Winnipeg Free Press https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/plenty-to-be-giving-thanks-for- 459673573.html

Plenty to be giving thanks for High-flying Jets spending U.S. long weekend in California

By: Jason Bell

ANAHEIM, Calif. — It’s really no one’s business — except, perhaps, their bosses’ — what the Jets had planned late Thursday for the rest of American Thanksgiving here in sunny, sweltering southern California.

Whether they had a team dinner complete with all the trimmings, split into smaller groups and scattered to enjoy steak or sushi, or simply barricaded themselves at the hotel and ordered room service, the Jets have much to be thankful for right now.

The Central Division club is walking tall and looking good as one of the NHL’s premier clubs just past the quarter mark of the 2017-18 season.

On Wednesday night, Winnipeg gutted out an impressive 2-1 victory over the — buoyed by a sensational 38-save effort from goalie Steve Mason — to improve to 13-5- 3 and remain second in the Central Division and Western Conference.

After 21 games, the Jets find themselves No. 3 overall in the league behind only the powerhouse (16-3-2) and the Central Division-rival St. Louis Blues (16-5- 1). The Jets have accumulated the same number of points (29) as both the and Maple Leafs, but have games in hand on those clubs and get the third perch based on winning percentage.

Indeed, Winnipeg still has 61 games left on the schedule, and much could change before the playoffs begin the second week of April. But if recent history means anything, an NHL team’s position in the standings on U.S. turkey day is a reasonably accurate indicator of whether or not it qualifies for the post-season.

Since the 2011-12 season — the Jets’ inaugural campaign after relocating from Atlanta — 78 per cent of squads occupying a spot north of the magic playoff line when the holiday hits wind up making the sweet 16.

While the numbers might be on Winnipeg’s side, likely didn’t carve off an extra drumstick or treat himself to another piece of pumpkin pie to celebrate. In fact, the Jets head coach won’t even entertain the notion his club’s playoffs hopes appear to be favourable with December fast approaching.

He’d much rather his coaching staff and players focus on the task at hand, whether it’s a video session to review the kill, a new forechecking drill in practice or, like today, an afternoon battle with the host Anaheim Ducks at 3 p.m. CT.

"What we want to get really good at is handling our day, handling where we are right at that specific time. Spending any time thinking about where we’re at as a permanent thing, that somehow any of this gets easier, is a really dangerous place to go mentally, I think," Maurice said Thursday, following an afternoon skate at the Honda Center. "There’s nothing to say a small sample size doesn’t change. I can’t use that... ‘Hey, fellas, we’re good. It’s Thanksgiving, we’re in.’ I can’t use it."

The Jets, who rebounded in L.A. after losing 5-3 to the Nashville Predators on Monday, wrap up a four-game road trip with games on back-to-back days. Connor Hellebuyck returns to the net as Winnipeg faces the Ducks, and then the team collides with the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

Winnipeg 2.0 has only qualified for the playoffs once, and that was during the 2014-15 season — Maurice’s first full season behind the bench. That year, U.S. Thanksgiving fell on Nov. 27 and the Jets, fresh off back-to-back victories that week over Columbus and the , boasted a 12-9-3 record and were above the playoff threshold. They were one of 13 teams in a playoff spot at that point in the 2014-15 season and were there at the end. A dozen teams out of 16 remained locked in during the 2015-16 campaign, while 13 of 16 did it last year.

Those are intriguing numbers for fans of the club eagerly anticipating a repeat of the hysteria that hit Winnipeg’s downtown rink during that playoff appearance, but meaningless to the men charged with making it happen, it seems.

"You focus on the next game. You don’t read headlines, you don’t focus on where you are in the standings," said and right-winger Blake Wheeler, who is tied with his centre Mark Scheifele for the club lead in points (25).

"You just focus on the next game... it’s just trying to keep that one-track mind, worry about the day you have in front of you and do that every single day. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, because you start doing that, you’re going to slip up and wonder what happened," he said.

Durable blue-liner Josh Morrissey, who played all 82 games of his 2016-17 rookie season and has been present for all 21 this year, has bought in to the same approach.

"Obviously, you’d rather be in a good place right now than not sure, but at the same time, there’s a lot of hockey left. There’s a lot of points on the table in the next three-quarters of the season," Morrissey said. "For us, we wanted to have a good start, and at the start of the year, if we would have said this is where we’d be, we’d be happy.

"As a team, we know we have a lot of areas to improve, and we want to keep pushing that envelope to get better and better and get to where our goals are." https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/second-line-going-back-to-basics- 459484613.html

How the Jets are exceeding expectations -- and how they're not

By: Scott Campbell

The passed the quarter pole of the season with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings Wednesday. This brought their record to 13-5-3 for 29 points and second place in the Central Division and Western Conference.

The team has obviously exceeded — or at least met — expectations, so it’s time to take my pre- season expectations of each player and see whether they’ve met or exceeded those beliefs.

Skaters had to play in half the games (11) to make the list.

Player's report-card grades are in brackets next to their name. They are based on their play so far this season:

Met Expectations Mark Scheifele (A): Tied for 12th in NHL scoring and just one point shy of being tied for eighth makes this an easy choice. Last season he finished seventh.

Blake Wheeler (A): Tied with Scheifele for points, his 20 assists are tied for fourth in the league. He and Scheifele are one of the most dangerous duos in the league.

Patrik Laine (B+): With 11 goals he’s on pace for 40. He hasn’t shown a lot of his excellent passing skills yet and he has some work to do in other areas, but he’s getting better in those details.

Adam Lowry (B-): He’s only played 12 games but does the tough minutes well and thankfully isn’t on the power play anymore. His production may drop but he’s able to take whatever wingers head coach Paul Maurice throws at him and get the job done.

Andrew Copp (C+): He’s lately been playing with Lowry and doing a good job. His four points in 20 games isn’t impressive, but he does a lot of good things forechecking and has some offensive ability.

Joel Armia (C-): Eight points in 18 games is good for a bottom-six forward, although his play has been up and down. He’s in this section because I’ve accepted who he is and stopped dreaming about what his tools might add up to.

Dustin Byfuglien (B-): He’s trying to fit into the Jets defensive system and the team results agree. His numbers will likely suffer as "rogue Buff" is gone. He’ll eventually get a or two.

Josh Morrissey (B-): He’s joined his partner Trouba in taking on the best opposition players and has had some rough moments. They both are young and need to grow into this. It’s a tough job, especially for a sophomore, and he’s had a number of good things happening too.

Jacob Trouba (B-): He’s struggled at times with those tough minutes as well but is surviving. Gone is the Trouba that was constantly jumping into the rush — he’s following the system. I expected the two young guns on defence would struggle a bit with these types of minutes.

Tyler Myers (C+): He’s played every game, which was a big concern, and his nine points are impressive. What hurts his grade is his defensive-zone play, especially with the puck, where he struggles at times. After last season’s injury (playing only 11 games) he should get better here.

Dmitri Kulikov (C): Being on the third pair with Myers has allowed them to enjoy weaker matchups. He’s had some bad moments, but all I expected was that he would be fine on a third pairing. He’s been a definite upgrade from past years.

Not Met Expectations Nikolaj Ehlers (B-): He gets the best mark in this section, as he’s still produced 13 points (eight goals) while suffering from a lack of offensive chemistry with linemates Little and Laine.

Bryan Little (C): With only two goals and seven assists I’m hoping this is only a chemistry thing with his wingers as he tries to figure them out.

Steve Mason: (C) He got off to a bad start in the first two games of the season, but has turned it around after that, giving the Jets the type of excellent goaltending they expected from him.

Shawn Matthias (D): He had a number of glorious chances early but couldn’t bury those (two assists in 17 games), and the rest of his game wasn’t good enough.

Exceeded Expectations Connor Hellebuyck (A+): The main reason for the Jets stellar record thus far, I continued to believe in him after last year so I had reasonable expectations. As he started the season as the backup goalie though, he’s greatly exceeded them.

Kyle Connor (B+): After beginning the season in the minors, he’s come back as a strong battler for pucks to augment a great set of hands and feet. He needs some improvement in defensive zone, naturally.

Toby Enstrom (B-): Considering his injuries, age and decline in play last year, I was worried his days of being a decent NHL player might be winding down. However, he was the most consistent defenceman until he got hurt, using his smarts to make plays that often go unnoticed.

Brandon Tanev (C): Last year he flew around the ice and hardly ever went to the right spot. This year he’s created some good chaos in the proper areas, providing some solid work in the bottom-six forward group.

Matt Hendricks (C-): While he’s certainly struggled at times, my expectations were zero, but he’s had his good moments too. You certainly get everything he’s got in the tank — I just don’t see him in the regular lineup if the Jets make the playoffs.

Mathieu Perreault, Tucker Poolman, Ben Chariot and Marko Dano don’t qualify as they didn’t play enough games.

The Jets are flying high but there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Winnipeg Sun http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/can-jets-sustain-early-success-narrow- focus-has-been-instrumental-so-far

Can Jets sustain early success? Narrow focus has been instrumental so far

By Ken Wiebe

ANAHEIM — Is this hot start a mirage or a sign of things to come for the Winnipeg Jets?

It’s a question worth investigating further as the Jets reached American Thanksgiving not only in a playoff spot, but tied for third in the entire NHL with 29 points.

No, that’s not a misprint.

Through 21 games of the 2017-18 season, only the Tampa Bay Lightning (34) and St. Louis Blues (33) have more points than the Jets, who sport a record of 13-5-3 as they prepare to face the Anaheim Ducks on Friday afternoon at the Honda Center.

After years of talking about building for the future, the early indications are the Jets have more than just potential this season.

They’re finding ways to win games where previous incarnations may have folded under pressure.

Instead of crumbling after a disappointing 0-2 start where the Jets often looked lost defensively, they found a way to band together.

The Jets haven’t lost consecutive games in regulation since Oct. 7, a span of 19 games.

That’s impressive.

The topic of the Jets becoming more comfortable in their own skin as a “winning team brought some interesting answers following Thursday’s quick workout at the Honda Center.

“We can be happy with how we’ve approached everything,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “We can be happy with the strides we’ve made in the first quarter, but the realization is there are three quarters ahead of us. We’re excited about where we’re at, but I think we’re even more excited about the fact we can get better every single day. That’s been our focus so far this year, we continue to do that and hopefully, we can keep this going.”

That singular focus is essential, since it’s easy for a team that hasn’t enjoyed much success to get off track or temporarily forget the importance of paying attention to the little details that have been an important part of this resurgence.

“If there was something you could grab hold of and say it’s permanent, then the game would never humble you — and it always will,” said Maurice. “If you spend any time thing thinking about where we’re at as a permanent thing or that somehow any of this gets any easier, that’s a dangerous place to go mentally.”

Although being in a playoff position at American Thanksgiving is a good indicator of the teams that actually qualify for the post-season, it’s still not anything close to a guarantee.

“You don’t read headlines, you don’t focus on where you are in the standings, you just focus on the next game,” said Wheeler. “It’s trying to keep that one-tracked mind. Worry about the day you have in front of you. And do that every single day. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. If you start doing that, you’re going to slip up.”

To put it bluntly, the Jets don’t want to become a statistic or be part of the roughly 20% of teams that don’t hold onto their playoff spot after American Thanksgiving.

With 61 games left on the regular-season docket, it’s not like the Jets can afford to put things on cruise control.

Not even close.

Despite having only five regulation losses through the first quarter of the season, the Jets hold only a one-point lead over the Nashville Predators in the chase for second spot in the Central Division.

There’s something different about this Jets team – and not just the elite-level goaltending it is receiving from Connor Hellebuyck and more recently from Steve Mason, who has allowed only four goals during his past three starts.

“It’s a good feeling in the locker room,” said Jets forward Patrik Laine. “It’s nice to come to the rink in the morning because you know that every night you have a chance to win. You’re expecting to be winning the game. The atmosphere is so much different than last year, where we were always battling between losing streaks and winning a couple of games. Now we’re expecting we can win every single night. It’s a whole different situation and it’s way more fun.”

The scary thing for their opponents is as well as the Jets have played to reach this point, there’s another level they can reach.

“There’s always things we can improve,” said Laine. “It tells you a lot about our team, that even though we’re not always playing our best game, we can still win. “That’s the sign of a good team.” http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/trouba-to-be-reunited-with-morrissey

Trouba to be reunited with Morrissey

By Ken Wiebe

ANAHEIM – The Winnipeg Jets shutdown pairing will remain together after being temporarily split up during Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

After fighting the puck at times during the opening period, Jacob Trouba was bumped down to the second pairing with Ben Chiarot as Dustin Byfuglien moved alongside Josh Morrissey.

What went into that decision?

“I just wanted to change the match-up,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice.

When pressed, Maurice expanded his reasoning.

“You know what, here’s the thing. (Jacob) Trouba is transitioning with Josh Morrissey to play against the other team’s best. You saw it in the last two games,” said Maurice. “That’s not an easy assignment. Some nights, it’s there for you and some nights, it’s not. We just felt at the 10- minute mark of the first period that it didn’t look like it was going easy for (Trouba). And you can’t play against (Anze) Kopitar and not be on your A-game, so we made the adjustment.”

Maurice said on Friday that Trouba and Morrissey will be back on a pairing to start Friday’s matinee game against the Anaheim Ducks.

After Steve Mason made 38 saves on Wednesday, Connor Hellebuyck will be back in goal and make his 16th start of the season. http://winnipegsun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/winnipeg-jets/five-keys-to-jets-vs-ducks

Five keys to Jets vs Ducks

By Ken Wiebe

Winnipeg Jets at Anaheim Ducks

3 pm CT, Honda Center, TV: TSN. Radio: TSN 1290

THE BIG MATCHUP

Connor Hellebuyck vs John Gibson These two young American goalies have nearly identical save percentages so far this season (.925 for Hellebuyck and .924 for Gibson). Hellebuyck is coming off a tough outing against the Nashville Predators (five goals allowed), while Gibson didn’t get much support in a 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. Both netminders figure to be busy in this matinee.

Keys to the game

Stay out of the box Improved discipline has been a fairly common theme for the Jets through the first quarter of the season, but they allowed five shorthanded opportunities on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings – including three careless stick penalties during the third period alone. The Jets have been forced to try and kill off five minors in three of the past five games. That’s what you call playing with fire.

Ehlers looks for more Nikolaj Ehlers has gone eight games without scoring a goal, but he set up the eventual game- winner from Patrik Laine with 58.4 seconds left in the second period. Ehlers has two assists during the past eight games and is looking to contribute more offensively.

Lowry settling in After going five games without a point and missing nine games with a back injury, Jets centre Adam Lowry has settled into his game. He’s taking on many tough match-ups and has chipped in three goals and four points in eight games since his return to the lineup.

Beware of wounded Ducks The Ducks are currently without Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler, who represent a big chunk of the offence and the leadership group. But those big losses have opened the door for others on the Ducks roster to take on a larger role. “Two huge pieces, it’s different,” said Jets captain Blake Wheeler. “But you find a lot of times are guys who fill in are chomping at the bit and they’re playing at a high level to establish themselves. It’s a great opportunity for guys when the marquee guys aren’t in. That being said, Ryan Getzlaf is one of the best centres in the league and Ryan Kesler is one of the best two-way centres in the league. It’s two big holes for them, but its’ not going to change how we approach the game.”

Still dangerous Even without their two top centremen, the Ducks still feature a mobile defence corps and offensive weapons like Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg and Corey Perry, who has 10 goals and 15 points in 14 career games against the Jets.

Global Winnipeg https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/lowry-laine-score-in-jets-2-1-win-over- slumping-kings/article37058400/

Winnipeg Jets to make NHL playoffs predicts university math instructor

By Mitch Rosset Reporter/Anchor

Start celebrating Winnipeg Jets fans – your team is heading to the playoffs.

Well…we don’t know for sure yet. But based on an old measuring stick, it looks pretty promising. As the saying goes, NHL teams that are in a playoff position by the time American Thanksgiving rolls around will make the post-season.

University of Winnipeg math instructor Shannon Ezzat took a close look at the saying and found it’s not completely accurate.

“If it held 100 per cent of the time, we wouldn’t watch sports from Thanksgiving until the playoffs,” Ezzat said. “We would know what happens.” Ezzat examined the NHL standings at Nov. 22 from the last dozen seasons. He found 22.7 per cent of the teams that held a playoff spot didn’t qualify for the post-season at the end of the season. The majority of clubs that fell out of the picture were those in sixth, seventh or eighth place.

“It’s not very surprising,” Ezzat said. “Out of the years I looked at, 11 of the 22 eighth seeds missed the playoffs. It’s basically a coin flip.”

With the Jets sitting among the top five teams in the league, Ezzat calculates their odds of making the playoffs at roughly 80 per cent. He credits Winnipeg’s six wins in its last eight games in helping the organization gain an advantage.

“They’re up eight points above .500 now which is pretty decent,” Ezzat said. “A seven-point lead on teams that are just squeaking in with plus one right now, that’s a huge difference. You can’t discount having points in hand.”

The Athletic Winnipeg https://theathletic.com/164931/2017/11/24/hextall-one-on-one-with-mark-chipman-on-how-he- brought-the-jets-back-to-winnipeg/

Hextall: One-on-one with Mark Chipman on how he brought the Jets back to Winnipeg

By Leah Hextall

Mark Chipman’s first hockey memory is being dropped at Sturgeon Creek Community Club in Winnipeg. It was a Saturday afternoon when he was five years old and he was dressed in hockey equipment he borrowed from a neighbor.

While his skill set didn’t turn him into an all-star his passion for the game came naturally.

Growing up a fan, just like his dad, Chipman vividly recalls watching Bobby Orr soar through the air after he scored the game-winning goal to defeat St. Louis in the 1970 Stanley Cup final.

Now 57, Chipman not only owns his hometown hockey team, he is the man many Manitobans credit with bringing the Jets back to Winnipeg.

A buddy of mine — obsessed Jets fanboy Derek Wolfe — suggested I find the backstory of how it all happened from Chipman himself. I liked the idea but the chairman of True North Sports and Entertainment doesn’t like a lot of fanfare and I wasn’t sure he would be up for it.

Life lesson: always ask, because the worst they can say is no and sometimes, like this time, they say yes.

Hextall: When was the first conversation you had with somebody about buying an NHL team?

Chipman: The first time I ever had the courage to say it was at the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002. I had met Gary (Bettman) prior to that through the efforts of putting the IHL and American League together. (The IHL and AHL merged in 2001.)

I knew him to say hello but it wasn’t like we were buds. So, I said hello to him and he asked how I got there and I told him I came down with a friend to watch the Games. He was very gracious to us and gave us credentials to access the NHL hospitality. So, that was an incredible week, we win gold in men’s and women’s and I told him we were building a building and we would really love to have the NHL come back. Gary was very cordial, he said, “You’re building a building. That’s important.” He was encouraging, he didn’t dismiss and said let’s stay in touch and so we did. We opened the building later than we hoped. We were delayed a year as there were people against it, so that took a year out of our schedule and we ultimately opened it in 2004 and when we did that we had started to have some success as a hockey team. The Moose were a good team and we had a solid organization. Zinger () was doing a great job running the hockey club, getting consistent playoff runs and when we opened the building that carried on. The plan wasn’t a written plan but once we got in that building we tried to think of ourselves as the 31st NHL team and I think we were.

In all due respect, I think we were running the team and the business of the team, in a way that was superior to some of the teams that were operating in the NHL at that time. We had more people working for us here than Atlanta did when we bought the team. That’s what we were trying to be. We thought if we’re ever going to get there may as well start behaving that way now.

Hextall: After the building was built, it seemed at the end of every NHL season the great debate in Winnipeg was if the Coyotes were relocating back to Winnipeg. Was that a real possibility?

Chipman: The chairs were set up here on the floor for a press conference…

Hextall: Whaaat?

Chipman: Yeah, truly! The year before we bought Atlanta we went through the process of buying the Phoenix Coyotes.

Hextall: How far in the process did you get?

Chipman: Within minutes and that was the second time.

What happened, Leah, was we opened the building in '04 and we had some success. I let the commissioner know what was going on and there would be occasions to keep him apprised of what was going on and how we were doing, and we were doing well.

In '07 he invited us to make a presentation to the executive committee in New York along with four other cities. I learned that because I read the guest book and learned we weren’t the only ones there, but we were the last ones to go that day. We made a presentation to the executive on why we thought Winnipeg could support an NHL team, and immediately after that there were a few different opportunities presented to us — some opportunities more real than others but it was obvious to us then, the league was taking us seriously.

Over the next few years, we looked at a couple different opportunities, most seriously in 2010 when the Coyotes went into bankruptcy and the league took the team over. It was then they asked us if we would buy the team and we said we would. We spent a week in New York and we bought the team with the understanding that Glendale had the right to keep it. There was a financial requirement that if they met by a certain date they would get a chance for one more year. We went down there knowing that but we spent the whole week around the clock working on the deal.

Hextall: Were you heartbroken when it didn’t happen?

Chipman: No, not really, because I felt like we were going to get a team. It was a bit of a blessing because it gave us another year to get ready. When we got introduced to Phoenix in 2010 it was late. We would have pulled it off but it was late. We were going to do it because you’re not going to miss these opportunities. So, we went through the entire process and it’s a pretty egregious process. We were literally going around the clock. I remember talking to (NHL deputy commissioner) Bill Daly in the middle of the night because he was in Glendale working on that end of it and we were handicapping how this was going to work out. I knew there was a good chance that we weren’t going to get it. That Friday came and we went to the airport waiting to hear and I got the call and they said the team was going to stay in Phoenix, but I got a strong signal from Gary, if it wasn’t this one we were going to get the next one. We said we were willing to wait and that was a blessing because it gave us another year to get ready, and that year really helped.

Hextall: It’s interesting to me you speak of Gary being open and transparent and positive about Winnipeg because there seems to be a narrative in Winnipeg there was resistance by the NHL to bring a team back. Is that a misconception?

Chipman: Very much so. From 2007 on, they were the ones that invited us to go make the presentation. They were serious about it. Gary frequently pointed out to me through the process he was hopeful it would materialize because he felt that they could right a wrong. It was unfortunate the team ever left here in the first place but it just didn’t work in 1996. They didn’t have a building; the economics of the league were dramatically different and in the wrong way.

I had a good look at it in 1996 and it was nobody’s fault. Everybody was looking for someone to pin this on but there was no blame to be had in 1996. It wasn’t Barry Shenkarow’s fault; it wasn’t the city of Winnipeg’s fault; it wasn’t the NHL’s fault. You just couldn’t bring those interests together in a way that worked back then. It was probably a good thing for our city that we sat it out awhile and let things correct themselves.

Hextall: All right then, Phoenix doesn’t happen but a year later Atlanta becomes a possible team to relocate. How is that brought to your attention?

Chipman: Gary indicated that might be the next opportunity that would come up and if I was patient I would get a crack at it. So, we waited, and in February the following year it was still uncertain whether Phoenix was going to stay, so we worked on both parallel through the spring in 2011, quietly obviously. We were maybe overly protective, but we didn’t want to get anybody’s expectations up, the rumors were just non-stop.

Hextall: The secrecy of the process and not being public was your choice and not some unwritten rule by the NHL on how business is done?

Chipman: They prefer these deals to be done confidentially because if they don’t work out a market could be hurt by it. We respected that and on our side, we didn’t want to crush people’s hopes that we were working on something.

I remember we were at the airport in Newark and I called and said, “Take the chairs down” because we didn’t want anyone to think, “Why are the chairs up?”

We didn’t put the chairs until the last minute because you never know what someone might say. So, chairs went up (and) chairs went down, real quiet.

In February, we got engaged with the folks in Atlanta and we worked on it through the spring. I don’t have a lot of memories of it but what I do remember was tricky about it was the Moose were still playing. We went to Game 7 of Round 2, lost to Hamilton, so you're 100 percent invested in that – and at the same time you got this transaction going on and you’re super pumped about that and what that could mean. It was really a bit of a blur.

I remember U2 played at the stadium a couple days before we announced the deal and we were thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool if they made the announcement in front of 50,000 people?” We could have almost pulled that off.

Hextall: Can I just say if U2 would have announced the return of the Jets, that would have been epic!

Chipman: That would have been epic. The day we announced it the weather was crappy, and that night was beautiful and what if The Edge and Bono came out in Jets jerseys and said, “We got some news we want to share…”

Anyhow that didn’t work out but we knew by then it was almost a certainty. We were down to the micro technical issues of the deal and then the night before we announced it everything looked good. Now you’re saying, press conference tomorrow and you’re saying put the chairs back up, the NHL is coming — and then there was an issue in the middle of the night. I don’t remember the exact issue but it was a legal issue and we couldn’t get it resolved so there was a bit of panic at 3 a.m. as I had to tell Gary, “You’re getting on a plane or you’re not getting on a plane.” We worked through the night and about 5 a.m. we got it resolved.

Hextall: When did it feel like this is real, that the NHL is coming back to Winnipeg?

Chipman: It was about then. This whole thing, replaying this right now, I haven’t thought it about it like this in a long time and it brings back some emotion. I thought we were good to go the night before but I’d been around enough deals in my life that things can be uprooted and can go off the rails. I walked into our staff meeting at 9 a.m. and that’s when I could tell our staff we had been called up to the National Hockey League. So that was cool.

Hextall: What was the greatest challenge in the process?

Chipman: I would say the duration of time it took. I don’t want to give you the impression this was something I was agonizing over every day for 15 years. I really enjoyed my time in the “I” and American League, I wouldn’t give back any of those years. I learned so much about the game and the business of hockey. After 2007, when I realized the NHL was looking at us seriously, it was just the duration. At times it was hard to be patient. I don’t come by that naturally but that was probably the hardest, Leah, trying to hang in there.

Hextall: Mark, I know you’re a businessman but you’ve spoken about being emotionally involved when trying to save the Jets before they relocated in 1996. So, how emotionally involved are you in your hockey club after you endured 15 years trying to get the team back to Winnipeg?

Chipman: Very. My wife would probably say too much so. I’ve been fortunate to have a phenomenal family growing up and married for coming up 32 years here, and I don’t think I knew how fortunate I was when I married my wife. We’ve had three beautiful, smart young women that I’ve watched grown up, so that’s my life, but next to my faith and my family the Jets are my life.

Hextall: What would the kid who played his minor hockey at Sturgeon Creek Community Club think about his adult-self owning an NHL team?

Chipman: It’s a tough business. The weight of responsibility some days can be overwhelming because of that passion because you know how much people care. You’re reminded of it putting gas in your car, bumping into somebody at Costco.

I remember coming home from the draft in Philadelphia, I was running for a plane and I got to the gate and a lovely woman who happened to be a nun had some hard questions for who we took in the draft that year. I’ll never forget that. I said I’m trying to get on the plane and she said, “It’s running late. We got lots of time.”

You feel that responsibility and some days it is overwhelming, but whenever you lose a few games, or things aren’t going well, those buddies of mine that I played with back then send an email or phone and I realize how blessed beyond explanation I am that this has been a part of me.

Hextall: What do you want your last hockey memory to be?

Chipman: A Stanley Cup. That’s why I’m doing this. Yeah, for sure, Cup, in this city… that celebration. That’s why we’re doing this, we’re trying to win a championship. That’s what this is about. https://theathletic.com/164474/2017/11/23/duhatschek-chevy/

Duhatschek: Q&A with on trusting the process, Dustin Byfuglien, and his playing days

By Eric Duhatschek

In June 2011, eight days after the Winnipeg Jets completed the transfer of the to the capital, Kevin Cheveldayoff was hired as the Jets first, and so far only, general manager. Cheveldayoff had a history with both owner Mark Chipman, dating back to their days competing against each other in the AHL, and with Jets’ assistant GM Craig Heisinger, going all the way back to Cheveldayoff’s junior playing days as a hard rock defenceman for the Brandon Wheat Kings. A former ’ draft pick – 16th overall in 1988 – Cheveldayoff’s professional career ended because of a knee injury in the 1993-94 season.

The Jets have adopted a draft-and-develop philosophy under the Chipman-Cheveldayoff-Paul Maurice triumvirate, which often involves absorbing short-term pain to produce long-term gain. The Jets have been competitive in their first five years in Winnipeg – a 176-156-44 record under Cheveldayoff – but only made the playoffs once in that time. That was in the spring of 2015 and the Jets immediately set down a path to get younger and quicker after that season. Of the 44 players drafted by the Jets under Cheveldayoff up until 2016, 17 have played one or more NHL games already. Their prospect pool gets an A-plus grade from The Hockey News, among others. Now 47, Cheveldayoff had a long minor-league apprenticeship before finally getting to the NHL as a manager. He was part of two (AHL) and two (IHL) championships as a GM and three others as either an assistant coach or assistant GM. Cheveldayoff also has his name on the Stanley Cup in 2010, as the assistant to ’ GM Stan Bowman. Twenty-one games into the 2016-17 season, the Jets are 13-5- 3 and second overall in the Western Conference standings. The investment in all that youth – and the patience to see their program through, without attempting the usual quick fixes – appears to be paying dividends.

