Winnipeg Jets. More seating for Jets fans. By: Geoff Kirbyson Posted: 3:00 AM

Winnipeg Jets More seating for Jets fans By: Geoff Kirbyson Posted: 3:00 AM The MTS Centre is expanding its seating capacity for the 2015-16 NHL season but it won't raise the roof. The downtown arena also won't be widened, said Norva Riddell, senior vice-president of sales and marketing at True North Sports & Entertainment. Instead, the owners of the Winnipeg Jets are going to add 278 premium loge seats above the luxury suites but accessed from the 300 level. The seats will be 24-inch wide swivel chairs in groups of three, four or six, and will form a single row around the building. 'We wanted to add a reasonable amount of seats. We consider these to be premium seats. There's nobody behind you and there's nobody in front of you' "We wanted to add a reasonable amount of seats. We consider these to be premium seats. There's nobody behind you and there's nobody in front of you," Riddell said. The cost will be $134.40 per ticket, and a $500 seat licence will be tacked on to the season ticket package. The central figure in the arena enhancement, all part of the True North 2020 plan that began in 2013, is a new, high-definition video scoreboard that will replace the current ornament high above centre ice. The new board will feature four primary screens that are 2.5 times the physical size and three times the resolution of the screens on the existing scoreboard. It will feature two large video rings situated above and below the screens. A new state-of-the-art control room will be installed to allow for the production of high-definition Images, improved audio and additional cameras. "There will be other buildings with bigger scoreboards but ours is going to be terrific in our arena bowl. Bigger isn't always better. Clearly we want people to focus on the game and not be watching the scoreboard all the time," Riddell said. Jon Spoelstra, a U.S. sports marketing expert, said it's great the MTS Centre can only add 278 seats. "I'm always a fan of the smaller building in the NHL. I think (the Jets) are in a terrific place. I think they're about right. I think that's a great venue to watch a game," he said. Spoelstra said those who think True North should raise the roof and add thousands of seats need to give their heads a shake. The Buffalo Sabres did that 30 years ago and it was a disaster. "They added 4,000 terrible seats. Everything was wrong with it, including the concessions and restrooms. They were the worst seats I had seen in sports. It was so steep. I walked up there and I thought I needed to be an alpine climber with ropes and Gurkhas with me," he said. The MTS Centre has undergone several renovations since the Jets became the main tenant 31/2 years ago. More than $8 million was spent in the summer of $2011 and $2 million more in each of 2012 and 2013. By the time the overhaul is complete, the total price tag will have reached $40 million for renovations carried out from 2013 to 2020. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.27.2015

764894 Winnipeg Jets Tonight: JETS @ PENGUINS Posted: 3:00 AM Ed Tait The Pens limped -- literally and figuratively -- into the all-star break, having gone 0-2-2 in their last four and 4-6-4 in their last 14. Pittsburgh has already lost 205-man games to injury and that number will rise. Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who missed the allstar game, are out; Blake Comeau, Patrick Hornqvist and Simon Despres have all been out while Pascal Dupuis and Olli Maatta are gone for the year. Kris Letang, who suffered a concussion after taking a nasty shot from Zac Rinaldo last week, practised with the team on Monday but will need medical clearance before getting the green light to go against the Jets. Hornqvist, meanwhile, was also back on the ice on Monday. The Pens called up four players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: Andrew Ebbett, Scott Wilson, Bryan Rust and Scott Harrington. Even with all their injuries, the Pens still have the NHL's sixth-best power-play at 22.2 per cent. Chris Kunitz has 14 goals for the Pens this year, seven on the power-play and four of which have been game winners. "Ø"Ø WINNIPEG JETS 31Ondrej Pavelec 34Michael Hutchinson 2Adam Pardy 4Paul Postma 5Mark Stuart 8Jacob Trouba 9Evander Kane 14 Anthony Peluso 15Matt Halischuk 16Andrew Ladd 17Adam Lowry 18Bryan Little 19Jim Slater 21T.J. Galiardi 22Chris Thorburn 23Jay Harrison 26Blake Wheeler 33Dustin Byfuglien 39Toby Enstrom 44Zach Bogosian 55Mark Scheifele 63Ben Chiarot 67Michael Frolik 85Mathieu Perreault "Ø"Ø PENGUINS 1Thomas Greiss 29Marc-Andre Fleury 4Rob Scuderi

6Scott Harrington 7Paul Martin 10Christian Ehrhoff 13Nick Spaling 14Chris Kunitz 16Brandon Sutter 19Beau Bennett 23Steve Downie 25Andrew Ebbett 26Mark Arcobello 27Craig Adams 36Bryan Rust 38Zach Sill 39David Perron 41Robert Bortuzzo 43Scott Wilson 47Simon Despres 51Derrick Pouliot 57Marcel Goc 58Kris Letang Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.27.2015

764895 Winnipeg Jets Perreault looks ready to go By: Ed Tait Posted: 3:00 AM PITTSBURGH -- Mathieu Perreault was back at his post Monday flanking the left side of Mark Scheifele and Michael Frolik and taking turns on the power play. But now the lingering question as the Winnipeg Jets prepare to resume action after the All-Star Game festivities Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins: Can the slick left-winger rediscover the scoring touch that made him one of the NHL's hottest players prior to the vicious cross-check from the Blackhawks' Daniel Carcillo back on Jan. 16? "I hope so. Obviously. I was on a bit of a streak and was playing well," said Perreault after Monday's practice in suburban Pittsburgh. "Hopefully this seven to 10 days I had off won't hurt too much and I'll be able to go back to like I was." Perreault was on a scorching run prior to the cross-check, potting six goals in six games including his four-goal effort against the Florida Panthers. He did not score a single goal in his first 19 appearances as a Jet, but has 15 in his last 26. 'Hopefully this seven to 10 days I had off won't hurt too much and I'll be able to go back to like I was' -- Jets winger Mathieu Perreault The cross-check left his left arm bruised and there was some pain in the ligament. But it also could have been worse. "The two days we had off helped a lot," said Perreault. "(The cross-check) is what it is. It was a little vicious and the league took care of it. My end... there's nothing I can do. Thankfully it didn't hurt too bad so it is what it is." Jets coach Paul Maurice wouldn't confirm Perreault's return just yet -- they'll play it cautiously until they see how he feels in Tuesday's gameday skate -- and was straightforward when asked what the club missed in his absence. "The offence that line generates looks different (when he's not there)," said Maurice. "He plays an important role on our power-play, even though I didn't mind what the power-play was trying to do. It wasn't as effective when he's not there. Other than that, for a guy that's not that big, he brings a lot of energy. He finishes checks, he's on the puck, competing at a really high level and that's infectious. Good player. "We missed him but we had good players step in. We had Evander (Kane) step in and have a couple of goals and we needed him to. (Chris) Thorburn came in and that line looked real strong last game." For what it's worth, with Perreault back with Scheifele and Frolik, Monday's practice also featured Kane working with forwards Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn on the right. Forward Matt Halischuk was on the fourth line with Jim Slater and Anthony Peluso. Perreault's return will also mean the Jets are carrying too many bodies and will have to make a roster move. FYI, defenceman Dustin Byfuglien did not practise but was en route from Columbus to Pittsburgh and is expected in the lineup Tuesday against the Pens. MR. NERVOUS: Mark Scheifele got to play the role of fan on the weekend at the X Games in Aspen, Colo., watching his girlfriend Dara Howell win a bronze in a slopestyle event. And when an elite athlete is forced to watch, not participate, it can be a little dicey. "I'm definitely pretty happy for her and proud," said Scheifele. "Honestly, it was probably the most nerve-wracking thing in my life. I don't think I ate all day just waiting for it to come. It was definitely pretty fun when it was all said and done and I saw she did well and she was happy. It was a pretty unbelievable experience. "It's crazy, especially to see what they do. It's pretty crazy. I don't think I could ever do it. The whole event is done really well and the city is unbelievable. It was something I've never experienced before and I definitely had a lot of fun." BIG APPLE TOURIST: There had been some speculation late last week that Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson might be added to the All- Star Game roster after the injury to Sergei Bobrovsky of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The NHL instead summoned Brian Elliott of the St. Louis Blues -- who cut short a trip to the Caribbean. And so Hutchinson headed to New York City. "I just went with my plans. I was going to New York, so I wasn't too far away," he said. "One of my friends that I went (to New York) with was a little more nervous that I was going to get the call or not, because he was going (to New York) either way and he would have been stuck there alone. The next morning, I saw that Brian Elliott got named and he deserves it. He's had a great start to the season. I was really happy that he got the opportunity." Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.27.2015

764896 Winnipeg Jets The push begins in earnest By: Ed Tait Posted: 2:03 AM PITTSBURGH -- It's not anything measurable. There are no numbers to punch into a formula that spits out hard-core data to represent collective confidence or swagger. And so the Winnipeg Jets who returned to the ice Monday afternoon at the Iceoplex in Southpointe, a Pittsburgh suburb, didn't look a whole lot different than the crew that had reeled off five consecutive wins before the NHL All-Star break. Oh sure, a few of the boys had the glow that comes from a few days in the hot sun. Defenceman Jay Harrison dumped his beard sometime after he took his family up to Riding Mountain National Park. And centre Mark Scheifele was still beaming from watching his girlfriend, Dara Howell, win a bronze medal in the ski slopestyle event at the X Games in Aspen. What remains is that 'expect, not hope to win' vibe that has been percolating all season. And that's important as this team prepares for the meat grinder of the schedule. 'This is the way we play. We've played that way all year and we're very excited for this end of the season' -- Jets forward Mathieu Perreault "Good break. We needed it," said Jets coach Paul Maurice. "With the stretch of games that we had, our medical room was starting to fill up on the things that can really heal up with two or three days. So that was a well-timed break for us. "There is an excitement here, I feel it, to get back on this big push. There's no more breaks and the hockey changes gears now. It's the hardest played of the regular season." The Jets have 34 games remaining and, with 60 points in the bank, there's a belief that going.500 down the stretch -- winning 17 games -- should put them close to the playoff line. Again, though, they want more. There is a sense they aren't just peeking over their shoulder at the pack behind them, but instead looking at taking down the squads ahead of them. And, man oh man, doesn't that ever represent growth from this time last winter. "This rest was good to get away from it," said Mathieu Perreault, who was back on the ice for the first time since the gruesome cross-check from Daniel Carcillo on Jan. 16. "The guys were actually excited today to come to the rink and get back on the ice. The mood in the room and on the ice today was really good. It's going to be great for the group. "The way we've been playing lately we've had a lot of hard hockey, tough hockey to play and this rest was good. "There's a lot of teams fighting just to get into the playoffs. Usually, this last bit of the season is a lot of hard intensity but it's good for us. This is the way we play. We've played that way all year and we're very excited for this end of the season." The Jets hold down the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference -- seven points ahead of the Calgary Flames. But they are also just five back of the Nashville Predators, who are first in the Central Division, and two back of the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks. All of those division rivals have games in hand, but the last 34 games of the regular season also include eight head-to-head matchups against the teams in their crosshairs (four with the Blues; two each with the Hawks and Preds). "We've all had the playoffs in our minds," said Scheifele. "Everyone wants to make the playoffs and being there and having a spot right now, we don't want to lose it. We want to continue to press to even raise the standings even more. We've got to continue to play our game, stick to our strategy each and every night and play it for a full 60 minutes. "It's just the way our team has prepared this year. We prepared in the summer all the way up until this point. And with that confidence, you keep an even keel. You don't ever get too high, you don't ever get too low." A tad cliché? Sure. But the Jets have also learned this: The view from the crest of the wave lately is a heckuva lot more scenic than splashing around and inhaling sea water from the bottom of it. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.27.2015

