I'm happy to be wrong about Scott Arniel, even if my reasons for being annoyed at his hiring are valid. I want a coach who is a good coach, not one who is hired because they "have ties to" the market in which they play and coach. I'm just glad Arniel is proving that he is a coach that deserved another chance to be a head coach. Special teams are doing a lot of heavy lifting, but coaching puts them there.
I'm with you. The Arniel hiring was straight out of the True North handbook. I wasn't inspired by it, but I was willing to give him a chance. Immediately, I was watching what he'd do with personnel, specifically Brad Lauer. If Arniel had brought him back it would have honked of Huddy 2.0
Bones was what the team desperately needed to reset the culture. Even if he'd wanted to stay, I don't think it would have been the right fit long term. In this case, SA already being involved with the organization has paid dividends. Instead of blowing it all up, he's built and improved upon the groundwork RB laid.
The league leading powerplay is evidence of that.
He'll never get everything right, but he's done a swell job so far. He doesn't seem tethered to his ways either, which I like in a coach. If he's behind the bench when the Jets hoist a Cup, it'd be one heck of a redemption arc.
Both games I've been to this season have been super fun to watch. My dad came along with me for his first Jets game back when we played boston and beat them 8-3 or whatever. Then yesterday, I had the chance to see my second of the season and it was another blowout. Holy hell was the building loud when KFC got that hatty.
Serious question.. will we ever see these jerseys become the primaries? Every time the jets make an instagram post featuring them, 95% of the comments are calling for them to make the switch.
Now to voice a bit of displeasure with True North.
They will never relinquish
their branding. An ode to their organization is literally part of the crest. It's one of the issues I have with their ownership. Whether they choose to accept it or not, no matter how much work they did to bring NHL hockey back to Winnipeg, the Jets belong to Winnipegers.
The Jets live and die on the backs of it's blue collar citizens. They are the true lifeblood of the club.
With TN, it's authentication this, ties to Winnipeg that, but they don't respect the fanbase enough to fly the crest and colour's most desire. One could make the argument the old crests and colour's were tied to failure. That a new look redefines this incarnation of the Jets. Yet, is it what most Winnipegers identify with when they think of the Jets? I'd be curious to know for certain.
Personally, I think the 90s crest is what our team should be wearing.
From a spiritual standpoint, the Jets that were stripped from me as a child were wearing that crest. The way I see it, winning a Cup in those uniforms would undo a cosmic wrong. From a design standpoint, they took the 70's crest and perfected it. It's timeless.
However, the 70's crest is linked with success in the WHA, so I understand if people view it as our true identity.
All that said, if Adam Lowry is being passed the Stanley Cup from Overlord Gary, he could be adorned with a Safeway bag for all I care.