Winnipeg Free Press http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/hope-chevy-has-been-keeping-up-his- spring-session-studies-421064723.html

Hope Chevy has been keeping up his spring-session studies

By: Paul Wiecek

It’s one of the oldest tricks in the hockey coach’s playbook — send an under-performing player to the press box for a night so he can watch the proceedings from afar and maybe learn a lesson or two by seeing the big picture unfold 30 metres below.

Well, for the second consecutive year — and fifth time in six seasons — the Jets are once again that player, watching the playoffs instead of playing in them.

Are there lessons the Jets can learn from the post-season thus far? Quite a few, as it turns out:

• The value of a bold trade / the value of a stay-at-home : This is really two lessons, but D-man Adam Larsson is making the case for both, and doing it dramatically.

There were howls of protest and derisive laughter last summer when Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli shipped high-scoring to the straight-up for a relatively unknown right-shot defenceman in Larsson.

Hall, at the time, was the third-highest scoring left-winger in the NHL since 2013-14, behind just Alex Ovechkin and Jamie Benn. Larsson had been averaging two goals and 12 assists through five previous seasons and was on a modest $4.1-million annual contract that seemed roughly commensurate with his abilities.

People wondered if Chiarelli had lost his mind. People are not wondering any longer.

On a team full of young, prodigious and very offensively minded forwards, Chiarelli figured out the Oilers would never win, no matter how many goals they scored, unless they figured out a way to keep the puck out of their own net.

Sound familiar, Jets fans? The Jets were tied for sixth in goals scored this season but are nevertheless presently watching the playoffs on TV because they also gave up more goals this season than all but three other teams.

How good would Larsson have looked in a Winnipeg jersey this year? How much of a difference would a stay-at-home, physical blueliner who can wreak havoc with the other team’s cycle have made to the club's defensive woes this year? How much better would young netminder Connor Hellebuyck have performed with a guy like Larsson playing in front of him every night? And how good would Larsson’s contract, with four more seasons on it after this one, have looked to the small-market Jets?

We’ll never know, because Chiarelli pulled the trigger and Jets GM didn’t.

By universal acclamation — his teammates, his opponents, the game’s so-called experts — Larsson has been a difference-maker this season for the Oilers, both during the regular season and again in these playoffs (Larsson’s two third-period goals against the the other night basically won Game 1 of the second-round series for the Oilers).

Yes, the Oilers gave up a lot to get Larsson, but who’s laughing now? It’s certainly not Hall or the Devils, who are watching hockey on TV, as well.

• Strong goaltending can make even a marginal team a bona fide contender: The were wildly inconsistent all season long, posted a losing record on the road and were hard to take seriously for huge swaths of the season.

But they did just enough to make it into the playoffs as a wild-card team and then once they got there, Pekka Rinne put the team on his back.

Rinne is a polarizing goalie — the stats crowd hates the guy. But he is a former finalist for Vezina and Calder trophies and the worst thing you can say about him is he gives the Preds a chance to win more nights than not.

And when he’s hot — as he was in the first round against the — Rinne makes a middling Nashville team a real Stanley Cup contender. When it mattered most, he posted a .976 save percentage — and two shutouts — to carry his team to a four-game sweep of the 'Hawks.

And if a good goalie makes an average team such as Nashville a contender, the other thing we’ve learned from these playoffs is a good goalie can make a great team like Pittsburgh almost unbeatable.

One year after rookie netminder Matt Murray led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup championship, it’s cagey vet Marc-Andre Fleury who is carrying the load this time around.

Fleury has two years left on his $ 5.75-million annual deal and is almost certainly going to be traded at the end of this season because the Pens can protect only one goalie in the Las Vegas expansion draft and Murray is the man of the future.

I’ve been reading stories about how the and could be going all-in on Fleury.

And the Jets? Well, if a team as starved for a veteran goalie presence as Winnipeg — and with money to spend now that Ondrej Pavelec’s $4.75-million yearly salary is off the books — isn’t in on the Fleury sweepstakes at season’s end, we’ll just have to wonder what playoffs they’ve been watching over at the MTS Centre.

• Youth is no excuse: All season long we heard how the Jets were young and this thing is going to take time and we all just need to be more patient.

And it is true that with an average age of 26.4 to start the 2016-17 season, the Jets were the fifth-youngest team in the NHL.

But if youth explains why this team once again missed the playoffs, then why did three of the four teams who were younger than the Jets to start this season — Toronto, Edmonton and Columbus — all make the playoffs?

If there’s nothing else that has emerged from the playoffs — and the wildly exciting Team North America at last fall’s World Cup of Hockey — it’s that youth in today’s NHL is an asset, not a drawback.

There were lots of reasons the Jets missed the target this year, but the overwhelming available evidence from this post-season suggests the oft-cited excuse of "youth" wasn’t one of them.

• The Jets need to be "in it to win it" in 2017-18: Chris Johnston at sportsnet.ca had an interesting read on the the other day in which he argued that for all its youth, there is an urgency right now for an upstart Leafs organization that came within a couple of bad bounces of knocking off the in the opening round.

"This is a time for ambition, a time to be bold," wrote Johnston. And then, referencing the Leafs' trio of rookie phenoms:

"They have one more year of William Nylander playing well below market value on an entry- level deal and two more of and Mitch Marner doing the same…

"Here’s a hypothetical that shouldn’t be lost on any of the men running this team: The task of building a winner in the next two seasons may end up being easier than three years down the road, when the Matthews-Nylander-Marner trio will probably be accounting for north of $20 million in payroll."

Substitute the names Matthews, Nylander and Marner in Johnston’s Leafs analysis with Laine, Ehlers and Morrissey, and you have precisely the same situation on Portage Avenue.

Yes, the Jets have a bright future. But like the Leafs, they also find themselves in a unique present and the time to push for the summit is now, not three years from now.

All of which is why the question people should have been asking after last weekend’s draft lottery wasn’t who can the Jets draft next month with the 13th overall pick, but rather, who could the Jets trade that pick to for someone who can help them right now?

The Jets, like the Oilers of the past, have a roster overflowing with prodigious young talent. They don’t need any more of that. What is needed at this critical point in the franchise’s development is a couple of key veterans who can help put them over the top next season.

A stay-at-home defenceman like Larsson. A quality veteran goaltender like Fleury. You can see for yourself on TV what a difference they’ve made to their respective teams — and so can the Jets.

The lessons from this year’s playoffs should be clear. The question is whether the Jets have been paying attention. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/mts-centre-introduces-no-re-entry-policy- 421197253.html

No going back at MTS Centre No re-entry policy comes into effect this fall

By: Scott Emmerson

The MTS Centre has closed the door on its re-entry policy.

Starting Sept. 1, people attending events at the downtown Winnipeg arena will no longer be allowed to re-enter the building after exiting, True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd., the corporate entity that owns the MTS Centre, the NHL’s and the AHL’s Moose, announced Wednesday.

The directive is aimed at providing greater security, decreasing the heavy pedestrian flow from people crossing the streets around the building during games and events and stabilizing building air temperature, True North said. Re-entry exceptions, such as emergencies, child-care or medical reasons will be determined on a case-by-case basis by event staff and security.

"The MTS Centre is one of the last arenas in the NHL to introduce a no re-entry policy," said Kevin Donnelly, senior vice-president of venues and entertainment. "It is an evolution, and we think we’re actually slow to adopt the policy."

The Jets will become the sixth of seven Canadian-based teams, and the 23rd of 30 franchises in the league, to adopt such a policy.

The announcement was made Wednesday to "give advance warning, so people can make plans appropriately," Donnelly told reporters on the main concourse level of the 16,000-seat MTS Centre. There will be a rolling-out of the policy for events this summer, allowing patrons re- entry through the main entrance at Portage Avenue and Donald Street only "to get people aware this is coming."

