December 10, 2012
NHL lockout leaves Noel with no team to coach and plenty of time on his hands

Winnipeg Jets coach Claude Noel gives directions to Winnipeg Jets LW Evander Kane during hockey practice at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. JASON HALSTEAD/WINNIPEG SUN/QMI AGENCY FILES

I don't know about you, but I've missed a Claude Noel fix for a while, now.

The lack of gems from the imminently quotable Winnipeg Jets head coach has been one of the few drawbacks to this otherwise yawn-inducing NHL lockout.

Noel can make you laugh and he can make you think, which isn't a bad combination.

He probably isn't doing much of the former these days, relegated to 5 1/2-hour days at the office, Monday-to-Friday, with no roster decisions to make and no games to coach.