Despite the controversy that has followed Dustin Byfuglien to Winnipeg and the big defenseman’s resulting newspaper mug shots, captain Andrew Ladd is still the face of the franchise.
And despite the fact Byfuglien got into a fight on his first shift and assisted on Winnipeg’s first two goals, Ladd had no problem with the big guy’s role as Winnipeg’s early fan-favorite.
Jets captain Andrew Ladd
Tuesday night, as the new Winnipeg Jets opened their first pre-season schedule with a thrilling 6-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, every seat was filled, the crowd went crazy every chance it got and Byfuglien announced his presence with authority.
“There was a lot of excitement tonight,” said Ladd who scored Winnipeg’s final goal in Pre-Season Game 1. “It’s the first time we’ve had a chance to fill up the building. It’s exactly what we were looking forward to.”
It certainly didn’t long for the 15,004 in attendance to start the “Go Jets Go!” chant. And the young Jets seemed to ride the enthusiasm of the crowd early in the game.
On the first shift, Byfuglien laid out two Blue Jackets with big hits and then he and Columbus’ Cody Bass engaged in pushing match that almost looked a lot like a fight. At the same time, Winnipeg’s Mark Stuart and Columbus’s Dane Byers engaged in a real fight. All four went to the penalty bench for five minutes each.
The first Jets goal was scored by defenseman Paul Postma on a wrister from the point. Byfuglien and Ladd drew the assists.
Mark Scheifele
No. 1 draft pick Mark Scheifele, a guy who was expected to be sent back to the OHL’s Barrie Colts before the start of the season, banged home a loose puck at 16:50 of the first period – Byfuglien picked up another assist — to make it 2-0 and the Jets just got better as the night went on as Goalies Ondrej Pevelec (two periods) and David Aebischer (third period) combined to make 26 saves.
Postma added three assists, finished with four points and was named third star. Byfuglien had two assists and was selected as the second star Scheifele had two goals and two assists and was the game’s first star.
“If he (Scheifele) continues to show promise, what can you say?” said head coach Claude Noel when asked about the 18-year-old’s chances to make the team. “He was really good.”
So was the crowd.
“The crowd was like a seventh man out there,” said former Calgary Hitman Postma. “It’s great to just give them lots to cheer about.”
If that was the goal, then it was Mission Accomplished.
“It’s nice to be at the point where we’re back at the rink and playing,” Ladd said. “The best way for us to show the fans in Winnipeg what kind of team we are is to go 110 per cent all the time. We have to go as hard as we can on every shift and not stop ‘till we get off the ice.”
That certainly summed up the Jets effort last night. It might have been a mere pre-season game, a practice if you will, but it meant something to the fans and it obviously meant something to the Jets.
“I thought the crowd would die down after the first period,” said Noel. “But it didn’t. It was great. It just kept going. Buff stepped over a couple of guys right away. The players got into the game and had plenty of energy. It was good stuff. That’s what drives athletes in sports. It was great to be part of it.”
Last season, this Jets team was the Atlanta Thrashers, a club that got off to a terrific start and then folded its tent down the stretch. Ladd now understands that a lot of the Thrashers early-season success last year had to do with the fact that not many teams had much respect for a young club that was 35-34-13 a year earlier.
“We flew a under the radar for the first little while last year,” Ladd conceded. “We were an up-and-coming, exciting hockey team that some teams didn’t respect that much early in the season. That has to be different and I think it will be. I think we learned a lot last year. We’re still a young team but we have speed and size and I think we’ll be good. I like this team.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the Jets received word that Byfuglien had been charged with four counts of boating while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, refusing to provide a blood or urine sample, failing to display proper lights and failing to provide enough flotation devices for himself and three passengers, all the result of an incident that took place on Lake Minnetonka on Aug. 31.
There had been concerns about Byfuglien’s weight and fitness level, but any worries were put to rest on Tuesday night.
“Buff’s weight and his fitness are things we’ve talked about since we were in Chicago,” said Ladd who has played with Byfuglien, on and off, since 2007. “He’s the driving force behind our D so we all believe he’ll be ready to go.”
Ladd and the rest of the Jets found out about Byfuglien last night. He hit, he fought and he set up goals. He picked up a double roughing penalty in a spat with the Jackets’ Derek Dorsett at the end of the first period and he
In all, Mark Scheifele was the scoring star and the big surprise, but Dustin Byfuglien was the best player on the ice for every reason – good, bad, right and wrong.