"We do know some people don’t like the notion of yet another regulation... we recognize it is an inconvenience and we’re going to learn over the summer and watch what happens come Sept. 1. We want to make (attending the MTS Centre) a pleasurable experience," Donnelly said as the sounds of workers engaged in the facility’s concourse renovations buzzed in the background.

No serious security incidents pushed the organization toward the move, he said. "It’s not something we’ve dealt with personally here, but it is something the (NHL) recommends you work to eliminate that threat."

Based on data collected by the organization, the move will impact about 1,500 Jets patrons per game, True North said — a large percentage of them are likely people heading outside for a smoke, an activity that will be forbidden at the facility come Sept. 1.

"(Smokers) won’t be able to leave (and return). Primarily, that is the constituency of the people that will probably be most negatively impacted," Donnelly said, adding there will be no outdoor area or indoor enclosure dedicated to smokers.

"We looked at that long and hard. Those facilities that do offer a compound or a patio of some nature, they have more space... we are bordered on all four sides by city-owned sidewalks," he said.

Donnelly was careful, however, to mention no ticket-holder’s concerns would go unnoticed. "Ninety per cent of our patrons for hockey games aren’t impacted, but we will listen to the 10 per cent."

The new policy will also effectively eliminate the practice of arena patrons running to nearby establishments mid-event for a cheaper alcoholic beverage. Because of its location inside the MTS Centre footprint, however, Moxie’s Grill & Bar may escape any such limitations.

"We are working with Moxie’s because that is a space we can preserve the security integrity (of)," Donnelly said. "As long as we can meet the NHL requirements to have that secure environment, then this wouldn’t impact Moxie’s... we’d like to see that remain consistent to what it is today."

Moxie’s management did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

SPORTING POLICIES

Investors Group Field The 33,000-seat home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers "has a no re-entry policy after kickoff, so please ensure you bring all permitted items with you when you enter the stadium," the CFL team's website states.

Shaw Park The 7,400-seat home of the Winnipeg Goldeyes allows patrons re-entry. "Fans are advised to keep their tickets in the event they need to leave the ballpark and return," the American Association team's website states.

FUMING OVER DECISION

For one Winnipeg Jets season-ticket holder who says he will be impacted by the NHL team’s new no re-entry policy, it is not the content of Wednesday announcement that bothers him — it’s the timing.

“I am a smoker, but that has nothing to do with it. I do enjoy going out between periods for a cigarette and possibly across the street for a cheaper beer,” said Mat Rurarz of Winnipeg, who has held tickets in section 329 of the MTS Centre since the NHL returned to the city for the 2011-12 season. “(But) I have no problems with the (no re-entry policy) whatsoever... it’s the way it was done.”

Jets owner True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd. has “been super-good to season-ticket holders, respectful, always updating us on changes or upgrades... For this to be delivered in the fashion that it was, (past the deadline for renewing expiring) season-ticket holder agreements, for them not to give us an idea this was happening before we signed those contracts is a little insulting.”

A self-described diehard Jets fan, Rurarz outlined his displeasure in a lengthy open letter to the organization Wednesday via his ticket representative. (He received a phone call from the Jets office soon after but missed it.)

In his email, the 28-year-old construction trades worker praised the of increased security, but questioned portions of True North’s publicly stated motivations for adopting the policy, including the argument it will help control air temperature because arena doors won’t open and close as often.

“You’d also think the costs associated with heating and cooling a building in Winnipeg would have been taken into consideration long ago,” he wrote. “I love our team, I love our rink, and I loved the way True North has respected/treated myself and fellow season-ticket holders. The first two hold true and always will. However, the mutual respect I thought was in place between myself and the organization is now gone.”

“I kind of felt blind-sided,” he said later Wednesday in a phone interview. “Any news is good news as long as you’re given it in a timely fashion. When you are given something after the fact, it is kind of hard to swallow.”

