Don’t let troubling lake liquor problem linger

Northern style

North of North is partnering with the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq to celebrate the way it has propelled authentic northern fashion into the global spotlight at the gallery’s special edition of Crafted on the Catwalk tonight, featuring fashion and design from Manitoba, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, Nunatsiavut and Nunavik.

Arnaquq-Baril and series stars Anna Lambe and Zorga Qaunaq spoke to the Free Press ahead of tonight’s catwalk show.

Netminder no stranger to heavy workload as Jets new No. 1 readies for regular-season start

Stuart Skinner is quick to admit that he wasn’t always wired this way.

As the Winnipeg Jets new starting goalie prepares for his fifth NHL season, Skinner conceded that the accountability aspect that is now synonymous with his character took some time to build up.

“As I grew up and got older, you go through certain things in life that either build character or make things worse for you. It depends on your choice and your decision,” Skinner said during a recent conversation with the Free Press. “I learned it through trial and error. I learned that, sometimes, it’s hard to get honest with yourself… For me, it’s definitely been a road for me to get to a place like this.

“It definitely is one of my pillars. Accountability is so important because that brings you into a spot of what you’re going to do next. It’s easy to let yourself off the hook. I’m more in the business of putting myself on the hook.”

Pallister’s ego behind carbon tax flip-flop

It doesn't make any sense.

Earlier this week, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister stunned onlookers inside and outside the province with a decision to abandon his own $25-per-tonne carbon tax — the core lever in a complex, provincewide plan to curb carbon emissions.

The premier told reporters Wednesday he was throwing out nearly two years of work on a homegrown climate change plan because Ottawa did not "respect" Manitoba's desire to hold carbon taxes at about half the level demanded by the federal government.

It was not clear what Pallister meant by respect; the two levels of government disagree about the level at which carbon taxes should be set. Up until this week, the two levels of government disagreed over policy and methodology.

Jets rookies look to make an impression in tournament

His resumé certainly stands out amongst his peers. Now the challenge is for Kristian Vesalainen to make a similar impression on the ice.

Vesalainen, 20, is Winnipeg's most notable prospect to have travelled to Belleville, Ont., for the Rookie Showcase tournament. The Jets hopefuls will play three games against future Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators beginning tonight, with additional games on Sunday and Monday.

“Great to be back. I’m excited to start a new season," Vesalainen, the 24th-overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft, said Thursday after his team skated at Bell MTS Iceplex prior to getting on a plane. “Just get a good feeling, playing with the guys. Just get touches on the ice and obviously show what I can do.”

There's no question Vesalainen has the tools, and there should be plenty of opportunity for him to translate that into a bigger role with the Jets this season. The big, skilled winger made the team out of camp last year, recording one assist in five games before being relegated to the press box as a healthy scratch, then sent to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL for further seasoning.

Ferraro gets a call-up to the Jets

Landon Ferraro vividly recalls the moment his NHL career came to an extremely painful end — Oct. 20, 2017, in downtown Winnipeg.

“My last play was a breakaway on Connor Hellebuyck,” Ferraro told the Free Press this week.

“I tried to poke the puck past the first D. It was me and (Dustin) Byfuglien chasing it down. I thought he was going to throw me across the ice, so I tried to cut in on him, and he moved. I overextended, and I literally ripped my abductor off the bone and gave myself a hernia.”

Ferraro — at the time playing forward for the visiting Minnesota Wild — said he managed to get off a weak shot that hit the Jets goaltender square in the chest. But his 77th appearance in the big leagues would be his last following previous stops with Detroit (which drafted him 32nd overall in 2009) and Boston.