764897 Winnipeg Jets What the six Canadian NHL teams in contention must do to make playoffs By: Stephen Whyno, The Canadian Press Posted: 01/26/2015 11:56 AM Comments: 0 Last Modified: 01/26/2015 2:10 PM COLUMBUS, Ohio - Four Canadian teams are in playoff positions at the NHL's all-star break. The Montreal Canadiens are the lone Eastern Conference team, while the Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames are in the top eight in the West. Here's what those teams have to do to keep the spots in the second half of the season and what the others in contention, the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, need to do to make it. The Edmonton Oilers are 20 points out of a playoff spot and are largely considered out of post-season contention. Playoff chances are from Sports Club Stats. MONTREAL CANADIENS Record: 29-13-3, 61 points Place in standings: Third in Atlantic Division Chances of making playoffs: 98.8 per cent What they have to do: Hope Carey Price stays healthy. The all-star goaltender is Montreal's best player, and as long as he's on the ice and contributing, the Canadiens will be fine. WINNIPEG JETS Record: 26-14-8, 60 points Place in standings: First Western Conference wild card Chances of making playoffs: 92.4 per cent What they have to do: Don't let up and the first playoff game in Winnipeg for this version of the Jets awaits. This team "turned a corner," according to defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, and a 7-2-1 stretch going into the break gave it a nice cushion. VANCOUVER CANUCKS Record: 26-16-3, 55 points Place in standings: Third in Pacific Division Chances of making playoffs: 92.4 per cent What they need to do: Play better at home, according to all-star winger Radim Vrbata, talking about the Canucks' 11-8-1 record at Rogers Arena. With 23 home games left the rest of the way, that'll determine if Ryan Miller and Vancouver can hold on despite some inconsistency. CALGARY FLAMES Record: 25-19-3, 53 points Place in standings: Second Western Conference wild card Chances of making playoffs: 72.2 per cent What they need to do: Beat the other teams in the hunt and "you try to avoid the losing streak," captain Mark Giordano said. Up one point on the defending Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings and with others not far away, it'll be a test of Bob Hartley's young group. OTTAWA SENATORS Record: 19-18-9, 47 points Place in standings: 10 points out of second Eastern Conference wild card Chances of making playoffs: 16.7 per cent What they need to do: Hope one of the current playoff teams falls off its current pace because erasing a 10-point deficit this late is almost impossible. Winger Bobby Ryan said the Senators need to gain a point or two the rest of this month and close the gap in February and March just to put themselves in striking distance in April. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Record: 22-23-3, 47 points Place in standings: 10 points out of second Eastern Conference wild card Chances of making playoffs: 4.5 per cent

What they need to do: Get on a roll fast and figure out how to play interim coach Peter Horachek's system. Losers of six in a row, the Maple Leafs are in danger of not only a lost season but huge changes on the horizon this off-season. A run to the playoffs now looks improbable but it might affect the organization's plans. Winnipeg Free Press LOADED 01.27.2015

764898 Winnipeg Jets Jets hope return of Perreault will help them keep rolling By Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun First posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 09:21 PM CST Updated: Monday, January 26, 2015 10:48 PM CST PITTSBURGH - - It turns out the NHL All-Star break came at the perfect time for Mathieu Perreault. Barring an unlikely setback, the Winnipeg Jets forward looks like a good bet to return to the Winnipeg Jets lineup on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Perreault missed the past two games after taking a cross-check to the left arm from Chicago Blackhawks forward Dan Carcillo, who received a six-game suspension for his actions. The days we had off helped a lot. I m ready to go and be back, said Perreault, who has 15 goals and 29 points in 45 games with the Jets this season and was been riding a five-game point streak (which included the first four-goal game of his NHL career) prior to the injury. Obviously, I was on a bit of a streak and was playing well. Hopefully this seven-to-10 days I had off won t hurt too much and I ll be able to go back to (playing) like I was. Perreault said he had no prior history with Carcillo. No, not at all. It was just an ugly play. There was emotion involved. It is what it is. It was a little vicious and the league took care of it, said Perreault. There s nothing I can do. Thankfully it didn t hurt too bad. Jets centre Mark Scheifele was happy to have Perreault back riding shotgun on Monday as the Jets skated at the Iceoplex at Southpointe in Canonsburg, Pa. He s a huge part of our team. He s a huge part of our power play and he has so much skill, said Scheifele. He brings so much to the table and it s definitely exciting to have him back and I m happy to play with him, for sure. Jets head coach Paul Maurice seemed encouraged by the prospects of Perreault returning to the lineup as well, though he made it clear he won't give the official green light until after the morning skate. Yeah, he looked fine out there. We're going to give it the day, said Maurice. Experience tells you that anybody coming off injuries gets to skate once and then we'll see how they're doing. We'll take a look at all our guys, but we're pretty close to healthy. You can include defenceman Mark Stuart in the same category as Perreault. After sitting out with a lower-body injury last Wednesday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets for precautionary reasons, Stuart was a full participant on Monday and could be an option on the blue line. If Perreault gets the expected clearance, the Jets will need to make a corresponding move in order to activate him to the 23-man roster. Although it's unlikely the Jets would keep nine healthy defencemen on the active roster for a long period of time, it's important to remember that winger TJ Galiardi, who has one goal in 26 games this season, has already cleared waivers once this season and is a candidate to be placed on waivers again. With 34 games left in the regular season, the Jets are eager to get back into game action and continue their push for a spot in the postseason. We ve all had the playoffs in our minds. Everyone wants to make the playoffs and being there and having a spot right now, we don t want to lose it, said Perreault. We want to continue to press to even (rise) in the standings even more. AROUND THE GLASS Maurice made a couple of changes to his forwards lines as Perreault returned, shifting Evander Kane with Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn and bumping Matt Halischuk to the fourth unit with Jim Slater and Anthony Peluso...Dustin Byfuglien was given Monday off after participating in the NHL All-Star weekend in Columbus, Ohio...Jets goalie prospect Connor Hellebuyck gave up four goals on 13 shots in the opening period of Monday's AHL All-Star Game in Utica, N.Y. Hellebuyck, who was the lone representative for the St. John's IceCaps, is 18-13-2 with three shutouts, a 2.48 goals against average and.925 save percentage in 34 games this season...the Jets announced that they will host the third annual Hockey Talks night on Feb. 26 as part of the game against the St. Louis Blues. The aim is to encourage further conversation about mental health and wellness...philadelphia Flyers winger Zac Rinaldo was given an eight-game suspension for boarding/charging Penguins defenceman Kris Letang, which means he'll miss Thursday's game against the Jets. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.27.2015