While he doubts many Jets season-ticket holders would have been willing to opt out on their seats had they known of the incoming policy, “If I was somebody who wasn’t a diehard, what’s to say years from now I re-sign again and they change something completely different?”

However, despite his misgivings, Rurarz said he will not be giving up his tickets.

Winnipeg Sun http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/05/03/mts-centre-announces-no-re-entry-policy

MTS Centre announces no re-entry policy

BY DAVID LARKINS, WINNIPEG SUN

Forget going out for that smoke or a cheaper way to imbibe during intermissions during Winnipeg Jets games next season. True North is locking the doors.

True North Sports and Entertainment announced Wednesday a new no re-entry policy will take effect in September and will be applied 365 days a year at events at MTS Centre in an effort, the company said, to address the air temperature in the building and the safety in intersections around it.

True North said frequent entry and re-entry impacts the air temperature because it lets cold air in in the winter, and humid air in in the summer. The company also said it will curtail pedestrian traffic outside the building.

True North senior vice-president Kevin Donnelly said TNSE has received complaints from customers about the temperature at times in the building.

He said he recognizes the change in policy will be “an inconvenience” for some customers.

“For that we are empathetic, but it really is us addressing a recommendation that comes to us from the NHL,” he said. “It’s something that our peers in the league across North America have done already, so it’s a matter of us catching up to the standards that we’re asked to uphold.”

Five remaining NHL rinks allow for some sort of re-entry during events, with Toronto being the lone Canadian market.

The policy will take effect Sept. 1, Donnelly said, noting the True North-operated Burton Cummings Theatre has had a similar policy “for well over a year now.”

It has not been uncommon for Jets fans to leave the arena during intermissions to visit one of the nearby bars for a quick drink that comes at a cost lower than what is available at MTS Centre.

“That really wasn’t a consideration, but if that was their pattern then they’ll have to change that habit,” Donnelly said. “But that wasn’t a factor in us adopting the NHL’s recommendation.”

Donnelly, however, said True North is discussing options with Moxies, attached to the arena, that would allow for patrons to enter the bar there if they choose. Shark Club, and bars in in the future, will not be granted such exceptions.

Those who smoke, Donnelly said, are being told to go without. He noted some NHL venues offer smoking zones, but said given the lack of space around the outside of the arena for such an area he doesn’t foresee Winnipeg having that option.

Exceptions will be given to emergencies, child care or medical reasons on a case-by-case basis, True North said.

Timing of announcement 'insulting'

Not everyone likes change, and not everyone likes being told what to do.

And some Winnipeg Jets fans feel like the parent company has pulled one over on them.

After True North Sports and Entertainment announced a strict no re-entry policy Wednesday, some fans railed against what will be a new normal.

Mat Rurarz has had two season tickets since the team returned in 2011, but felt “blindsided” by the decision and disappointed TNSE made the change not long after season-ticket holders renewed their contracts.

“This type of policy change is not done overnight. I’m sure it’s been in the works for quite some time,” Rurarz said. “I would have appreciated, as a season-ticket holder, to be made aware of possible changes coming especially before we signed a new three-year agreement to stay on.”

Rurarz said TNSE has been accessible and transparent to fans in its operations, but isn’t buying the reasoning for the change.

“They just upped the security to meet industry or arena standards across the league, which I thought was a great thing,” he said. “To give (security and temperature) as the reasoning for this change is completely insulting.”

A majority of NHL arenas already adhere to some sort of re-entry policy, but when the Edmonton Oilers moved into Rogers Place they instituted a policy that didn’t exist at their previous home, Rexall Place. That policy briefly rankled some Oilers fans who even went so far as to call the practice “discriminatory.”

Rurarz said it won’t impact his standing as a season-ticket holder.

“I will never give up my seats,” he said.

