Winnipeg Jets defenseman and Long Island native Anthony Bitetto skates during the first period of a game against the Islanders at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on Oct. 6. Photo Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Paul Maurice heard the Long Island in Anthony Bitetto right away. And with the defenseman from Island Park now possibly missing time with a lower-body issue, the Jets coach knows his team’s bench and dressing room might be a bit quieter.
“He’s not the shy kid in the classroom you don’t get to know until Christmas,” Maurice said of Bitetto, 29, in his first season with the Jets after splitting last season between the Predators and Wild.