764899 Winnipeg Jets Jets need another gear By Paul Friesen, Winnipeg Sun First posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 09:09 PM CST Updated: Monday, January 26, 2015 09:12 PM CST Maurice Paul Maurice has the Jets playing well above expectations so far this season. Paul Maurice calls it another gear. But do his Winnipeg Jets even have one? The Jets head knock likes to say the intensity level in the NHL picks up after Christmas, and then again after the all-star break. The thinking is teams get a fire under their rear ends in the scramble for playoff spots, while those already sitting pretty bear down and finetune their games for the Stanley Cup tournament. The NHL s Little Team That Could can only hope Old Man Momentum hasn t deserted them as they open Phase 3 of their season in Pittsburgh, Tuesday. Winnipeg went into the break on a roll, and enjoys an eight-point cushion in the race for a wildcard playoff spot in the West. Anybody who saw that coming should be investing in a crystal ball, a pack of Tarot cards and some tea leaves and setting up shop in a dark corner of the nearest carnival. I saw the Jets competing for a spot this season, if they played to their potential not winning one going away. Maurice The Miracle Worker has squeezed potential from this group like it s the last drop of water from a chamois, leaving a shine the rest of the NHL has begun to notice. But if he s right about teams polishing up their games, beginning now, I m not sure how that ll reflect on his. The Jets have caught many opponents off guard, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews acknowledging as much at the all-star festivities on the weekend. They ve done it by basically playing playoff-style hockey for the last couple of months: they hit, check like demons, count on the goalie for big stops and score timely goals, all while working harder than the other guys. If those teams crank it up a notch now, what do the Jets find when they reach for their dials? The goal is to change the gear after the break, winger Michael Frolik told me before the break. We are in a good spot right now, but you still want to have that push after the break... and just keep rolling where we finished. A noble goal. But, again, does this team have another gear? I think so, Frolik said. We had a couple of guys out of the lineup and now everybody s coming back. Hopefully we come back healthy out of the break... if you want to have that push and want to be that playoff team you have to always try to get better and find that new gear. That s going to be the challenge. It s true the Jets are healthier than they ve been in weeks. If the compete level stays as high, with a higher talent level, they should be fine. But there s another challenge lurking as January winds down and February steps in: the season begins to feel awfully long. Players call it the dog days far from the freshness of the start, and not close enough to the frenzy of the finish. So while some look for another gear, others simply look for a reason to get excited. It can be both, veteran defenceman Jay Harrison told me. I don t think it becomes the dog days intentionally. It s just a matter sometimes of the mental fatigue and physical fatigue that comes along with the grind of the schedule. Andrew Ladd said the standings are too tight for anybody to get into a dog-days funk, and Harrison basically sees it the same way. For teams scrambling to that playoff line, the math begins to change, now. You ll certainly see another gear as the points continue to have increased value, Harrison said. Despite only being two, they mean a lot more when there s less of them available, right? So you ll definitely see a little more desperation in games and teams are tightening up and gearing up. That s what we want to do. We re looking at bringing our game to the next level and then peaking as we enter the playoffs, as opposed to riding something that s behind us. We re looking at our best in front of us. That will take some effort. Other teams, like Chicago, probably have more to give. I just wonder if the Jets do. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.27.2015

764900 Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Jets chances of making playoff excellent, as long as there's no post all-star letdown By Ted Wyman, Winnipeg Sun First posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 04:12 PM CST Updated: Monday, January 26, 2015 04:19 PM CST When the NHL season started, how many people predicted the Winnipeg Jets would be comfortably entrenched in a playoff spot at the allstar break, with pundits starting to wonder not whether they will make it to the post-season but how many rounds they will win? Not very many. Probably none. A few of us told anyone who would listen we thought the Jets were better than many of the prognosticators suggested and had a chance to be improved with coach Paul Maurice conducting a full training camp and working his magic during the season.s We didn t predict this, of course. Then again, predictions are worth less than a Russian ruble. Just ask those who suggested the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild were likely playoff teams. Still, it must be somewhat uplifting to the Jets organization and fans of the team to see them being talked about as a post-season contender. The website sportsclubstats.com currently gives the Jets a 92.4% chance of making the playoffs. The calculation is made based on past performance, difficulty of upcoming schedule and probability of performance. It s still just the 12th best percentage in the league, but from the sounds of things it would take an epic collapse for the Jets to fall out of the playoff race. So, does that seem likely to happen? No doubt there are many Jets fans who are not counting on anything just yet. They ve never seen this team come up big in the second half of a season. Of course, they ve never seen a team that works this hard before either. Talking to fans over the weekend, a big concern was that the Jets momentum will be stalled by the All-Star break. The Jets are on a 6-0-1 streak, which includes five straight wins, and some people were wishing their next game would have been last Friday instead of Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. With all the snow on the Eastern Seaboard, further delays are possible this week (the Jets go to Philadelphia on Thursday) and many would agree that s not what a red-hot team needs right now. Still, the Jets have been very consistent throughout the season and there s no reason to believe that will stop now. They believe in their coach, their goaltenders and themselves. Sportsclubstats even gives them a 3.8% chance of winning the Stanley Cup, a better percentage than it gives Anaheim, Montreal, Boston or San Jose and the 10th best odds in the league. It would be very surprising to see them take a nosedive. RATHER HAVE KRAMER Can t see the Jets taking a chance on two-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Richards, who was placed on waivers by the L.A. Kings on Monday. Richards comes with a huge salary, five years of term left and his skills have declined considerably. With the Jets hoping to sign Michael Frolik, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba to deals in the next couple of years, they shouldn t take on an albatross contract like the one Richards carries. Yes, they should try to upgrade at forward, but not at that expense. ALL-STAR FAIL I don t even feel like commenting on the NHL all-star game. That might be a bigger waste of time than the game itself. Just trash it already cause it s garbage. ALL-MANITOBA TEAM As I said last week, I m not a fan at all of the new World Cup of Hockey format. It s an NHL cash grab that threatens to replace NHL players in the Olympics, which would be very disappointing to hockey fans, particularly the ones in Canada. But since, the NHL is looking at putting together all-star teams to play in the next World Cup, I got to thinking about what it would be like if you had to put a Team Manitoba together. Here s a not bad roster of NHLers that I was able to come up with. In goal, Calvin Pickard (Colorado) and James Reimer (Toronto). On defence, Duncan Keith (Chicago)-Travis Hamonic (Islanders), Bryce Salvador (New Jersey)-Michael Stone (Arizona), Damon Severson (Devils)-Justin Falk (Minnesota). Up front, the lines would be Alex Steen (St. Louis)-Jonathan Toews (Chicago)-Eric Fehr (Washington); Ryan Garbutt (Dallas)-Cody Eakin (Dallas)-Mark Stone (Ottawa); Matt Calvert (Columbus)-Travis Zajac (New Jersey)-Ryan Reaves (St. Louis); Michael Ferland (Calgary)- Darren Helm (Detroit)-Jordin Tootoo (New Jersey).

Coached by Barry Trotz. upt to the CHALLENGE This is a big week on the university sports calendar as the Duckworth Challenge between the Bisons and Wesmen resumes at Investors Group Athletic Centre and Duckworth Centre with the volleyball and basketball portions of the annual event. The Bisons and Wesmen men s and women s volleyball teams will play Thursday night as the Bisons look to improve on the lead they took when their women s soccer team beat the Wesmen 2-0 back on Sept. 13. The Duckworth Challenge finishes off on Friday at the U of W when the men s and women s basketball teams take to the court.s Whichever school wins the most of the five matches (two volleyball, two basketball and one soccer) will be declared the winner of the Duckworth Challenge. It s local rivalry at it s best and is worth checking out if you haven t before. Manitoba has a 12-6-5 record in the 23 previous Duckworth Challenges. Soccer was just introduced as part of the event this year for the first time. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.27.2015