– Larkins

IN-N-OUT

Teams whose arenas have some re-entry allowed:

Dallas Stars Toronto Maple Leafs Philadelphia Flyers (at old Joe Louis Arena) Anaheim Ducks

CBC Winnipeg http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/mts-centre-no-reentry-policy-1.4097889

'No re-entry' policy coming to MTS Centre in September New policy aims to improve security and air temperature inside downtown Winnipeg arena, True North says

CBC News

If you're a hockey fan, concert-goer or other MTS Centre visitor who likes to go outside for a break during events, you might soon find that break a bit longer than expected.

The downtown Winnipeg arena will no longer allow patrons who leave the building back inside for the rest of the event, under a new policy taking effect Sept. 1.

True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the MTS Centre and the Winnipeg Jets and hockey franchises, says the new "no re-entry" policy aims to improve security by getting rid of "frequent re-entries" and reducing what it calls "heavy pedestrian flow" outside the building during games and events.

The change will bring Winnipeg in with a standard that has already been adopted by other teams in the league, including five of the NHL's seven Canadian teams, Donnelly said.

"We do recognize that this is a change in policy that does represent an inconvenience for some of our patrons. For that, we are empathetic, but it really us addressing a recommendation that comes to us from the NHL," Kevin Donnelly, True North's senior vice-president of venues and entertainment, told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

"It's not a mandate from the NHL, but a recommendation that 22 other facilities in our league have already acted on. We actually think we're slow to the party."

Staff will consider exceptions Donnelly added that banning re-entry will improve climate control inside the building, as patrons who currently leave and return bring in cold air during the winter and hot, humid air in the summer.

"We get comments from the patrons about how cold it is in our concourse with people exiting and whatnot throughout the game, so we will be able to control air temperature in the concourse and in the bowl with greater stability now, and that's a benefit for everybody," he said.

Security staff will consider exceptions to the rule, including emergencies and reasons related to child care and medical conditions, on a case-by-case basis.

"It's not meant to prohibit somebody who has a need to go, whether it's medicine or baby issues or a legitimate need to go and retrieve something and come back and take in the rest of the entertainment that they paid for," Donnelly said.

"So for those people, we say visit Customer Service. We'll issue some sort of accreditation that will allow you to leave and re-enter with your ticket and that pass."

Some fans pan change But the change means starting in September, smokers will have to forgo their "fresh air" breaks if they want to stay for the game or concert.

"It's not unlike, you know, getting on a plane to Calgary or Toronto; you have to go without a cigarette for a three- or four-hour period," Donnelly said.

He added that contrary to what some may suggest, the new rule was not introduced to stop fans from hitting up bars and restaurants outside the MTS Centre in the middle of games and concerts.

"That really wasn't a consideration, but if that was their pattern, that's their habit, then they'll have to change that habit, too," he said. "But that wasn't a factor in us adopting the NHL's recommendation."

Jets fans get upgrades at MTS Centre but beer and game tickets to cost more The new policy, which comes as the arena's concourse undergoes a $12-million facelift, will affect about 10 per cent of the audience, or about 1,500 patrons who attend Jets home games, officials said.

Some potential event-goers are already booing the new policy.

"That's not fair to the smokers, for sure. That's not going to fly," said Shawn Mann. He smokes occasionally and said he thinks the MTS Centre will face backlash from others who do, too.

"A petition will be started soon probably for that, for sure. I see it happening," he said. "They might lose business because of that, for sure."

"I think that's a bad idea," said Lainie Fischer. She said she goes to the MTS Centre several times a year and often slips out for a drink during the break.

"That would definitely make me hesitant to buy tickets, especially depending how long the show is."

Brad Mills called it "communism."

"Who are they to say that I don't have the right to leave their establishment and come back in?" he said. "I bought the ticket. I can come and go as I please. That's how I feel."

A public awareness campaign will be rolled out this spring and summer to educate patrons about the incoming policy. Donnelly said effective immediately, re-entry is allowed only through the main doors.

True North says it's had a no re-entry policy in place at the Burton Cummings Theatre for the past 18 months.

Global Winnipeg http://globalnews.ca/news/3424307/mts-centre-implementing-a-no-re-entry-policy-this-fall/

MTS Centre implementing a no re-entry policy Sept. 1

By Katie Dangerfield

WINNIPEG — Starting in September, people wanting to leave the MTS Centre during an event and then come back, will no longer be able to.

On Wednesday, True North Sports and Entertainment announced a no re-entry police at the MTS Centre.

On Sept. 1, 2017, no one will be allowed back inside the arena if they leave during an event, whether they have a ticket or not.

There are re-entry exceptions, such as emergencies, childcare or medical reasons.

“The MTS Centre is one of the last arenas in the NHL to introduce a no re-entry policy,” Kevin Donnelly, senior vice president of venues and entertainment said in a media release.

“The no re-entry policy will allow us to have greater control of the air temperature year-round as it will eliminate frequent entering and re-entering the building, which currently lets in extremely cold air in the winter months and hot humid air in the summer months.”

The ban on re-entry also has to do with security, such as decreasing the amount of heavy pedestrian flow from people crossing the streets around the building during games and events, Donnelly stated.

One Winnipeg Jets fan thinks the new policy has less to do with security and more to do with money.

“I think this is more of a cash grab to prevent people from going to Tavern or other nearby locations for cheaper drinks and food, and less about air regulation and safety of fans,” Jon Ziermann said.

“It’s rare for me to leave the building and come back in, but I think I and my guests should be allowed to do so.” True North will be rolling out the policy this summer, as a way to educate people.

Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/goes-brown-nhl-teams-trade-lottery-picks/

Down Goes Brown: Which NHL teams should trade their lottery picks?

By Sean McIndoe

Once the ping pong balls had stopped bouncing and Saturday’s draft-lottery announcement was complete, we knew two things: 1) That the hockey gods hate the , and 2) The order for this year’s top 15 picks. The bottom half of the draft is still sorting itself out in the playoffs, but the top half is locked in.

Well, at least for now.

While the order is set in stone, the picks themselves could still change hands via trade. This year’s first round has been unusually stable as far as deals go. Only two picks have changed hands, with the Blues getting Washington’s pick in the Kevin Shattenkirk deal and the Coyotes getting Minnesota’s for Martin Hanzal. (A third pick is still up in the air, as the Stars could still get Anaheim’s first from the Patrick Eaves trade.)

But so far, all the lottery teams are holding onto their own picks. And recent history suggests it might stay that way; a pick in the top half of the first round hasn’t been traded in advance of draft weekend since the Senators sent their first to Anaheim in the Bobby Ryan deal back in 2013. In a league where young, cost-controlled players are gold and most GMs don’t like to trade, holding onto your picks is the easy answer.

That said, "easy" isn’t necessarily fun, and we like to have some fun around here. In what's expected to be a weaker draft, maybe this is the year that we can talk some GMs into shopping their picks. So today, let's see if we can make a case for each of the lottery teams to trade its first-round pick. This will get tougher as we get closer to the first-overall pick, so we'll start out easy and work our way up to it.

Pick No. 13: Winnipeg Jets The case for a trade: This year's Jets season played out just like all the others since the team's return — lots of young talent and plenty of potential, but, ultimately, zero playoff wins. Kevin Cheveldayoff has been preaching patience for years now, but at some point you need to start winning.

Fans in Winnipeg are among the most loyal in the league, but they've been looking one or two years down the road for six seasons now. The team needs to take a step forward someday. If not now, when?

Does it hold up?: You'd think so. Dangling the team's top pick – maybe for goaltending help — seems like a reasonable play. But no team in the league has been more reluctant to make big trades than Cheveldayoff and the Jets, so let's file this one under "unlikely."

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/dreger-canada-should-do-well-at-worlds-1.742002

Dreger: Canada should do well at Worlds

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins Hustler & Lawless to discuss how Team Canada looks ahead of the IIHF World Hockey Championships, and explains why he doesn’t expect any retribution from the for the hit on .