“We’ve got to push back. There’s got to be a pushback, there’s got to be pride. You’ve got to be able to push back when things aren’t going your way.”
Those were the words of coach Rick Bowness, just after the Winnipeg Jets were eliminated by Vegas in five games in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And those words set the stage for a very interesting summer — and a new season where Jets fans needed proof that this core of players could win. What has followed for the Jets coach and his team is truly one of the best stories of the NHL season.
Pushback? Not an issue this season. It’s led by Adam Lowry and the rejuvenated Mark Scheifele.
Pride? Wearing the Jets sweater is something every one of these players believes in. The newest Jets — Iaffalo, Vilardi, even Neidereitter and Namestnikov — want to be in Winnipeg. They want to be Jets. That makes a difference. To have Scheifele and Connor Hellebuyck sign long-term proves that too.
This team has certainly changed from the one that barely got to the playoffs and departed with a whimper. You can see it with every shift.
After all, It was just seven months ago that Bowness put his wish list together of what he expected out of his hockey team. And while it wasn’t really a Christmas list, it was a list of what this coach expected of this team in order to win.
That famous speech in Las Vegas in the spring feels like years ago, rather than months.
But now, here we are in the third week of December, and the Jets have depth, they do have pushback and they do fight for each other. They have become one of the best 5-on-5 teams in the NHL. It’s difficult to imagine Bowness and the rest of the coaches looking under the Christmas tree on Monday and expecting any more gifts than this season has given. Oh, sure, the special teams could be better, but there is little doubt that the effort this team has shown, particularly on the penalty kill, will help alleviate those issues.
As the team heads into the brief holiday break, and in this season of giving, the Jets have done their part by giving the fans renewed hope for a long and prosperous 2024.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Stay safe. Stay healthy.
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