blue_gold_84

Blaming Hellebuyck for this shitty effort from the rest of the team tonight...?

Morrissey and Myers have been absolutely terrible tonight.

IIRC, he stepped away for personal reasons. I don't recall any specific details, though. To be clear, I'm only guessing he retired.

From a few days ago but GSP sidelined with colitis: http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/ufcs-dana-white-georges-st-pierre-colitis/ Posted from his FB account on Saturday: And then Luke Rockhold has to be a dink about it: https://www.mmafighting.com/2017/12/4/16735206/luke-rockhold-georges-st-pierre-should-move-along-from-middleweight

Muamba isn't a free agent. And I'm not sure if Hall's system (as it was implemented in 2017) is a MLB away from being a championship defense.

Agreed. A healthy and focused Myers, a more seasoned Morrissey, the addition of Kulikov, and a more concerted effort on team defense have all paid off where the team's defensive zone play is concerned. Couple that with the improvements Hellebuyck made to his craft and it's a cooperative interaction of multiple pieces working successfully together. A synergy, if you will.

23 of the 27 All-Stars for 2017 are from the West Division. That's mind-boggling... Er, bottling.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Maybe this will encourage Russia to get its act together regarding its athletic programs.

I'm pretty sure he simply retired after resigning as DC of the Argonauts back in May of 2015.

Seriously...? Kuznetsov went to fist-bump Connolly who scored a goal. Connolly wasn't paying attention, so Kuznetsov fist-bumped himself.

Givens has a lot of potential, IMO. I look forward to seeing what he can do with a full training camp and a better grasp on the offensive playbook.

Loffler was drafted in 2016 and has played 2 full seasons at S. He's been a mainstay there for 2/3 of Hall's tenure. Heath joined the team midway through last season and has played the same position ever since, roughly 1/2 of Hall's tenure. Both players settled into their respective positions pretty quickly, especially Loffler. The revolving door has been on the field side, IMO. But the secondary has been terrorized by big passing plays across the board, both this past season and in 2016. To me, that says scheme/system is more of an issue than rotating personnel.

It's not an assumption, though. Eliotte Friedman reported on Hellebuyck's off-season plan during the 2017 playoffs: https://www.arcticicehockey.com/2017/5/28/15706626/winnipeg-jets-connor-hellebuyck-offseason-changes And more from Friedman's article itself: http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/30-thoughts-future-hold-dubas-leafs/ So far this season, Hellebuyck moves better, tracks the puck better, plays his angles better, and controls the puck well. His glove hand has also returned to form, which is a huge confidence boost for any goalie. A big save can swing momentum just as much as a goal can. Goalie camp aside (which was clearly a huge benefit to him), whatever else he changed in the off-season is paying off in dividends.

Eh, you never know. Thorpe bailed and attempted to find greener pastures (no pun intended because piss on the Riders), but that seemed to blow up in his face. He went from one PR to another, so I have to wonder if he now regrets his kneejerk decision to request his release. Who knows... Maybe he reaches out in the off-season. Stranger things have happened. Although, it shouldn't be difficult to find a proven possession receiver for next season.

Uh, what about Loffler and Heath...? And the secondary across the board blew coverage and missed assignments at times this season. It wasn't just limited to rookies making those mistakes. Obviously, having no MLB didn't help but it seems pretty obvious pass coverage was a weakness for this defense all season, despite some strong talent in the secondary.

LaPolice had a good gig with TSN, so it isn't like he was just at home on the couch eating cheetos. And just because he replaced Bellefeuille doesn't mean his hiring should be diminished. The offense was the least of the team's problems for the bulk of the season, if not the strongest phase of the team.

Being fired from a gong show isn't really indicative of anything. I'd even argue that's more a question of a GM having absolutely no clue how to do anything.

I don't disagree. I found MacLean's comment kind of silly, to be honest. Especially when you consider how much Hellebuyck changed in the off-season: his diet, his workout regimen, and obviously, the NET360 camp. It makes me wonder if those changes were made as a result (cause and effect) of the team signing Mason back on July 1. Perhaps that signing lit a fire under Hellebuyck's butt and pushed him to be his best going into this season. I think it all factors in, anyway. Including improvements to the blue line, such as adding Kulikov, as well as getting a healthy and focused Myers back in the lineup.

I think you missed the point. Mason provided legitimate competition for Hellebuyck, who really put his nose to grindstone and worked on his craft this past off-season. Of course attending the NET360 camp helped. But it's good to see the Jets' netminders are both getting along and are respectively understanding of their roles. That goes a long way for cohesiveness, which is important for a team trying to be consistently successful.

For the life of me, I can't understand how a DC would get to keep his job after three straight years of futility. Hell, Etcheverry got a year.

https://www.cfl.ca/2017/12/04/redblacks-name-noel-thorpe-clubs-defensive-coordinator/ Well, that sucks major assbutt. I wonder if the Bombers even talked to Thorpe.

The Murican political landscape is a gong show right now. I can't believe this is what's happening.

The title of this thread is gold. LOL Trap game for the Jets tomorrow...? Could be. But if they stick to their game, they should be alright. The Red Wings are in trouble.

So good to see Hellebuyck get his first shutout. It seemed overdue. The Jets are cruisin' right now.

Jets are flying tonight. Great start.