NHL – Winnipeg Free Press

Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS files
Jets blue-liner Josh Morrissey was named to Canada’s Olympic team on Wednesday.

Morrissey eager to make Olympic history of his own

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026

It didn’t take long for Josh Morrissey to remember where he was when Sidney Crosby scored the goal that won Olympic gold for Team Canada 2010.

This time around, Morrissey might be on the ice when another magical moment occurs for his country.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman was among the 25 players chosen to the men’s Olympic hockey team that will chase a gold medal in Milan next month.

“In 2010, I was pretty early in high school when Sid scored the golden goal. So, that one would rank pretty high,” Morrissey said Thursday when asked about his fondest Olympic memories before to facing the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I think I know exactly where I was when he scored that goal. So yeah, just kind of remember almost watching that game and then going out on the outdoor rink and dreaming of having that chance to be on Team Canada go for a gold medal. So, it’s pretty, pretty surreal.”

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Jets’ Morrissey among Manitobans joining Team Canada

Ken Wiebe 5 minute read Preview

Jets’ Morrissey among Manitobans joining Team Canada

Ken Wiebe 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Josh Morrissey is getting another opportunity to represent his country.

Only this time, it will be on the grandest stage.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman was among the 25 players unveiled by Hockey Canada on Wednesday morning at a press conference in Minnesota held to officially name the men’s Olympic team that will compete in Italy in February.

Morrissey was a stalwart blue-liner for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, though he was unable to suit up in the gold medal game owing to a nasty flu virus.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey moves the puck against the Utah Mammoth during the second period of a Dec. 21 game in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

Strathclair sniper a scoring sensation

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Preview

Strathclair sniper a scoring sensation

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025

Morgan Geekie doesn’t know what all the fuss is about.

The pride of Strathclair rolled into town for his annual visit with the Boston Bruins and — as usual — he drew a pretty large crowd of media around his stall after the morning skate.

This is standard operating procedure for most Manitoba-born players.

But there haven’t been many of those guys that have arrived on the scene this late in the season in a battle for the Rocket Richard Trophy, which is precisely where Geekie finds himself, going toe-to-toe with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche in the battle to be the leading goal scorer in the NHL (and MacKinnon leading 24-22).

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Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025

Ethan Swope / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie (39) celebrates his goal against Anaheim back in November. The Strathclair product had netted 22 goals going into game action against the Winnipeg Jets Thursday night.

Bettman, Daly address state of the Jets, league

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Preview

Bettman, Daly address state of the Jets, league

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

Gary Bettman wasn’t here to sound the alarm or to apply any pressure to the ticket-buying public.

As Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly sat at a table in front of the assembled members of the media inside Canada Life Centre on Wednesday morning, there was no formal agenda to adhere to.

This was a routine check-in with one of the 32 member clubs, which gave Bettman another platform to extol the virtues of an exciting start to a season where parity has taken centre stage.

The recent announcement related to the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Montreal Canadiens in an outdoor game next October was celebrated, questions about the upcoming Olympics were sorted through and Bettman also conceded that the Jets quest to reclaim their 1.0 history remains a work in progress — though that would suggest the efforts will continue until a suitable resolution is found.

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Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman (right) and deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke to the media Wednesday at Canada Life Centre.

Jets rumoured to host Habs at 2026 Heritage Classic

Ken Wiebe 3 minute read Preview

Jets rumoured to host Habs at 2026 Heritage Classic

Ken Wiebe 3 minute read Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

It looks like the 2026 Heritage Classic will feature the Winnipeg Jets and the Montreal Canadiens.

Although an official announcement has yet to be made, NHL insider Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports posted a link from the Jets’ website that has since been removed, revealing a few new details about the event.

The seventh edition of the Heritage Classic is expected to be played on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Princess Auto Stadium, home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

It will be the third time the Jets appear in — and host — a Heritage Classic.

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Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

Liam Richards / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
The Winnipeg Jets celebrate a goal during the 2019 NHL Heritage Classic outdoor hockey game in Regina.

Legendary Flyers enforcer chronicles highs and lows on and off the ice in new memoir

Reviewed by Gilbert Gregory 4 minute read Preview

Legendary Flyers enforcer chronicles highs and lows on and off the ice in new memoir

Reviewed by Gilbert Gregory 4 minute read Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025

The way hockey is played changed dramatically in the early to mid-1970s, when the Philadelphia Flyers rose to the highest echelons of the NHL by using violence and intimidation to create space for the team’s skilled players, winning the Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975.

At the forefront of the violence and intimidation component of the success of the team, which came to be nicknamed the Broad Street Bullies, was Dave ‘The Hammer” Schultz.

A smalltown boy from rural Saskatchewan, Schultz was thrust into the role of intimidating the opposition by pounding its tougher players into submission, setting NHL records for penalty minutes along the way. It was a role he was never entirely comfortable with, but he embraced it nonetheless, as it meant living his dream of playing in the NHL. (Schulz was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in 1976, and would go on to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres before retiring after the 1980-81 season.) As he says in Hammered: The Fight of My Life, “I never loved it. But from the moment I started fighting, I knew I couldn’t stop.”

Fifty years after the Flyers won their second of two consecutive Stanley Cups, and more than 40 years after his career came to a sudden (if not predictable) end, Schultz was an angry alcoholic, estranged from his family and friends, living a life of regret and looking for answers. He knew he had made mistakes in his life and takes responsibility for them, but as a product of the macho world of professional sports he can’t admit he has problems, let alone allow himself to seek help for them.

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Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025

Rusty Kennedy / Associated Press files
Despite his unease with his role as an enforcer, Dave Schultz (right) embraced it in order to live his dream of playing in the NHL.

Toews looking forward to early-season matchup against former club

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Toews looking forward to early-season matchup against former club

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025

Jonathan Toews knows this won’t just be another game.

Given all that has transpired over the course of nearly two decades with the Chicago Blackhawks, there’s no chance the first meeting against the team that chose him third overall in the 2006 NHL draft could just be one of 82 on the schedule.

The four-second pregnant pause Toews took before answering a question about the significance of the meeting early this week told a story in itself.

“I don’t know. It is what it is. I’m so past that point now,” Toews told the Free Press in a one-on-one interview this week. “It’s been a couple of years. I’ve kind of wrapped my head around (the fact) things are over in Chicago. But yeah, the first time, it will be interesting.”

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Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Jets’ Jonathan Toews has nothing but gratitude for the Chicago Blackhawks franchise. The forward will be facing his former club for the first time Thursday at Canada Life Centre.

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Winnipeg Jets hoping for a hot start against Utah Mammoth

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Winnipeg Jets hoping for a hot start against Utah Mammoth

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025

The Winnipeg Jets are about to face one of their biggest early tests of the young hockey season.

Sunday’s clash with the Utah Mammoth at Canada Life Centre will be a showdown between two of the NHL’s top teams right now — not only in the Central Division, but league-wide.

Winnipeg enters with a 6-2-0 record, while Utah carries an identical mark into Saturday’s meeting with the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul. After a few years of steady progress, the Mammoth are beginning to come of age and announce their arrival to the rest of the league.

“We know the skill that they have, and obviously they’ve taken a big step forward. So it will be a challenge,” Jets defenceman Neal Pionk said Saturday following an optional skate at the downtown rink.

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Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Connor Hellebuyck makes a save against Seattle Kraken’s Jordan Eberle during the third period in Winnipeg on Thursday. Hellebuyck will return to the net Sunday against Utah.

Winnipeg native Kirkland took long road to the NHL

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Winnipeg native Kirkland took long road to the NHL

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Monday, Oct. 20, 2025

CALGARY — His teammates call him “Costco” — a clever nod to the warehouse retailer’s signature discount brand that happens to share his last name.

Fittingly, Calgary Flames forward Justin Kirkland hails from Winnipeg, a city that certainly knows the value of a good bargain.

“It wasn’t really a thing until last year. A couple of the guys started saying it, then more and more and it really took off,” Kirkland told the Free Press on Monday morning with a laugh.

“It’s been fun. Mom and Dad think it’s hilarious.”

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Monday, Oct. 20, 2025

Stephen Brashear / The Associated Press
Calgary Flames forward Justin Kirkland has plenty of family members in Winnipeg cheering him on.

Stonewall native adds NHL to her long list of officiating milestones

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Preview

Stonewall native adds NHL to her long list of officiating milestones

Mike McIntyre 5 minute read Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

Talk about a “Welcome to the Big Leagues” moment.

Amy Martin, a 30-year-old referee from Manitoba, got one last weekend in Montreal. Invited to help officiate the NHL prospect challenge tournament featuring young stars from four teams, her very first assignment came under the bright lights of the Bell Centre in a clash between the hometown Canadiens versus the Winnipeg Jets.

It didn’t take long before roughly 20,000 fans were chanting “ref you suck” in her direction after what they perceived as a missed infraction.

Offended? Not at all. For Martin, it was a badge of honour.

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Friday, Sep. 19, 2025

ICE WAVE MEDIA PHOTO
Stonewall’s Amy Martin suited up for her first NHL assignment last weekend in Montreal, reffing two Winnipeg Jets games at the prospects tournament.

Former Jets captain officially hangs up blades

Free Press staff 2 minute read Preview

Former Jets captain officially hangs up blades

Free Press staff 2 minute read Saturday, Jul. 19, 2025

He’d been out of the game for a while, and the end came for a Winnipeg Jets 2.0 legend on Saturday.

The team’s long-time captain, Blake Wheeler, announced his retirement from the NHL after 16 NHL seasons.

Wheeler, 38, hadn’t played a game since the 2023-24 season when he put up nine goals and 21 points in 54 games with the New York Rangers. His regular season was cut short when he was injured on Feb 15, but he did suit up for one playoff game on May 28 against the Florida Panthers. It would be his only playoff appearance that season.

Wheeler played 13 seasons with the Jets/Thrashers franchise, and was its captain from 2016 to 2022. Wheeler was taken fifth overall in the 2004 draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. He played 1,172 NHL games for the Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers, Jets and Rangers and put up 943 points (321 goals and 622 assists). He also recorded 10 goals and 45 points in 66 playoff games.

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Saturday, Jul. 19, 2025

Winnipeg Jets right wing Blake Wheeler (26) celebrates his goal during first period NHL hockey action against the Toronto Maple Leafs, in Toronto, Thursday, March 31, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Playing in Winnipeg something Ehlers will ‘cherish forever’

Mike McIntyre 8 minute read Preview

Playing in Winnipeg something Ehlers will ‘cherish forever’

Mike McIntyre 8 minute read Saturday, Jul. 5, 2025

Nikolaj Ehlers insists it wasn’t personal.

The fan-favourite winger, who is moving on from the Winnipeg Jets after signing a six-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, told the Free Press he’s leaving with a heavy heart — a sentiment he made clear in “emotional” conversations with members of the organization this past week.

“Like I told them, they didn’t do anything wrong,” Ehlers said Saturday morning during a Zoom call from Denmark.

“I was there for 10 years. I loved it there. I love the organization, the people in it it, the guys. They became family, right? The city of Winnipeg, the fans — everyone that’s played in Winnipeg knows how incredible it is to play there.”

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Saturday, Jul. 5, 2025

Ehlers bids emotional farewell

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Ehlers bids emotional farewell

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Friday, Jul. 4, 2025

It would appear the breakup between the Winnipeg Jets and Nikolaj Ehlers was an amicable one. Emotional, too.

“Nik phoned me (Thursday), almost in tears,” coach Scott Arniel said on Friday.

“He just felt the biggest thing for him was he needed a change of scenery. It wasn’t based on the city or the hockey team. He felt like he had been here a long time and this was his one chance to make a change.”

That change has come in the form of a six-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes which will pay Ehlers US $8.5 million per season. It marks the end of a relationship with the Jets that dates back to 2014 when he was selected in the first round, ninth-overall, by the organization.

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Friday, Jul. 4, 2025

KARL DEBLAKER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Nikolaj Ehlers provided plenty of thrills for Jets fans over the years.

Winnipegger to meet his heroes after being drafted by Penguins

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Winnipegger to meet his heroes after being drafted by Penguins

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Saturday, Jun. 28, 2025

Peyton Kettles remembers the Evgeni Malkin jersey he rocked as a youngster.

So you can imagine his delight when the Winnipegger pulled on a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey on Saturday after being chosen in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft with the 39th overall pick.

“It was definitely a huge relief and I’m definitely happy to hear my name called by the Penguins. To have their history, with me growing up around that time, is really cool and really special,” Kettles said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles, where he attended the event at Peacock Theater with his parents and his brother. “I owned a Malkin jersey and all of the stuff like that. It’s a full circle moment for me.”

Kettles, listed at 6-5 and 194 pounds, is a hard-hitting defenceman who had five goals and 14 points in 53 games in the Western Hockey League with the Swift Current Broncos.

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Saturday, Jun. 28, 2025

DAMIAN DOVARGANES / ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
Carter Bear, left, stands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by Detroit Red Wings during the NHL hockey draft Friday, June 27, 2025, in Los Angeles.

Manitoba First Nation jubilant after Carter Bear chosen 13th overall in NHL Draft

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Manitoba First Nation jubilant after Carter Bear chosen 13th overall in NHL Draft

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Friday, Jun. 27, 2025

Carter Bear couldn’t hear or see the eruption of cheers and happy tears from family and friends back in Manitoba on Friday night — including a large gathering in his home community of Peguis First Nation.

However, the 18-year-old could feel the love and support after he was selected 13th-overall by the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL draft in Los Angeles.

“That shows how proud they are. I’m proud of where I’m from — my community and my Indigenous background,” he told the Free Press via Zoom shortly after having his name called.

It takes a village, as the saying goes, and Bear was feeling especially thankful to everyone in his world who helped him get to this stage. He’s the first Manitoba hockey player to be drafted in the opening round since Strathclair’s Conor Geekie went 11th-overall to the Arizona Coyotes in 2022.

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Friday, Jun. 27, 2025

Damian Dovarganes / The Associated Press
Carter Bear (left) stands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman Friday at the NHL Draft in Los Angeles. ‘I’m proud of where I’m from — my community and my Indigenous background,’ Bear said after being drafted.

‘Looking forward to that next chapter’

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Preview

‘Looking forward to that next chapter’

Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Thursday, Jun. 26, 2025

Kristen Campbell had a feeling it was coming, though she didn’t necessarily know where she would be on the move to next.

The Brandon product and the Toronto Scepters had already come to a mutual understanding that it was time for a change for both parties, so it was about making a trade that would benefit both sides.

That trade came on Tuesday night, when Campbell was dealt to PWHL Vancouver along with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 draft for the 16th and 23rd picks.

“I definitely had an idea that it was going to come into fruition and to be heading to Vancouver for this new opportunity and new environment is exciting,” Campbell said in a telephone interview from Toronto.

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Thursday, Jun. 26, 2025

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