‘This is one of the best places to play’

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This article was published 20/02/2025 (222 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

First place in the NHL standings. Dead last in desirability.

Such is the perplexing state of the Winnipeg Jets these days, the team finds itself the butt of plenty of jokes after a recent anonymous player poll dumped all over the league’s smallest market. The Athletic surveyed 111 skaters and a whopping 48.7 per cent said our little neck of the woods would be No. 1 on their no-trade list.

Buffalo was a very distant second at 19.51 per cent. San Jose was third (8.54 per cent) while Calgary and Ottawa (both at 3.66 per cent) rounded out the top five.

All of which raises an obvious question: If this is such a godforsaken place to play, why do so many opt to stay here long-term? Are they brainwashed? Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?

We went looking for answers on Thursday, going through the Jets dressing room to speak with multiple players who had the opportunity to get out of dodge only to double-down and decide to plant even deeper roots by re-signing with the organization.

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Dylan DeMelo rarely drops the gloves on the ice, with two career NHL fights to his good name. The veteran blue-liner was feeling pretty scrappy as he spoke off-the-cuff and straight-from-the-heart about the sullied reputation of his current hockey home.

“I just feel like it’s very narrow-minded,” the 31-year-old from London, Ont., said of the poll results. “I feel like people who are coming to Winnipeg and overlooking it are missing out.”

As DeMelo noted, the NHL lifestyle usually means a quick “in and out” of any particular city. Airport. Hotel. Arena. Rinse. Repeat.

“They’re not getting a true representation of the city,” said DeMelo, who was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2011, moved on to the Ottawa Senators in 2018 and was traded to Winnipeg in 2020.

A perfect example of that is one player saying Winnipeg’s “bad food” was their biggest beef — a laughable notion for anyone who has spent any time here.

“If anybody needs food recommendations they can shoot me a text and I’ll help them out. There’s some great spots even around downtown, you don’t even have to go far,” said DeMelo.

“Obviously there are some things that are out of our control like the cold in winter and the taxes compared to other cities, but for me, this is such a fun place to play and live. Our kids are growing up in the community, the team is great, the organization is top class. You see obviously we’ve been able to retain key players, a lot of players.”

Indeed they have. DeMelo was a pending unrestricted free agent a year ago, coming off a a career-best season both personally and for his defence partner, Josh Morrissey. Rather than test the waters to see what 31 other teams might offer him, he opted to re-sign with the Jets prior to July 1 at a very reasonable US $4.9 million per season.

So, too, did Nino Niederreiter, who joined the Jets in a 2023 trade and then signed a three-year contract extension last season rather than see if the grass might be greener somewhere else.

“This is a way better city than a lot of people think it is,” said Niederreiter. “I feel like this poll is not fair for the city. Obviously you can’t change the weather, and that’s probably not the best-case scenario to be here. For a visiting team, you go to the hotel, you go to the rink and that’s about all you see. That’s not really fair.”

Sure, he comes from Switzerland, a place that is no stranger to cold and snow in the winter, but Niederreiter has very much embraced everything the city and province have to offer — even trying snowmobiling for the first time in December (and helping rescue a couple stranded motorists in the process).

“There’s a lot to do here, but a lot of teams, they are just in and out so they don’t see a lot of things,” he said.

“And it’s a tight-knit community here. You can tell the love they have for hockey, it’s always tremendous. The passion they have for us and the way they celebrate us when things are going well, and feel for us when things aren’t going well. It’s a cool city to play for.”

Goaltender Eric Comrie is part of a long list of drafted-and-developed players who remain in the organization. Connor Hellebuyck, the best goalie on the planet, signed a seven-year extension rather than test the free agent waters. So did centre Mark Scheifele. Morrissey, Kyle Connor and and Adam Lowry have done the same.

“I think people who do come and play here understand how much fun it is and how well they take care of you. When you play here it’s a whole different vibe,” said Comrie.

“First of all, the weather here is a lot better than people think it is. I see the sun every single day and I love it. We also have one of the best rooms in the league, I love every single one of these guys on this team. We have so much fun together.”

There’s another factor to consider as well, one which likely explains why Comrie’s hometown of Edmonton is no longer on the list. Star players (such as Connor McDavid) and success (the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup Final last year) can quickly change a tune.

“I think some of the D playing on Team USA (at the 4 Nations Face-Off) are thinking, ‘Hmmm, playing in front of Helly is pretty good.’ I think a few might change their minds and say ‘Let’s all go to Winnipeg because we like playing in front of this guy, he’s pretty good.’”

As Comrie explained, players from other teams with no connection to Winnipeg are likely not seeing the city at its best if they are simply coming for 24-36 hours in the middle of winter to play a game.

“But if you’re winning, I think that’s going to change. People will want to start coming here,” said Comrie who also had had NHL stops in Buffalo, Detroit and New Jersey. “I truly believe this is one of the best places to play. The people are unbelievable, the fans are unbelievable, and we are treated so well. It’s top notch.”

Unfortunately for the Jets, perception can sometimes trump reality and head coach Scott Arniel has seen first-hand examples of players who have refused to come here during attempted trades and free agent signings. He admits Winnipeg can be a tough sell on some, at least at first.

“It goes back to when I played. But the biggest thing, honestly, is once a player does come here, they realize that it is special here,” he said.

“We do everything first-class. We do not cut corners anywhere. How we travel, how we accommodate the guys here, all the amenities that are available to them, how we treat their families. It’s just made it for the guys and their families so that when they do get here, if you just make it through a couple of these cold spells, everything else about it is great.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg