TrueBlue4ever

Cons have to know they are getting bounced. Writing was on the wall for Pallister last year, which is why he bailed and left Stefanson to be the Kim Campbell scapegoat. Even if she had no gaffes (and boy she sure has) the NDP were taking over come the fall. So I think the glut of public spending is two-fold. Yes, it can be a last ditch attempt to buy votes, but it also sets up the incoming government. More spending equals more deficit down the road, and so as the new opposition they can scream “wasteful spending and fiscal irresponsibility” which is the stereotype of NDP governments, and most voters will forget where the spending started. These chess moves now are about setting up the future re-claiming of power.

All true, but it still gets you pretty far. Like the Presidency. Name the last Government that truly got voted in as opposed to one getting voted out. Now it’s F Trudeau, before it was Stop Harper, before that it was the scandal-ridden Martin/Chrétien regime, before that it was lame duck Campbell paying for the Corrupt Mulroney regime (now being repeated with Stefanson/Pallister in MB). Rage works because the typical voter would rather be angry and have someone to blame instead of researching actual policies. Politicians know this and play the game for power, giving people a villain to vote against rather than having policies that most will tune out anyway.

The leverage Chevy has is giving Montreal one year on term without competition to negotiate long-term with Dubois. If he is a UFA Montreal has 30 other teams to bid with. As much as Dubois talks about wanting to play there, if an $11 million offer came up in Tampa or Vegas, Dubois may well jump there.

No Canadian ratio, and no way Nic Demski would have ever seen the CFL field IMO. No current Canadian o-lineman would make the cut either. And maybe Andrew Harris does not survive his first year and gets replaced before he becomes dominant, or gets cut more quickly after his dip in play in year 4 and never becomes the long standing talent he has become. Fact is there are too many Americans playing that can fill the role of a Canadian that no Canuck would get the chance to grow as a player without the ratio protection (the Baltimore Stallion experiment showed how dominant a team of all-Americans could be and how Canadians would not get a look with a stacked American roster). And if no Canadian kid playing pre wee football can dream of making it as a CFL pro, they lose interest in watching the game on TV or in the stands, and the CFL goes bye-bye. A Canadian success story breeds interest which breeds eyeballs watching the game and kids invested in playing the sport.

I am not thrilled at all with the way the Jets have been playing, especially the power play and seemingly chasing the game early so much, BUT….. I had zero expectations of them being in the playoffs at the start of the year. So they overachieved big time through mid-January, and I did not drink the Kool-aid and get false expectations. So the slide has not eaten away at me so much. Getting into the playoffs would be pleasant but not a “successful” year, and I believe they banked enough points early that they will get in. It would take a playoff series victory to qualify as a “successful” year. Is there a team they can upset in round 1? Colorado extremely doubtful, even with the early season success they had (Avs were injured so those results in October/November don’t really mean anything). Minnesota I’d say no because the Wild just seem to know how to play the Jets well. Dallas might be the most plausible, if puck luck and goalie match-up is won. That and the power play gets un-stuck. And who knows who will win the Pacific, but I think any of them are beatable with a goalies they would face. But the Jets could easily be swept in 4 by any of them as well. I think the play has been better than the results more nights than not (blew a lead in Jersey, got a bit goalied in Long Island, blew a lead against LA and San Jose, got goalied big time against San Jose and Minnesota, probably outplayed Boston but you need to be perfect against them and not just better, played decent enough to deserve a point in Carolina) but their bad efforts have looked really bad, and that is what gets noticed. Having said all that, come the summer this team does need an overhaul of some sort. First thing is sign Hellebuyck to another extension and build the team around his likely $9-10 million per year salary. Then go to Dubois and determine if there is any chance he will sign long term this summer. If he says he wants to rest free agency, move him immediately to Montreal for one their first round picks this year (and another one next year if Florida makes the playoffs and their pick is lower) plus a solid centreman and depth defence in return. Once Dubois is figured out then it will determine if Scheifele is a “must keep” or “move on”. If there is no clarity early on those three, then fans should brace for, and more importantly accept, a tear down and re-build that means 3-4 years out of the playoffs. Reality of today’s NHL is that to be really good, you first have to be really bad for a while and get those top 3 draft picks - and get them to stay. Anyway, just my random rambling thoughts on things.

With the way Calgary is playing and the Predators tough schedule upcoming, and the points the Jets banked earlier, I’ll say 85% chance Winnipeg gets in.

Are you saying they aren’t?

……still in a playoff spot.

I think I’ll live.

Changing your mind is like changing a diaper. We can wipe away the mess and stink you’ve produced (in your case your silly opinion) but we know you’ll be back spewing crap soon enough.

But when will the fans admit it?

Jordan Binnington is a clown. That’s it. That’s the post.

Just what we need - another guy who will pass rather than shoot.

If it can’t get past the MBB word censor, no way is it getting past the Skydome police.

Feefee!!!!

I wish refs would call more instigation for players who start a skirmish after a clean hit.

Morrissey is going to miss a few games I fear.

Faceoff win and great patience by Namestnikov in alone and the lead is back to two at 4-2.

Ehlers with the snipe makes it 2-0. Namestnikov on the delayed penalty makes it 3-1 as the Jets crowd the net. Power play finally clicking tonight.

Scheifele

You have a funny definition of dismal.

Like MLSE has been?

“Defense attorneys have dismissed the “tools” theory as a novel, flawed concept with no legal foundation. They argue that the Justice Department is trying to unfairly hold their clients responsible for the violent actions of others in the crowd of Trump supporters. Tarrio, for example, wasn’t even in Washington on Jan. 6.” Charles Manson wasn’t present when his “family” murdered people. Didn’t stop his conviction. Sounds like a good legal foundation to me.

They all have their own hands but they come from different moms.