764901 Winnipeg Jets New scoreboard coming to MTS Centre as part of $12 million upgrade WINNIPEG SUN First posted: Monday, January 26, 2015 12:20 PM CST Updated: Monday, January 26, 2015 05:53 PM CST The owners of the Winnipeg Jets say they ll spend approximately $12 million to improve the MTS Centre this summer. The improvements include a new centre-hung scoreboard featuring bigger and better video screens on all four sides. The new screens won t be the biggest in the NHL, but fans will notice a huge change, including an upgrade to high definition, Norva Riddell, senior vice-president of sales and marketing for True North Sports and Entertainment, said, Monday. They ll be two-and-a-half times bigger, Riddell said. It s just right for our building. A new LED ribbon board will also show graphics in better quality, while a new behind-the-scenes control room will allow for better in-game production, with more cameras and better sound. The 10-year-old facility will also get more seats: 278 premium, upper-level, loge seats. Riddell says ticket holders in Row 1 of the 300 Level will get first crack at the higher-priced areas, which will include swivel chairs and a semiprivate environment for groups of three, four or six fans. It s the least we could do for those fans in the 300 level, she said, some of whom wanted tickets in the lower level but weren t able to get them because of limited supply and high demand. Loge seat prices will be $134.40 per game plus a $500 premium seat license fee added onto the full season package. In addition, seamless glass will replace the mesh railings in Row 1 of the upper level, improving visibility. The improvements, coming on the heels of washroom and concession upgrades in the upper level last year, are part of an ongoing investment in the facility, Riddell says. The work will be scheduled to take place around concert and other events next summer. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.27.2015

764902 Winnipeg Jets Byfuglien doesn't shine at All-Star Game By Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun First posted: Sunday, January 25, 2015 09:14 PM CST COLUMBUS, OHIO - This wasn't the type of game that set up for Dustin Byfuglien to dominate or even put on much of a show. Sure, the Winnipeg Jets defenceman is a dynamic player with plenty of skill but the NHL All-Star Game is a glorified version of shinny, which lends itself to showcase the talents of the forwards. Back-checking is virtually non-existent and body-checking your opponent is strongly discouraged (officially, there were no hits), since nobody wants to get hurt during an exhibition with nothing on the line. Byfuglien managed to chip in one assist in 18 minutes and 22 seconds of ice time while paired with Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Arizona Coyotes, but ended up on the losing side as Team Jonathan Toews defeated Team Nick Foligno 17-12 on Sunday before a crowd of 18,901 at Nationwide Arena in what turned out to be the highest-scoring game in NHL All-Star history. I didn't even realize (the score) was that bad until I looked up at the end, said Byfuglien. I was like 'wow, they have 17.' I didn't hear the cannon go off that many times, I didn't think. It's tough to be a D-man (in an All-Star game). But the goalies' (job) would actually be the worst. There's not too much defence in this. You just kind of more or less watch these forwards show what they can do. Some of those goals out there... wow. Byfuglien, who started the season at forward but was moved back to the blue-line on Dec. 5 after the Jets suffered a plethora of injuries to the defence corps, was grinning from ear-to-ear and clearly enjoyed the experience of participating in his second NHL All-Star weekend. It's something that you dream about. You just enjoy the moment and have fun, said Byfuglien, who was chosen for the All-Star game in 2012 but couldn't take part because of an injury. Byfuglien didn't hesitate when asked what he was going to remember most about the experience. It's just the guys that got to put the jerseys on. There's a lot of great players in here, said Byfuglien. You never know what's going to happen later on (in your career). They put on a great weekend here in Columbus. I enjoyed myself, my family enjoyed it. Everyone seemed to be getting along and having a good time. As much fun as he had, Byfuglien is already looking forward to starting the stretch drive on Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center. It's definitely going to be nice to get back in the swing of things. Hopefully we're ready to go and start the second half good, said Byfuglien, who has 12 goals and 31 points in 48 games this season. We've got to stay consistent and do what we've been doing. Keeping it simple. It's not going to be an easy task but we've been doing it well all year. The Jets enter Tuesday's action with a record of 26-14-8, which leaves them two points behind the St. Louis Blues and Blackhawks for second place in the Central Division standings. Winnipeg Sun LOADED 01.27.2015