Tag: Winnipeg Jets

I see that Paul Maclean was named head coach of the Ottawa Senators today. Congratulations to Paul. Paul was a Winnipeg Jet, longtime line-mate of Dale Hawerchuk and Brian Mullen. He scored over 300 goals in his career with Winnipeg, St Louis Blues and Detroit. Many good memories. Unfortunately, the attached video shows a fight between Paul and Lyndon Byers of the Bruins, but I couldn’t find one of him beating up a Canuck, or anyone else for that matter.

I am starting to see the quandary that True North is going to have in naming the team the Jets.  Don’t get me wrong, Jets is the only acceptable name for the team, yet there are problems.  The main one is history.  The Jets and their history moved to Phoenix.  The Thrashers and their history are moving to Winnipeg.  Ladd wears number 9, obviously Bobby Hull wore 9 and the Jets retired that number, which hangs from the rafters in Phoenix.  Will Ladd want to wear a different number?  The Thrashers never retired 9.  Is it fair to him to make him wear a different number?  Is it fair to the fans not to make him?

The link sheds more light and commentary on the issue.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/sports/archives/2011/06/20110611-085948.html

The Thrashers are gone, Atlanta has struck out again.  this time to a second Canadian city, Winnipeg.  Last time the Atlanta Flames ended up in Calgary.  No way they will be the Thrashers in Winnipeg though, we had a team, which we were screwed out of by the NHL powers that be (and still are).  They had better be the Jets.  This is a great day to be a Winnipeger (ex or not).  It is just an indescribable feeling to have them back.

This is how Winnipeg reacted on May 20th when it was only a rumour.

Continue reading “Winnipeg Jets – We’re Back”

It is on. Stanley Cup Final just doesn’t seem important any more. The Jets are back.

Woke up and my Twitter feed seems to point to a done deal.  Rumours abound as every Winnipeggers dream is about to come true, NHL hockey returning to the peg.  GO JETS GO.  I’ll be paying very close attention to this story today.

CJOB in Winnipeg is reporting an 11 AM press conference is scheduled and 90% of Canada’s sports reporters are there today awaiting word before heading to Vancouver.

Browsing some news on the Jets and found this article that goes back to when the Jets left Winnipeg.   This part was funny

“Finally, from the Ironic Department of Irony Department, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution n April 29, 1995:

The Winnipeg Jets are likely to move. But they won’t be heading to Atlanta.”Nobody’s coming next year, because we have exclusivity for hockey in the Omni (for one more year),” said Knights President Richard Adler, who now has no interest in an NHL team.

The collapse of a Winnipeg group’s bid to keep the Jets in Canada led to rumors that the club would come to either Minneapolis or Atlanta.

Adler said no one has approached him about joining a bid to buy the Jets. Several groups in Minneapolis are reportedly interested in the club.

Turner Broadcasting would like an NHL team for Atlanta, but not before a new arena is built to replace the Omni. The NHL is expected to expand by 1997.

The city of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba and a group of private investors with an option to buy the team have until Monday to negotiate a deal to build a new arena and transfer ownership. But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman this week imposed financial guidelines that the group called unacceptable.”

Bottom line though is Bettman was a tool and is likely still a tool.  The whole article is here

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Bettman-and-the-Jets-Tales-from-the-NHL-8217-s?urn=nhl-wp6017

It is beginning to look like this is a done deal.  Check out this link from The Hockey News.  Pretty slick in getting Winnipeg to bail out Phoenix once again to the tune of 40 million this time.  Sweet way to cover the Coyotes losses with the first ever relocation fee.  I think Bettman definitely does not like Winnipeg.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/40467-Source-Thrashers-sale-to-True-North-Sports-and-Entertainment-complete-decision-on-announcement-looms.html

I just read an article where the mayor of Winnipeg, Sam Katz, says the Jets won’t be called the Jets.  I am thinking this will be very embarrassing when everyone in Winnipeg still calls them the Jets, wear Jets paraphernalia and chant “Go Jets Go” at the games.  They were the the Jets, they are still the Jets and have to be named the Jets again.  Anything else is an official abomination.

http://www.dunnvillechronicle.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3135505

We miss the Jets.  We rue the day they left, and that day is indelibly etched in my mind.  When the Jets started as a WHA team, with the million dollar signing of Bobby Hull, we were skeptical of the league.  Was this going to be a fly by night thing?  Turns out we were wrong.  The Jets thrived and became part of our community and psyche.  Anders, Ulfie, Joe Daley, Velli-Pekka Ketola, we ruled the WHA.  Hell, we even beat the Russian Red Army team, head to head.  Then came the NHL.  The league we ruled disappeared and we were absorbed by the NHL.  The terms were stiff.  We lost everybody and went from the best to the worst.  But we loved our Jets, still do.  Eight of us bought 4 season tickets and we went to the old barn to see the Bruins, the Rangers, the Leafs, we were in awe.  Then came the day when our hearts were ripped out.  They were gone, gone to that hockey hotbed, Phoenix.  My God, Phoenix.  Not fair.  We did everything we could to save them.  I think we raised 50 million dollars, but it wasn’t enough.  They were gone.  We couldn’t compete with a 65 cent dollar and the old barn, the Winnipeg Arena.

Times change though.  We have a new rink, a dollar worth a dollar and a galvanized public.  All that remains is to make sure the new owners don’t do something dumb and name them something else than the Jets.  I found this video of the last farewell.  Remember the past and look forward to their future.  Go Jets Go!!

Continue reading “The Winnipeg Jets – Is This Going To Happen”