Habs Spoil Jets Return, But Fans Don't Care Anyways

The Montreal Canadiens may have come into the MTS Centre and spoiled the Winnipeg Jets return to the NHL party Sunday night, but the fact of the matter is, Jets fans, en mass, don't seem to mind that much.

Because NHL hockey is now officially back in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Ever seen a team get a standing ovation during the final minute of a home opener when they got beat 5-1?

Chances are, the Jets are in elite company there, and they have their fans to thank for that.

Reality is, Winnipeg fans couldn't care less the score of the game, even though they would have rather seen the five goals come from the boys wearing polar ice blue instead of bleu, blanc, et rogue.

Winnipeg fans have their team back and True North did it in a very classy way.

And boy did they cash in at the same time.

Not only were fans given the opportunity to purchase limited edition game programs at the gate, they were given inaugural game lanyards to be able to keep their ticket stub as a memento of probably the biggest hockey game in Manitoba history.

There was also the salute to the Manitoba Moose and the integral part they played in the return of the NHL during the pre-game ceremonies.

To top the night's festivities off, True North and the 15,004 fans in attendance paid a tremendous amount of respect to former Moose, Vancouver Canuck, and most recently Winnipeg Jet Rick Rypien at puck drop as Rick's mother Shelley Crawford dropped the ceremonial puck at centre ice.

The bottom line after a 5-1 loss to Montreal last night is that Winnipeg has found their heart and soul again and it lies with the hockey team they lost so long ago.

Now that it's back, the city has life, a soul, a spirit, and those fans will hold on to their tickets for as long as they can.

Because the Jets are back.

Jets Treat Fans on The Rock To 3-1 Win

Mark Scheifele continues to be one of the biggest topics of conversation around Winnipeg and across Manitoba.

Scheifele opened the scoring at the annual Kraft Hockeyville game in St. John's, Newfoundland at 1:19 of the second period on the power play for his third goal of the pre-season.

Through three pre-season games, Scheifele is among the league leaders in points and goals with six points and three goals and is making the case to stay at least for nine regular season games come October 9th.

Not only was Scheifele a hot topic, but so was Portage born Troy Bodie, who redeemed himself after the incident in Nashville Saturday night with Zac Stortini when he scored the eventual game winning goal with 3:36 left in the second period.

Bodie, who is trying to vye for a spot on the team after the sad passing of Rick Rypien left a hole in the Jets lineup, has proven how tough he can be and how he can contribute for Winnipeg.

Mika Zibanejad, a fellow first round pick in 2011, countered for Ottawa with 14:15 to go, but Ben Maxwell put the game on ice at 13:37 of the third to restore the Jets two goal lead.

The Jets are now 2-3 in the pre-season and cuts are expected to be coming before the Jets next game, which will be at home for the first time in over a week as they host the Carolina Hurricanes at the MTS Centre.

R.I.P. Wade Belak (1976-2011)

Former Nashville Predator, Toronto Maple Leaf, Florida Panther, Calgary Flame, and Colorado Avalanche has been found dead in Toronto, according to TSN.

Belak, who was known for being a tough guy, had recently retired from playing after a 16-year NHL career, with his longest stop being in Toronto for eight years.

He had been preparing to take part in the reality sports TV show Battle of the Blades on CBC.

Belak finished his NHL career with eight goals and 25 assists along with 1,263 penalty minutes in 549 regular season games.

He was beginning to work on radio and as an in-game reporter for the Nashville Predators, the team he last played for looking to get into a media oriented job.

Belak is the third enforcer found dead this summer after New York Ranger's Derek Boogaard and Winnipeg Jet's Rick Rypien were both found dead, both with some dark pasts.

However, Belak was on the opposite, not having any dark past. He had two young girls and a happy family to all accounts.

Belak was 35.

R.I.P. Rick Rypien (1984-2011)

No one ever expects professional athletes to die when they are still active in their sport. No one ever counts on the unexpected happening. Probably why they call it the unexpected.

When Rick Rypien was reported to have passed away in his home in Coleman, Alberta, the hockey world was shaken for the second time since the snow left the ground in most hockey markets.

Rypien, who spent five seasons in the Vancouver Canucks organization with the mother club and the Manitoba Moose, was a tough, gritty customer and would never back down from a fight.

An undrafted signee by then Moose GM Craig Heisinger, Rypien made his mark on the hockey world through his tough and tenacious play.

After signing with the Winnipeg Jets earlier this summer along with long time teammate and friend Jason Jaffray, both commented on the possibility of bringing the Stanley Cup to Winnipeg after Jaffray almost brought the Calder Cup to the Manitoban capital.

It’s not the news of Rypien’s death that hurts the most for hockey fans and the Jets and Canucks organization, it’s his absence on and off the ice.

From the remarks and recollections of many past teammates of Rypien’s, he was the ultimate teammate and competitor. He was always willing to stick up for his teammates and linemates through his fists and his deathly glare.

Rypien was not known for goal scoring but for his gritty play and that is what most Jets fans will miss the most by not being able to see him in action in Winnipeg in the NHL instead of the AHL.

Former Moose & New Signed Jet Enforcer Rick Rypien Passes Away

According to a report by James Mirtle of the Globe & Mail, the newly signed Jets forward and former Manitoba Moose and Vancouver Canuck has been found dead in his Alberta home.

The 27 year-old enforcer had been struggling with off ice issues last season with the Canucks as he took a leave of the team for personal reasons and was limited to only 9 games with the Canucks last season.

Rypien spent his last professional hockey games with the Moose, including 11 regular season games and seven playoff games.

2011-12 Predictions: Jets Forwards

With the real dog days of summer upon us in full force, we're going to predict what we think the top four lines of the Jets will be for the upcoming 2011-12 season.

For the sake of being somewhat unpredictable, I think there may be some small surprises and some obvious guesses.

First Line: Ladd - Antropov - Kane
Nik Antropov's 6'6" frame is the largest body up front for the Jets by one inch over winger Blake Wheeler and thus is a no brainer to be the first line centre come opening night. But can he cash in with the team now that they have changed over to Winnipeg? He had career highs in Atlanta in 2009-10 with 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists), although he was playing some of the season with Ilya Kovalchuk.

For Evander Kane, he only keeps getting better and his stock should rise high enough to be a first line player on this team, beating out Bryan Little. Kane collected 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in his sophomore season in 2010-11 and is only going to get better.

Andrew Ladd had a career season with 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists) in 2010-11 that eclipsed his previous career year of 49 points two seasons ago in Chicago. Ladd signed a five-year contract with the Jets as an RFA and is the team's captain going into the future. His success and leadership are the cornerstone of this team going forward.

Second Line: Little - Burmistrov - Wheeler
Alexander Burmistrov had a promising rookie season with a few highlight reel goals last season with 20 points in 74 games. Being put into the NHL so quickly after being the 8th overall pick last season, his learning curve could have been somewhat affected but his talent showed through some games and he can only get better.

On his wings are two of the more talented young wingers in the game. It will remain to be seen if Bryan Little takes a centre role within Claude Noel's offensive system or if he stays on the wing to use his speed down the side. Little is coming off two sub-par seasons with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 2009-10 and 48 points (18 goals, 30 assists) in 2010-11 after he posted 31 goals and 51 points two seasons ago.

Blake Wheeler resigned a two-year deal this summer as an RFA with the Jets looking to be a big part of the offense after he had his most productive time in the NHL with the Thrashers scoring 17 points in only 23 games at the end of last season. At 6'5", Wheeler will be a big part of the offense.

Third Line: Fehr - Slater - Cormier
With the addition of Eric Fehr, the Jets third line will have some scoring threat, as Fehr scored 21 goals in 2009-10 and scored 10 or more in the last three seasons. Being the hometown Manitoba boy will make Fehr an instant fan favourite.

Jim Slater, a longtime Thrasher, will be the grit down the middle along with a young, gritty Patrice Cormier. Slater has 100 points in 371 career games over six seasons, all in Atlanta.

Cormier played in 21 games last year with the Thrashers collecting 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist).

Fourth Line: Glass - Maxwell - Thorburn/Rypien/Jaffray
The grit of Tanner Glass, Chris Thorburn, and Rick Rypien will definitely help the Jets be a gritty team and a hard team to match up against if these pests are on.

Thorburn, a Thrasher vet, has played his last four seasons in Atlanta scoring 65 points and collecting 362 PIMs in 313 games.

Rypien, a former Manitoba Moose, has had a long history in Winnipeg and should be a fan favourite after his time with the Vancouver Canucks. Rypien collected 226 PIMs and 16 points in 119 career games with the Canucks over the past six seasons.

Glass, who was a part of the Canucks run to the Stanley Cup Final last spring, has 233 PIMs and 23 points in 184 career games with Vancouver and the Florida Panthers.

Jason Jaffray, another ex-Moose, may be given another look at joining the team, as he became a big piece of the Moose franchise, especially in their run to the Calder Cup Finals in 2009. Jaffray has 10 points in 36 career NHL games with Vancouver and the Calgary Flames.

Rounding out the fourth line is centre Ben Maxwell, a piece of the Brent Sopel trade with Montreal. Maxwell, 23, had 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 12 games with the Thrashers after spending the last few years with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL.

Next In Line: Carl Klingberg at 6'3", 205 lbs. could be another big winger the Jets could be very happy with in the near future.

Kendal McCardle could finally have a chance to break into an NHL full-time as a third or fourth line grinder. But he has many grinders to leap frog to get into the lineup full time.

