How did that happen?
The script was never going to be perfect but what transpired in front of a sold out Bell MTS Centre on Wednesday night was in no one’s imagination. The Jets were to contend with the improved and climbing Leafs but instead they slumped and suffered at the hands of a better team, better coach, better goaltending, and far better preparation.
The Leafs weathered early penalty trouble and Freddy Andersen did everything he could to give his skaters a shot at getting back in the game, one where the Jets had owned possession and momentum. Then it came, and another and another and by the end of the first period the Leafs were up 3-0 and the head scratching began.
The concern though was not that the Leafs were so good that the Jets could not play with them, it was because how everything unravelled was all too familiar. Missed assignments, goaltending and no battle or protection in front of the net. Oh yeah, the PK too. The Jets went 0/4 on the PP and 0/2 on the PK all in the first period.
In fact this wasn’t going as bad as has happened in the past it was going worse. Remember that quote from 4 years ago, the ‘give an f#$% factor’. Well there were no f*$&s being given by any member of the Jets nor their coaching staff. What’s even more troubling is if some one did care at any point this past off season an effort would have been made to correct something, just one thing to deal with issues so obvious every person around the league sees them.
Jets fans should be frustrated and they should be angry. There’s been roughly 30 million spent on improvements to the MTS Centre in the past 7 years yet the same stench of crap comes from within the deep bowels of the building. No amount of decorating a 13 year old arena is going to convince fans that their entertainment experience is any better when the team still looks like it did 7 years ago.
It’s easy to look back into the preseason when in this very space the notion of the same problems existed and the responses were ‘it’s only the preseason’ were the replies. ‘Wait until the real games start’ was the common response. The fans are still waiting.
It’s easy to exclaim be patient and give it time when bewilderment and frustration are expressed but at what point is enough enough for this organization. The one that pleads for patience from it’s fans with a draft and develop model. I
Is seven years too much to wait for league average goaltending?
Is seven years too much to wait for a defence system that matches the skills of the players?
Is seven years too much to wait for player usage that makes sense?
Is seven years too much to wait for capable PP and PK coaching?
Should the list get longer? It can.
Yes tonight was seven years of frustration rolled into one 7 goals against performance but it’s bigger than that. It’s also seven years of people getting wiser, learning and becoming far less patient when being sold one bill of goods and presented with another. After this seventh year, when both the coach and GM enter the next extensions of their contracts what will finally force a meaningful change within the orgnaziation? Perhaps it will take one more year, or another performance with one more goal against than tonight and 8 will finally be enough.
The sky is not falling but there is reality that cannot be ignored any longer; if the team wants to prevent the sky from falling on itself it has to start dealing with obvious realities. You can only change the passengers for so long before you have to look at the captain to understand why you have rough rides. It simply should not be this difficult to find the root of the problem when there are so many symptoms and so many doctors who see the same thing.