- he was a -12 in St. John's this season. Mark Scheifele, C, Barrie (OHL): Age: 19: So much expected of the Jets' first pick and, despite those lofty standards, consider this: Scheifele has played in 113 OHL games over the last two years and has 138 points (45G, 93A). He has 10 points in nine playoff games as Barrie leads Ottawa 2-1 heading into Game 4 Thursday. Ivan Telegin, LW/C, Barrie (OHL):"
Jets want closer look at draft crop
April 12
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"The Edmonton Oilers, rumour has it, are still doing cartwheels in their hockey department offices after landing the first overall pick -- again -- while Scott Howson and his crew in Columbus are cursing the NHL's draft lottery balls as we speak. The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, are locked in at the No. 9 spot -- just as they expected prior to Tuesday's lottery. As Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff headed to the Czech Republic on Wednesday for the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, it was with the same knowledge he had late in March as the NHL's regular season drew to a close: barring a blockbuster trade, the Jets won't get a sniff at Nail Yakupov, Ryan Murray or Mikhail Grigorenko -- considered the"
No quick fixes in the future
April 11
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"It lasted roughly 42 minutes -- 41 minutes and 58 seconds, to be exact -- and nowhere in Kevin Cheveldayoff's season-ending state of the Winnipeg Jets media address was there a sense of defiance or combativeness, resignation or embarrassment. His bosses did not take out full-page newspaper ads apologizing for the season -- as they did in Toronto this week -- and there were no announcements of sweeping changes to management teams or coaching staffs. So compared to what has unfolded with the Maple Leafs or in Montreal, or the questions being raised about the hockey departments in Edmonton and Calgary, the Jet GM's confab with the local media was short on drama and intrigue."
Jets GM short on drama and intrigue in media address
April 11
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"It lasted roughly 42 minutes — 41 minutes and 58 seconds, to be exact — and nowhere in Kevin Cheveldayoff's season-ending state of the Winnipeg-Jets media address was there a sense of defiance or combativeness, resignation or embarrassment. His bosses did not take out full-page newspaper ads apologizing for the season — as they did in Toronto this week — and there were no announcements of sweeping changes to management teams or coaching staffs. So compared to what has unfolded with the Maple Leafs or in Montreal, or the questions being raised about the hockey departments in Edmonton and Calgary, the Jets GM's confab with the local media was short on drama and intrigue. And, not"
Roaring Jets' rink might attract free agents
April 10
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Missing the Stanley Cup playoffs has been a disappointment to the Winnipeg Jets and their fans. An intangible foundation may have been laid, however, by the NHL's decision to return to Winnipeg and how that story played out. "None of us knew what to expect," said centre Bryan Little on the franchise's relocation from Atlanta to Winnipeg. "Most of the people here were relatively new to the NHL. They worked in the AHL before, but we really didn't know what to expect."
Chevy open to draft manoeuvres
April 10
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"WINNIPEG Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said Monday he's open to moving his first-round pick in the June entry draft. "One thing I will not do is mortgage the future but if I can accelerate the future, I will gladly do that," Cheveldayoff said on a season-ending radio program with the team's own broadcasters. Winnipeg, heading into tonight's draft lottery, has the ninth pick in the June draft in Pittsburgh. Cheveldayoff said also that he won't make a trade in the coming weeks just to make one, saying he wasn't simply a trade junkie."
Jets GM open to moving first draft pick
April 10
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said tonight he's open to moving his first pick in the June draft. "One thing I will not do is mortgage the future but if I can accelerate the future, I will gladly do that," Cheveldayoff said to the team's radio broadcasters in a special post-season show this evening. Winnipeg, as of today, has the ninth pick in the June draft in Pittsburgh. Cheveldayoff said also that he won't make a trade just to make one, saying he wasn't simply a trade junkie."
Thomson's love affair with Jets intensifies
April 9
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"David Thomson is a little different than most of us Winnipeggers, but in one way he is very similar -- in his devotion to the Winnipeg Jets. The Toronto-based head of Canada's pre-eminent business family, Thomson is Mark Chipman's partner in the Jets. What started as a simple real estate deal almost a decade ago has flourished into a stake in the team and the community. Winnipeg was a stop on Thomson's early wanderings through the family business operations and now, many years later, it's become much more than just another town with a company office. Thomson made himself available for a short chat in a club room at the MTS Centre prior to Saturday's regular-season finale."
Noel raises the bar for 2012-13 season
April 9
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Autopsies can be gruesome. And when a hockey coach is conducting one on his squad in early April and not well into May or June there are often multiple causes of death. So leave it to Winnipeg Jets head coach Claude Noel, then -- perhaps in an attempt to bust up the funereal tone at the MTS Centre on Easter Sunday -- to open his last official media session of the 2011-12 campaign with a question of his own: "How's my hair?" Now, while the boss put on a brave face during his 14-minute chat with the press and had his usual collection of juicy sound bites -- "I've got fly fishing on the brain. I see trout... they're calling my name out. I go by rivers, I pull over" -- there was obvious"
Honeymoon over: Phase II begins
April 9
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"AFTER the honeymoon comes regular life and some of the leaders of the Winnipeg Jets are eager for it. Not that they didn't enjoy the thrill of meeting their new city and fan base in 2011-12, but now that they see what's possible from their backers, the Jets savour the idea of better things on the ice. "I think eventually the fans will get to the point where they expect more," said Jets assistant captain, defenceman Mark Stuart on Sunday, a day after the team completed its first season in Winnipeg at 37-35-10. "I'm not afraid of that. I look forward to that, actually. "That pressure should be there from them. They should expect us to make the playoffs. They should expect us to win. I think"
See you in six months
April 8
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Last games have been a painful memory that has eaten at Winnipeg fans for nearly 16 years. The Winnipeg Jets and their faithful have a replacement for that 1996 heartache, and while it doesn't go all the way to take away the hurt, Jets Nation ended the season Saturday with another raucous night at the MTS Centre. And with the security that another season's coming up in just six short months. "I didn't want to get off the ice," said Jets centre Jim Slater after the team's 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. "Every fan stayed. I think it's more of us giving them applause than them to us. That's tough leaving the ice. I didn't want to go." That was a common sentiment 16 years ago."
Saturday's final game merely the beginning
April 8
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"The last time an NHL season ended in Winnipeg it was a hockey funeral, but this time it was more like shuttering up the cottage. Everyone will be back next season. There's no need for a team-saving rally at Portage and Main. Children can keep their piggy banks for things like bikes and Jets jerseys. Winnipeg isn't in some panic to save its team. In fact, this summer Jets fans can sit back, catch their breath and get ready for next season, which holds the promise of 41 more crazy nights in our downtown rink. This summer the folks in Phoenix may need a vigil and fans in Quebec City will likely have to hang on every word Gary Bettman utters on the subject of relocation. Here in Winnipeg we"
Gritty blue-liner Stuart wins Snyder award
April 8
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"TWO telling statements came from the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. One related to their decision to continue the Dan Snyder Memorial Award and the other about the player chosen to receive the honour. Defenceman Mark Stuart was named the Jets player who embodies perseverance, dedication and hard work without reward or recognition, so that his team and teammates may succeed. The award was instituted in honour of former NHLer Dan Snyder, who died in a car crash in 2003 while a member of the Atlanta Thrashers. Apart from the players themselves, very little has been brought north after True North Sports and Entertainment purchased and relocated the Thrashers, but the Snyder award was an easy call"
Never again will there be a season like this
April 7
Winnipeg Free Press
 columnist Ed Tait
"IT is about to come to a close, this magical hockey season which has energized our city, thrilled thousands and has so many engaged again in what is this country's national obsession. Granted, there is no syrupy, fairy-tale, Disney-type ending -- Saturday's matchup with the Tampa Bay Lighting is the official finale because there will be no playoff shinny in River City -- but that won't spoil what has been for many a dream season that began way back on May 31st. Yes, it seems like an eternity ago that Mark Chipman took to the podium at the MTS Centre and uttered those now-famous words on national TV that made history in these parts and across the land: "Today, on my behalf of my family, our"
So many memories
April 7
Winnipeg Free Press
 columnist Gary Lawless
"They have been the busiest 10-plus months in sports around these parts for a very long time. From the moment Mark Chipman announced he'd purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and was bringing them to Winnipeg, it's been basically non-stop action on the sports calendar. Everyone will have their own memories from this stretch and here's my personal playback of the year that I'll always remember for the return of the Winnipeg Jets. I'll remember: 1. Mark Chipman calling me at 5 a.m. on May 31 to tell me the deal wasn't done but to go ahead and post a story saying he expected to announce his purchase of the Thrashers. 2. Hitting send on a double-byline story written by Tim Campbell and myself"
Jets' performance 'disrespectful,' fumes coach Noel
April 6
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Some nights it doesn't take very much to prod Jets coach Claude Noel and Thursday's 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders was a perfect case in point. "I think it's very disrespectful the way we start games. The way we started again tonight and the way got down I think is disrespectful to one another and what we want to accomplish as a team. The game is 60 minutes and whether you look at it as coming back I think it's poor. It's poor. The game is 60 minutes and I don't like the way we play and the way we disrespect each other. It's some individuals and it's our team," said Noel, his face flush with anger."
Cormier learning valuable lesson after vicious elbow
April 5
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Patrice CORMIER already had enough challenges disrupting his career. A string of injuries -- appendix, concussion, shoulder -- that just wouldn't seem to quit. Then came a bad decision. A really bad one. And he's spent the last two years trying to loosen the grip of its consequences. In January 2010, the Winnipeg Jets forward, just recalled this week, was suspended for the balance of his junior season and playoffs for elbowing opponent Mikael Tam in the head. Tam started convulsing on the ice and was rushed to hospital."
Stuck in the middle
April 5
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"It's been said about the Winnipeg Jets they're a team made up of two fourth lines, a third line and a second. Just no first. If that's to change, the Jets need to identify a No. 1 centre and either draft, develop or try their hands in free agency. The Jets have developed two players this season that can make legitimate claims at first-line status in Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane. Wheeler has the potential to be a point-per-game man and Kane popped 30 goals this season despite being inconsistent and missing a lengthy stretch due to injury."
Shining on world stage?
April 4
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"The NHL season may be drawing to a close for the Winnipeg Jets but a number of the team's players will be heading to the IIHF World Hockey Championship to represent their homelands. The worlds will open May 4 with one pool, including Canada and the U.S., playing out of Helsinki and the other in Stockholm. The playoffs will be held in Helskinki with the final scheduled for May 20."
Jets relish the role of spoiler
April 4
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"It's really quite simple -- the Winnipeg Jets are playing for their fans. The Jets, already eliminated from the playoff chase, continue to fight for wins on this final road trip of the season and have now collected two wins in three starts and five of six available points including Tuesday's 5-4 overtime dandy over the Florida Panthers. The Jets trailed 3-0 midway through the second period before coming alive on a smart pass from rookie Spencer Machacek that Evander Kane dumped into the net for his 30th of the season. Winnipeg caught fire and scored four straight to take a one-goal third period lead at 4-3 before the Panthers, who could have clinched the Southeast Division with a win,"
Ladd lifts Jets to O.T. win
April 4
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Andrew Ladd scored his second overtime winner in the last three games to give the Winnipeg Jets a 5-4 victory over the Florida Panthers tonight. Ladd's low shot just inside the far post beat Jose Theodore and completed an unlikely road comeback for the Jets. Winnipeg fell behind 3-0 early in the second period, but scored four straight goals to take the lead. The Panthers tied the game late in the third period, but Ladd's goal boosted the Jets to 2-0-1 on their current road trip."
Florida Panthers squander shot at clincher with overtime loss to Winnipeg Jets
April 4
Miami Herald
 
"Stephen Weiss should have been in the Panthers' locker room after Tuesday's game celebrating not only his birthday, but also his team's first trip to the postseason in more than a decade. Instead of wearing a new division championship hat and T-shirt, Weiss slumped in his locker stall in full uniform long after most of his teammates had stripped down and left. Florida's 5-4 overtime loss to visiting Winnipeg brought the Panthers one point closer to that elusive playoff spot. It just feels so much further away."
Panthers blow 3-0 lead, lose to Jets in overtime, must wait to clinch
April 4
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
 
"Just one sad plastic rat lie on its side on the BankAtlantic Center ice surface. So symbolic. In what should've been a joyous celebration of their team's first division title, the long-suffering, stunned fans were in no mood to celebrate a measly point gained in a 5-4 overtime loss to the vacation-bound Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. Combine the Panthers' league-leading 18th post-regulation defeat and their seventh loss in their last eight games with the Buffalo Sabres' come-from-behind 6-5 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs and the Panthers have clinched nothing but an ulcer heading into the season's final two games."
All's well that ends Wellwood's season
April 3
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Kyle Wellwood couldn't resist the opportunity to have some fun with a teammate after learning his season was over due to a broken ankle. "I was just in front of the net, trying to create a screen, and (Grant) Clitsome's shot just caught me in the foot," said Wellwood. "He's responsible for the injury, but he's been kind about it. He's apologized many times. He feels bad." The Jets have sent Wellwood back to Winnipeg and recalled Patrice Cormier to replace him in the lineup for tonight's game against the Florida Panthers."
A victory Tuesday over the Jets clinches Florida's first playoff berth since 2000
April 3
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
 
"If the Florida Panthers win their game Tuesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, they'll make the NHL playoffs for the first time in a dozen years. Despite those implications, Panthers goalie Jose Theodore said he and his teammates are approaching Tuesday's game the same way they've approached the past 17 games. "For the last month, every game we're playing we're saying it's the biggest game of the year," Theodore said. "Until you clinch that playoff spot, the last month, every game's been huge.""
Jets won't deviate from master plan
April 2
Winnipeg Free Press
 columnist Gary Lawless
"Mark Chipman looked tanned and relaxed after a week of vacation prior to the game, but by late Saturday night he wore a grim mask of disappointment. Chipman didn't like the way things went for his Winnipeg Jets in their 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the acknowledgement that his team had been officially eliminated from the post-season chase sat awkwardly as well. By Sunday morning the disappointment had ebbed a bit but his competitive fires were still burning."
Missing playoffs 'a failure,' says Jets' Ladd
April 1
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"There will be time for positive reflection, but on Saturday night in the steam of a losing dressing room Jets captain Andrew Ladd made it clear the standard he and his teammates had set for themselves had not been met. "Coming into this year the goal and expectation was to get into the playoffs and to not get there is disappointing," said Ladd, minutes after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning that officially eliminated the Jets from the post-season. "It's our job to get better and to learn from this and make sure this doesn't happen next year. In our minds this is a failure. I feel we had the group in here to get into the playoffs. The big picture is long-term and to contend"
Playoff flight cancelled
April 1
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"There will be time for positive reflection, but on Saturday night in the steam of a losing dressing room, Jets captain Andrew Ladd made it clear the standard he and his teammates had set for themselves had not been met. "Coming into this year the goal and expectation was to get into the playoffs and to not get there is disappointing," said Ladd, minutes after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning that officially eliminated the Jets from the post-season. "It's our job to get better and to learn from this and make sure this doesn't happen next year. In our minds this is a failure. I feel we had the group in here to get into the playoffs. The big picture is long-term and to contend"
Third-period collapse dooms Jets
April 1
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Steven Stamkos's one-timer in overtime officially ended the playoff hopes of the Winnipeg Jets in Tampa tonight. Stamkos beat Ondrej Pavelec for his league-leading 56th goal of the season 45 seconds into the extra period to give the Lightning a 3-2 win. The Jets failed once again to win in the second half of a back-to-back situation after winning in overtime on Friday night in Carolina. They fell to 36-34-9, and were officially eliminated from playoff contention because of the loss and the Washington Capitals' shootout win over Montreal. Ryan Malone's second goal of the night drew the Lightning even in the third period. The Lightning bombarded Pavelec in the third period, outshooting the"
Jets' Playoff flight cancelled
April 1
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"There will be time for positive reflection, but on Saturday night in the steam of a losing dressing room, Jets captain Andrew Ladd made it clear the standard he and his teammates had set for themselves had not been met. "Coming into this year the goal and expectation was to get into the playoffs and to not get there is disappointing," said Ladd, minutes after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning that officially eliminated the Jets from the post-season. "It's our job to get better and to learn from this and make sure this doesn't happen next year. In our minds this is a failure. I feel we had the group in here to get into the playoffs. The big picture is long-term and to contend"
Miettinen regains his game
March 30
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"His life back to something close to normal, Winnipeg Jets right-winger Antti Miettinen sounds more than glad to have just survived the last year. The 31-year-old Finn has finally broken out of his long scoring slump, a drought that lasted 34 games after he was claimed on waivers in December when he returned to the NHL from the KHL. At this time last year, Miettinen had decided to play in Russia for Ak-Bars Kazan, a decision he said this week he would not have taken, knowing what he knows now. It wasn't anything to do with the Russian club or city, but more a matter of his family."
Jets can't coast to finish
March 30
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"To question a professional athlete's effort is a risky proposition. Only the players and coaches on a team can say for sure if an individual or team as a whole maxed out on a given night. That being said, there is no question the Winnipeg Jets took it easy on the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. The Jets showed up with good intentions and had a good start but once the Rangers pushed back there was almost no resistance and the Blueshirts skated to a leisurely 4-2 win. So much for that vaunted Jets home-ice advantage and flashy record when skating in Winnipeg."
Dazed, confused, beaten
March 29
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"If you were to draw a progress-arrow graph to mirror the Winnipeg Jets' 2011-12 season it would go something like this: It begins pointing downward in October... trending sharply upward in December... sharply down again in January... another spike upward in February/early March and now this: An arrow that trails right off the bottom of the page. Oh, and just for added effect, bright red flames would accompany the fall to highlight the nosedive."
Jets no match for Rangers
March 29
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"Nobody had an explanation, never mind a good one, as to why the Winnipeg Jets did almost nothing right on special teams Wednesday night at the MTS Centre. And predictably, when you're facing one of the NHL's elite in the Eastern Conference pace-setters in the New York Rangers, it was the entire difference in a 4-2 Rangers victory. The Jets, handed the first five power plays of the game -- including a 1:43 five-on-three in the first period -- came up empty. Actually, less than empty, since New York's Michael Del Zotto scored to cut into the Jets 2-0 lead during Winnipeg's fifth power play."
Thorburn itchin' to return to lineup
March 29
Winnipeg Free Press
 
"No offence, Winnipeg Jet fans, but Chris Thorburn has lived your life and done the couch-potato thing. He's cheered every Jet goal and cursed every loss. But now he wants his old gig back -- the one where he bangs and crashes as part of the GST checking line, scores the odd goal, drops his gloves occasionally and lives and breathes the game as a participant. And that should come soon, what with the veteran winger joining the team on their four-game road trip that begins Friday against Carolina and expected to be back in the lineup for the first time since injuring his leg in a loss to Calgary on March 9."
Pressure no excuse for Canadian teams' playoff failure
March 29
Ottawa Citizen
 columnist Wayne Scanlan
"The writing that was on the wall is now plain to see in the National Hockey League standings. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Carry on with your spring routine, people. As commissioner Gary Bettman likes to say, it's "business as usual" in the NHL. Here's another rite of spring: the debate over why Canada doesn't produce more playoff contenders and hasn't crowned a Stanley Cup champion since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens."
Callahan leads first-place Rangers to big win over Jets
March 29
New York Post
 
"Just when it appeared the Rangers were about to be run out of town, Ryan Callahan picked them up, put them on his shoulders a* d carried them home, two points closer to clinching home ice, two points closer to nailing down conference and division titles. The man who wears the "C" was a sight to see in delivering a tour de force that started with a shorthanded goal he created with indefatigable work behind the net at 7:44 of the second that brought the Rangers back to within 2-1 and didn't end until the Rangers had sealed their fifth victory in their last six games, 4-2 over the Jets last night."