Aaron Gagnon has the potential to be a third or fourth line centre, but with the depth up the middle, his training camp could spell his fortune for the upcoming season.

Jets Patient; Expect Deal With Bogosian Will Get Done Soon

With 199 NHL games under his belt at only 21 years of age, Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian is a player that the Jets cannot afford to not sign.

"The conversations are continuing with his agent,” was the comment GM Kevin Cheveldayoff gave.

“There’s no time frame set in place to have that one done by. It’s a summer-negotiation type thing. Everyone’s respectful of the fact this is a down time for players and agents and management -- those talks will continue and they’ve been good."

While the Jets have added depth up front with the additions of Rick Rypien, Tanner Glass, as well as acquiring Eric Fehr and Kendal McCardle via trades, the possibility of the Jets adding another scoring forward for the top two lines would not be out of order for Cheveldayoff.

"You’re always looking for that,” Cheveldayoff admitted. “It’s got to be the right fit for the group of guys that you have. You want it to mesh together. For us, if you look at the roster right now there is probably some room if you could add some forwards. We think our defence is pretty deep with respect to the (National Hockey League) side and the depth side of things."

However, the main goal still focuses in on Bogosian and getting the deal done.

Looking at Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd in their negotiations, both players were singularly negotiated with and signed in accordance to being talked with.

It is simply now Bogosian's turn in line and Cheveldayoff sees no problems in the ongoing discussions with his agent.

"It’s playing out exactly how we thought it would. It’s going to take some time."

"Each one of the negotiations — the (Andrew) Ladd, the Wheeler, the regular RFAs (restricted free agents) and Zach all have different nuances to them.”

Jets Sign More Ex-Moose Players

Home cooking is always a good thing.

For the Winnipeg Jets, it's a theme that has been central to the players they have signed and acquired over the course of the off-season.

After signing Manitoba born player Derek Meech and trading for Winkler's Eric Fehr, the Jets went out and made sure they kept some ex-Manitoba Moose players in the fold.

Already under the Jets name are Rick Rypien and Mark Flood who both spent time with the Moose last season.

According to CJOB 680's sports reporter Brian Munz, the Jets have signed more ex-Moose players to AHL contracts to play for the AHL affiliate in St. John's.

The Jets have signed ex-Moose players Marco Rosa, Shawn Weller, Kevin Clark, and Travis Ramsey to AHL contracts.

Also signing with Winnipeg were three undrafted youngsters in North Sydney, Nova Scotia's Michael Kirkpatrick, Brandon, Manitoba's Shayne Wiebe, and Concord, Ohio's John Albert.


Kirkpatrick spent four seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL league collecting 251 points in 266 games. While perhaps an undersized centre at 5'10, 175 lbs, the 21 year old shows promise as he helped the Sea Dogs to the 2011 Memorial Cup.





Wiebe two full seasons with the Kamloops Blazers before being dealt to his hometown Brandon Wheat Kings midway through the 2009-10 season. Wiebe finished third in scoring for the Wheaties this last season with 65 points in 72 games and played one game in the AHL with the Conneticut Whale. Another centre at 5'10, 185 lbs, it adds yet another home grown talent to the Jets organization.








At 5'11, 180 lbs, 22 year-old John Albert completed his fourth and final year at Ohio State University scoring 34 points in 37 games as the Buckeyes captain. In his four season, Albert collected 124 points in 159 games, including a year best of 39 points in 2008-09. Albert was originally drafted by the Thrashers in 2007, 175th overall.

What's In A Number?

With the additions of many players this off-season, former Thrashers and new Jets alike have decided to change their jersey numbers or pick new ones, as their former number is taken.

Acquired from the Washington Capitals, local Manitoba boy Eric Fehr has decided to don #17. Even on his Twitter account, Fehr expressed the number change, wondering if Twitter would let him change his following name @EricFehr16 to accommodate his number jersey number.

Other newcomers via free agency include ex-Moose Rick Rypien who dons #11, Tanner Glass taking #15, Mark Flood taking #36, Derek Meech taking #47, Randy Jones taking #12, and Kendal McCardle taking #40.

Former Thrashers Jim Slater and Patrice Cormier have decided to switch jersey numbers coming into the new Jets organization. Slater changed his #23 to #19, while Cormier changed his #45 for #28.

Sixteen of jersey numbers #1-#30 are taken while eighteen jersey numbers from #30-#80 are taken.

Jets Add Six Over Weekend

Along with signing Tanner Glass, Rick Rypien, Randy Jones, and Derek Meech, the Jets have also added forward Aaron Gagnon and former Moose defenseman Mark Flood. More details on all Jets signings to come...

Jets sign pair on Day Two of Free Agency

The Winnipeg Jets signed former Manitoba Moose forward Rick Rypien to a one-year deal worth $700,000 while also signing defenseman Randy Jones to a one-year deal worth $1.15 million.