Dustin Byfuglien back in the Jets’ dressing room for alumni game

To say that Dustin Byfuglien wasn’t a fan of the spotlight is an understatement of epic proportions.

The guy with the personality that was larger than life preferred to keep that side of him mostly contained behind the hallowed halls of the Winnipeg Jets locker room.

Since he unexpectedly stepped away from the game in the fall of 2019, Byfuglien has limited his rare interviews to discussions about fishing, happily leaving the NHL game in his rearview mirror.

But on Saturday morning, there was Byfuglien standing in the newly-renovated Jets’ dressing room, holding court with a group of reporters hanging on his every word prior to the alumni game that was part of the 2026 Heritage Classic.

Connor Hellebuyck breaks silence after trade from Jets

It took until the very end of his introductory news conference Saturday — right around the 15-minute mark — before Connor Hellebuyck was finally asked the question that hockey fans back in Winnipeg were likely waiting for.

“Is there anything you’d like to say to Jets fans?” a reporter who covers Hellebuyck’s new team, the New Jersey Devils, put to him during the session held inside the Prudential Center in Newark.

A short pause followed.

“I mean, there’s a lot. There’s a lot that I need to say,” Hellebuyck began, no doubt raising plenty of eyebrows around here and the hockey world in general.

Bombers top B.C. Lions 34-10 to earn playoff spot

Dru Brown saved the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ season.

They were a trainwreck for the opening 40-plus minutes in Vancouver on Friday night before Brown provided the ultimate spark, accounting for 31 consecutive points in a 34-10 victory over the B.C. Lions to clinch a playoff berth.

The Lions — who had nothing to play for and rested a long list of key starters — somehow led 10-3 late in the third quarter when Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was forced to leave the game. Lions defensive tackle Nathan Cherry was flagged for roughing the passer after driving Collaros into the turf, and the 38-year-old pivot was ruled out shortly thereafter.

And then Brown’s brilliance began.

Sun sets on Hellebuyck era

Now that the Connor Hellebuyck era of the Jets has finally concluded, what impact will the departure have on the netminder’s legacy?

Well, it’s a complex answer and one that could change with the benefit of time and a side order of sober second thought.

Given how raw things are right now and how things quickly went sideways — with the franchise goalie essentially forcing his way out of town with his trade request back in April — many members of the Winnipeg Jets fan base quickly found themselves at the “good riddance” stage of the grieving process.

This wasn’t how this story was supposed to end and there’s no doubt some feelings have been hurt along the way.

Klein promises to freeze property taxes, charge fee to hire more police

Kevin Klein would freeze property taxes next year but charge homeowners a new, separate $3.99 monthly police fee, if he’s elected mayor of Winnipeg next week.

Klein released his costed platform Friday, which calls for the new charge. He said it would last at least four years but is not meant to be permanent.

“I don’t see this as saddling this with somebody for the next decade or 20 years. I see this as something we have to do today, to get more police officers on to the streets, that we are, right now, desperately in need of,” he said.

The revenue would allow the city to hire 100 more police officers, with 50 new uniformed cops added in each of the next two budgets, said Klein.

Manitoba to focus on children — and adults — in revamped autism plan

The Manitoba government has announced a U-turn that will ensure its autism strategy covers children and adults alike in response to community backlash.

Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine announced Friday that recent amendments to Bill 232 — which would have bolstered disability-related support only for anyone aged 17 and under — will be reversed.

“I want families to know that we listened to every word that they said,” she said at a news conference inside her third-floor office at the Manitoba legislature.

The Autism Strategy Act will require the government to create a policy to improve the screening and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and support research.

Addressing poverty best way to reduce crime, majority of city residents say in survey

A majority of Winnipeggers believe tackling poverty is the best way to reduce crime, according to a new poll that also suggests support for addressing the root causes of crime has slipped over the past four years.

The survey, conducted by Abacus Data for the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, found 56 per cent of residents favour increased spending on poverty reduction, compared with 22 per cent who believe spending more on police is the best solution.

Support for poverty reduction has fallen six percentage points since 2022, while the proportion favouring increased police spending has edged up three points.

“It’s encouraging… because I thought it would be much lower,” Kate Kehler, executive director of the council, said Friday at a safety and well-being seminar at St. John’s High School.

Winnipeg police suspend use of Crime Stoppers after hack

The Winnipeg Police Service has suspended its use of Crime Stoppers after a significant data breach.

An activist group hacked and stole a massive trove of data from United States firm Navigate360 and the tip management platform it operates last March, the CBC has reported. Crime Stoppers chapters in Canada and the U.S. use the platform to keep data anonymous.

More than 1.5 million tips submitted to Canadian Crime Stoppers programs over the last 25 years were exposed in the hack, along with unredacted personal information, the public broadcaster reported.

Crime Stoppers chapters collect what are supposed to be anonymous tips from members of the public on criminal activity, which are then provided to law enforcement, with cash rewards offered.

Province orders ban on private teacher-student messaging

Manitoba teachers are no longer allowed to text or use social media to contact a student – regardless of whether they coach a school sports team or supervise other activities outside typical instruction times.

On Friday, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt announced a universal ban on school staff initiating remote communications with a student, as well as responding to any messages on “unauthorized” platforms.

“There is never a reason for those communications to be happening in private,” Schmidt told reporters during an afternoon news conference inside her office in the legislature.

“Communications must always be done on a platform that is monitored and, ideally, with parents’ consent and direct involvement.”

Star Grier still blazing trails in film

Work as long as Pam Grier, and you’ll have stories. And does Pam Grier ever have stories.

There’s the one about Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, who wanted her to teach him to make fried chicken but all they had on hand was squab.

“I made fried pigeon for him, and the rest of my life he sent me a birthday card until he passed.”

Or the one about meticulously rehearsing a scene in which she has to stealthily pull a gun in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film Jackie Brown.

Word test

TESTING

Premier Wab Kinew is an imported Manitoban, born in Kenora and raised on Onigaming First Nation in Treaty Three (in northwestern Ontario) before his family moved to Winnipeg. He’s the son of well-known Anishinaabe leader and traditional knowledge keeper Tobasonakwut Kinew and Kathi Kinew.

These are the words we provided feedback on: Boniface, Cockburn, Dauphin, Dene, Hellebuyck, Iafallo, Íslendingadagurinn, Kinew, Kildonan, Malak Abas, Métis, Newfoundland, Orlikow, Pembina, Portage la Prairie, Premier, Regina, St. Vital, Samyn, Schiefele, vínarterta, Wiebe, Generation Z.

Winnipeg Jets trade Connor Hellebuyck to New Jersey Devils

Connor Hellebuyck finally got his wish. Kevin Cheveldayoff finally got an offer he couldn’t refuse. And a long-running sports soap opera has finally ended.

The Winnipeg Jets pulled off a blockbuster deal Friday morning, shipping their disgruntled franchise goaltender to the New Jersey Devils for a package including four players and two draft picks.

Although they liked the return, nobody within the organization was popping champagne. This was, in many ways, a dark but necessary day.

“It certainly hasn’t been fun. There’s no question about it. But at the end of the day, Connor made his choice. And, as an organization, we had to act accordingly and we did,” the general manager said during an afternoon news conference inside Canada Life Centre.