Edgy means something else in Canada

NHL: Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars

The first hint for me should have been that the article was written about the Winnipeg Jets .Oh, sure, the Jets are a good team, likely to make a hard charge for the playoffs again this year, but there is certainly nothing about the Jets that makes me think they are pushing the boundaries of convention.

Oh no, Jets coach Paul Maurice was describing the team as edgy not because they were cutting edge, which is the colloquial usage of the term in my neck of the woods, but rather because they are on edge, which is not a usage of the term I have seen before. The Winnipeg Jets are just so damned pumped for the hockey season.

Really though, is there anything less edgy (American version) than a Canadian being jazzed about hockey season? I posit no. And Winnipeg is perhaps the most Canadian city in Canada. Calgary has had the Olympics, Vancouver is right by Seattle, Toronto is far too urbane and Montreal is in Quebec. Winnipeg hosts out of towners a little more than 40 times a year, and only 25 at a time, while the Jets are in season. The closest major American metropolis is 7 hours away by car and by god it’s already snowed in Winnipeg this season.

After the way last season went, including a run to the Western Conference Final, where they fell to the Vegas Golden Knights, you can see why they might be a little anxious to get back to live hockey. They have young talent guiding the way, and nearly the exact same team as last season. Hunger and chemistry can go a long way, and the Jets have both. That’s Canadian “edgy”.

Of course, they could have he decidedly un-Canadian opinion (un-CBC or TSN anyway) that instead of opening the season with Leafs-Canadiens again, maybe the viewing public would be interested in watching the best team in Canada skate for a while.

You know skate blades have edges, maybe that’s what Maurice meant…

Arrow to top