Wheeler, Chiarot get into it at practice

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This article was published 23/03/2018 (2222 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To say a couple of Jets lost their cool Saturday afternoon would be an understatement.

Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler left early, and practice was cut short after he and Ben Chiarot got into a punch-up at Bell MTS Place.

The teammates got into an altercation during a power-play drill about 30 minutes into the skate, as some pushing and shoving quickly turned into a series of jabs by the club’s leader and the veteran blue-liner. 

Several players stepped in to keep the peace, but Wheeler wasn’t done, tossing down his gloves and challenging Chiarot for another go.

Head coach Paul Maurice loudly demanded an end to the fracas, instructing Wheeler to leave the ice. As he departed, Wheeler tossed his helmet into the bench.

He wasn’t available for interviews following the skate.

It’s not clear what caused tempers to flare. It certainly appeared that Wheeler, stationed at the side wall, initiated the blow-up when he blasted a shot well wide of the net that nearly hit players in the slot.

In the dressing room after, Chiarot downplayed the incident, suggesting it highlights the intensity of the club, riding a four-game winning streak and harbouring lofty playoff aspirations.

“Just a little intensity in practice, always a good thing,” Chiarot said. “They happen all the time. Tempers get up. Intensity in practice is always a good thing, and that’s something we’re trying to bring here before the playoffs. I look at it as a good thing.”

He was asked if a heated incident such as that is quickly forgotten by the combatants.

“Oh, yeah, I don’t even remember how it started. It’s just boys being boys,” Chiarot said. “You spend every day with a group of guys… brothers are going to fight. When boys are playing a sport, a fast sport, things are going to happen.”

Maurice said he had no problem with the unusual altercation.

“You’d like a few more of those during the year, if you could,” he said. “Our theory in how we practise is really short, as fast as we can, a full-contact sport. In the games, somebody gets an elbow up, somebody gets a piece of someone — that happens, and occasionally in practice that’s going to happen. It’s all good.”

He said he expects no residual effects and feels no need to speak to either player.

“There will be no family meeting tomorrow,” Maurice said.

Winnipeg (45-19-10) set a franchise record Friday night, collecting its 99th and 100th points with a 3-2 overtime win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks. The team is second in the Central Division, 8 points ahead of the Minnesota Wild (42-24-8).

The Jets, trailing Nashville (48-16-10) by six points, host the Predators today at 6 p.m.

Jets centre Mark Scheifele was on the ice when the fight broke out, and was one of the first in to try and calm the situation,

“I didn’t do anything. I was just sitting in the slot, I don’t know if I had anything (to do with it). I was just an innocent bystander, that’s for sure,” Scheifele said. “I’m all good. Everyone is all good. Just an intense practice.”

On the surface, generating that much ill will in the blink of an eye can’t be good for a squad that has done a lot of great things lately. Winnipeg, 7-2-1 in its last 10, has eight contests left in the regular season, and will qualify for its first appearance in the playoffs in three seasons.

But Scheifele said it’s already water under the bridge.

“It’s forgotten quick. We’ve got short memories — I know I at least do. You’re in the heat of the moment for a little bit, and then have a quick bite to eat, a glass of water and you’re good to go,” Scheifele said.

Adam Lowry hinted this could one day live on in Jets folklore.

“Guys are already joking about it. They might be mad at each other for 10 minutes, but you don’t expect a grudge to be held too long. I’m sure (by today), they’ll be laughing about it,” he said.

Maurice said he believes there’s far more respect among players than in previous generations, contrary to what the hockey fans might think.

“The things that used to get said on the bench or on the ice, the death threats were nightly. There was a lot of illegality going on in the game. I think the players have far more respect for each other now than they did 20 years ago, for sure.”

Enstrom back on the limp

Rookie blue-liner Tucker Poolman will likely replace Toby Enstrom in the lineup against the Predators.

Enstrom suffered a lower-body injury when he got tangled up with Ducks centre Ryan Kesler in the second period, and didn’t play in the final frame on Friday night.

The Swedish-born veteran missed23 games earlier in the season with an upper-body injury, and has been sidelined for a pair of four-game stints in the new year with lower-body injuries.

He has a goal and five assists in 41 games.

Meanwhile, Jacob Trouba (concussion) joined his teammates at practice wearing a yellow “no-contact” jersey. Maurice said there’s still no set timetable on the defenceman’s return.

Hellebuyck expected to start 

Connor Hellebuyck is slated to tend the crease for the Jets today, his 59th start of the season. The 24-year-old netminder earned his 38th victory with a 16-save effort Friday.

He’s third in the NHL in wins — behind Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (42) and Nashville’s Pekka Rinne (40) — and has a 2.34 goals-against average, third-best among goalie with at least 40 starts, and is fifth in the NHL in save percentage (.924).

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell