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Kris King was bang-on when he stood at the podium in True North Square last month and addressed the massive crowd that had gathered.
“The Winnipeg Jets, better than any other team, do things right,” said King, the former Jets 1.0 player who now serves as the as the NHL’s senior vice-president of hockey operations.
He was speaking that day at the public memorial and statue unveiling for Dale Hawerchuk. There was plenty of nostalgia in the air, in addition to the obvious emotion. And it was a terrific scene in so many ways.
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(Mike McIntyre / Winnipeg Free Press)
I mention this today because, in just a few hours, the organization will formally take another trip down memory lane.
Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen will have their numbers raised to the rafters tonight at Canada Life Centre, the latest members of the Jets Hall of Fame. The pair spoke with us media folks this morning following morning skate.
Like so many kids growing up in Winnipeg, I quickly became a fan of the Finnish Flash. And it was a bit of a dream assignment 13 months ago, when I flew to southern California a couple days before Winnipeg opened the 2021-22 campaign in Anaheim and had the chance to meet Selanne at his restaurant (Selanne Steak Tavern) in beautiful Laguna Beach.
He was gracious with his time, and the end result was one of my favourite features I’ve written since moving to the sports department six years ago.
(Mike McIntyre / Winnipeg Free Press)
I’ve been critical, at times, of some of the on-ice play and personnel decisions involving the Jets. Hey, it’s part of the job, as the beat writer who also writes opinion pieces, to call ’em as I see ’em, while also prompting debate and discussion.
It’s never personal, and I’ll also dish out the praise when warranted, including much of what we’ve seen so far this season with the team off to a red-hot 9-4-1 start.
So let me offer some praise in this space about the way True North has bridged the gap between the past and the present, especially in recent years.
From a pair of superb Heritage Classic Games against Edmonton and Calgary, the re-introduction of the old logo and how they’ve incorporated it into some of the alternate jerseys, the inclusion of alumni in various ways, and honouring legends of the past with things like statues and banner raisings.
It’s all first-class.
I’m looking forward to covering tonight’s Jets versus Ducks game more than usual, as 47-year-old me will be reliving plenty of great memories from years gone by with two very special guests in the building.
Speaking of Jets 1.0 carrying over to Jets 2.0, I got an email this week from a company called Digital Third Coast, which recently conducted a survey of more than 900 NHL fans around the league on a most important topic: who’s your favourite mascot?
And there, standing on the podium, was none other than Mick E. Moose, who finished second. Al the Octopus of the Detroit Red Wings clearly has a big reach — see what I did there? — in claiming the top spot. Wild Wing (Anaheim Ducks), Carlton the Bear (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Slapshot (Washington Capitals) rounded out the top five.
Not so popular were furry bottom-feeders Harvey the Hound (Calgary Flames), Spartcat (Ottawa Senators), Stinger (Columbus Blue Jackets), Buoy (Seattle Kraken) and Thunderbug (Tampa Bay Lightning). A real buzzkill, I guess.
So I’m flying from Seattle to Vancouver on Monday morning, for a quick layover en route back to Winnipeg, and I catch a glimpse of my pilot as I’m stepping off the plane.
I swear it looked like Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff was in the big cockpit chair.
I mean, the team is flying pretty high these days, but I’m pretty sure he’s not pulling double duty.
(Mike McIntyre / Winnipeg Free Press)
Honestly, it was probably the lack of sleep.
Saturday’s game in Calgary began at 8 p.m., meaning I didn’t finish writing and get back to my hotel until nearly 1 a.m.
I was still wide awake at 2 a.m., which was a bit of a problem since my alarm was set for 3:30 a.m. to grab my Uber to the airport for my 6 a.m flight to Seattle. I believe I dozed off around 2:30, meaning I caught a full 60 minutes before my phone alarm, the clock radio in my room and the courtesy wake-up call all went off at the same time, jolting me from slumber.
Hopes for a snooze on the two-hour flight were dashed by a dreaded middle seat.
After landing, it was off to Kraken morning skate at 9:30 a.m. (for a chat with former Jets interim coach Dave Lowry), then a bite to eat and a few hours of writing before heading back to the rink for a 2:30 p.m. Jets availability and 5 p.m. puck drop at Climate Pledge Arena.
By the time Monday morning arrived, I was a bit of a zombie.
Still, it really did look like Capt. Chevy was at the controls.
My Calgary hotel quickly shot up my list of personal favourites for one delicious reason: Saturday was National Chicken Noodle Soup Day (who knew?!), and they celebrated accordingly by having a steaming pot of it available for all guests in the lobby, free of charge.
(Mike McIntyre / Winnipeg Free Press)
Confession: I had not one, but two tasty bowls. Really hit the spot.
Now I’ll just have to time my next visit to National Steak and Lobster Day.
All right, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: my not-so-fearless Grey Cup prediction.
First, a quick humblebrag. Not only did I call Winnipeg and Toronto both winning in this space last week, I nearly nailed the exact point difference in both games.
I had the Argos winning by six (27-21), and they ultimately prevailed by seven (34-27). I also saw the Bombers downing the Lions by a six (23-17), and they ended up winning by eight (28-20). Both games ended being slightly higher scoring than I thought.
So consider this more of a spoiler than anything: Winnipeg indeed cements their status as a modern-day dynasty, downing Toronto by a score of 31-17 to claim a third straight Grey Cup.
By the way, I’ve got a Bombers column I’ll be writing tomorrow, appearing in Saturday’s Free Press, which I suspect football fans young and old will enjoy. It’s part of our extensive team coverage, which includes colleagues Jeff Hamilton and Taylor Allen doing terrific work on the ground in Regina.
Enjoy the big game, folks.
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