On Wednesday, just before the Jets’ 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, Cheveldayoff sat down with me in his box high above the Staples Centre to discuss the team’s performance in the first quarter and his philosophy in pulling all those pieces together.

Duhatschek: In an industry that often preaches patience but rarely shows it, I’ve always appreciated how you, Mark and Paul have managed to develop a blueprint and stick to it. On social media, there is almost daily pressure to do something, if the path gets a little rocky. Personally, I have a hard time staying the course even with my fantasy hockey team, so the fact that you can commit to a plan and see it through is admirable. Were you patient as a 12-year- old? Patient as a 19-year-old? Where did your ability to block out all the outside noise come from?

Cheveldayoff: I think it’s more a sense of realism than of patience. I don’t think of myself as an optimist or a pessimist, I categorize myself as a realist. Coming into this situation, seeing where the organization was at, and understanding globally in the NHL game how teams have been successful, there was a blueprint in our minds that needed to be followed. Quite honestly, there is probably more impatience in our backroom than people know or understand. It’s just there’s a realistic approach underlying the things we do.

Duhatschek: When you inherited the Thrashers roster, there were a handful of good pieces who came north, including Blake Wheeler, who Atlanta had acquired in a steal of a deal from Boston (for Rich Peverley and Boris Valabik) the previous February; plus your old pal from the Blackhawks’ days, Dustin Byfuglien. But in terms of forming a consistent development pipeline, a lot of scouting work needed to be done. Did you hatch a five-year plan the way they did in the former Soviet Union?

Cheveldayoff: I think ( GM) said it best: you’ve got a five- year plan that changes every day – and that’s the truth. The reality is, you want to build through the draft, but it’s usually a couple of years before any of your draft choices make an impact, unless you’re drafting in the top one or two, which we were fortunate to do the one time we won the lottery. But the Mark Scheifeles and Jacob Troubas of the world take time to develop. Those guys are drivers on our team now. We’re fortunate to have ownership that understood and understands what we’re trying to do, right from the beginning.

Duhatschek: I remember being at Scheifele’s draft, which was your first; and you clearly saw something in him that others didn’t – because most of those draft previews had him rated lower than No. 7, where you selected him.

Cheveldayoff: One of the first meetings we had when we took over the team was with our amateur staff. Before we ever talked about who we were going to draft or what might be available when we drafted, we talked about philosophy – and what we wanted to see in a player; and in a player’s personality. You don’t know, three, four, five, 10 days before the draft what might fall into place for you. But we asked our scouts to list with their hearts and not necessarily to follow the popular perception. We didn’t go into the day knowing we were going to draft Mark Scheifele, but if the opportunity to do so presented itself, there was not going to any second guessing at the table.

Duhatschek: In Dustin Byfuglien, you have one of the biggest personalities in the game on your roster and he’s still playing more minutes than anybody (at 24:10 per game). Buff’s a catalyst on your team, but also a wild card in the team building equation. Obviously, he had the option to leave Winnipeg a couple of years back and didn’t. How did you sell him on your vision of where the team was going, during the time when you were feeding all those young kids into the lineup?

Cheveldayoff: I was fortunate. I’ve known Buff since 2009, when I started with the Blackhawks. I was a small part of a team that won a championship and saw what Buff could bring to the table from a personality standpoint. Everyone gets to see him play on the ice. We get to see him interact with his teammates; how much he’s loved by his teammates; and what he can bring to the team. It’s interesting. We were at a little bit of a crossroads that year because we were dealing with Andrew Ladd’s contract situation and Buff’s. You know in the cap world, you can’t have it all. We went down a path with Andrew; we had some conversations, but when things started to heat up with Dustin, I remember vividly a conversation we had in my office. It was just him and I. We sat there face-to-face. No agents. No money. No nothing. I just said to him, ‘Buff, why? Why do you want to stay here?’ and he said, ‘look Chevy. I want to win. I love the young guys. They give me energy. It’s fun to come to the rink and play with these guys. My family loves it here. My wife loves it here – and she’s going to kill me if I don’t walk out of this office with a contract, so let’s just get this done, because this is where I want to be.’ In 24 to 48 hours, we had the deal done.

Duhatschek: So you sold him on your plan and gave him a reason to want to stay?

Cheveldayoff: There’s only so much you can do to persuade someone. They make their own choices. From day one, we’ve tried to foster the atmosphere that we’re trying to win a Stanley Cup here. But there’s not a clear path to that. You have to do some popular things and you have to do some unpopular things. You have to have some luck along the way, too. Winning the lottery that one year, that’s pure luck. That’s not skill. But you get an opportunity to draft a player like Patrik (Laine). Last year, we finished seven points short. I could rattle off easily seven games, where we could have rattled off an extra point – and maybe we’re having a different conversation. But that’s the way this league is – you have to find ways of squeezing points out.

Duhatschek: Are you superstitious at all? Do you feel comfortable speaking about the things that have gone well for your team in the early going?

Cheveldayoff: The way I see it, there are 82 one-game seasons. Every game, you have to try and get those two points. What happened in the past, sure you can feel good about getting on rolls, but you also feel lousy when you don’t. You have to find a way to stay even and to win that next game in front of you.

For me, sitting up here is hard. You see the emotion on the bench. You feel for the guys – the schedule, the grind, the injuries, blocking the shots. It’s simple for me to sit here and critique. But for the players, for Paul and the coaches, the emotion that gets put into it, those are the guys you feel for. Those are the guys you’re pulling for. Because we’re a team. We’re a family. But there’s only so much you can do, sitting up here. You can pound the table; you can do all that, but the reality is, you put your faith in those guys and in what they do.

Duhatschek: Do you miss the game, competing on the ice?

Cheveldayoff: I do, but that’s probably where I inherited my outlook on everything in terms of trying to be realistic. When I had my injury, basically, when I woke up from my surgery in New York, with the Islanders’ doctors, they told ‘he’s probably not going to play again.’ Hearing those first words, coming from the doctors — I’d gotten into a lot of fights and when I played, I was a rugged guy, but that statement hits you right between the eyes. The eyes started to water a bit. My goal at that point in time changed. I thought, I may not be able to make it to the National Hockey League as a player, so I vowed to try and make it as a manager.

Duhatschek: And you did that and you made it partly through a connection with Mark Chipman that you made in the minor leagues. I wonder though. Do you ever think of all the talented people that you worked with and against in the minor leagues who haven’t made it to the NHL?

Cheveldayoff: My minor-league experience was awesome. I worked with in Denver and Salt Lake City. That was when I was still coaching and an assistant general manager, but I learned so much from him, just the experiences of what it took for those Islanders’ teams to win. When I was drafted by the Islanders, interacting with all those great people, being around and Bill Torrey, who is still one of my mentors today, I wouldn’t have had those experiences had I not gone down that path. Working for the Chicago Wolves, with an owner like Don Levin, who had a passion to win. And then having the good fortune to be with the Blackhawks and seeing players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and how they can put teams on their backs. I wouldn’t have traded my path for any other way.

TSN.ca http://www.tsn.ca/hot-button-issues-catching-up-with-canadian-teams-2017-first-round-picks- 1.924900

Hot Button Issues: Catching up with Canadian teams' 2017 first-round picks

By Craig Button

Across the country we go, looking at Canadian teams’ first-round picks from 2017 and how they are faring so far this season. Fans will get a great look at most of these players at the World Juniors in Buffalo, as it certainly appears that at least six of them have every opportunity to be participants.

Winnipeg Kristian Vesalainen, (LW/L) HPK Hämeenlinna, SM Liiga 21GP 5-8-13 The best news for Vesalainen is that he has found a permanent spot in the lineup. One of the challenges for young players when they are playing in European professional leagues is finding a sense of belonging. Vesalainen has done exactly that and is the second leading scorer on his team. He looks like the well-rounded player who can play a skill game or a power game the Jets liked when they drafted him with the 24th pick

Sportsnet.ca http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/jets-maple-leafs-team-canadas-best-quarter-mark-nhl- season/ (VIDEO LINK)

JETS OR MAPLE LEAFS: WHICH TEAM IS CANADA’S BEST AT QUARTER MARK OF NHL SEASON?

Daren Millard, and Doug MacLean discuss the status of the Canadian teams in the NHL and who’s the best right now.

TSN 1290 (AUDIO LINKS) http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/morrissey-jets-staying-grounded-after-fast-start-1.924787

Morrissey: Jets staying grounded after fast start

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey joined the Big Show before the club faced off against the Ducks in Anaheim to talk about the troubles of afternoon games, playing with Jacob Trouba and Dustin Byfuglien as well as the team's hot start to the season. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/watters-jets-can-play-any-type-of-game-1.924307

Watters: Jets can play any type of game

Former NHL executive Bill Watters discusses the Winnipeg Jets place in the standings as the season reaches American Thanksgiving. http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/mirtle-jets-have-scoring-deep-defence-and-a-top-goalie- 1.924303

Mirtle: Jets have scoring, deep defence and a top goalie

James Mirtle of The Athletic joins Andrew Paterson and Rick Ralph on the Afternoon Ride. They discuss the Jets' place in the standings at Thanksgiving, their current shot metrics and the biggest surprises at this point in the season. www.winnipegjets.com https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/practice--paul-maurice/t-277437442/c-54932203

PRACTICE | Paul Maurice

Head Coach Paul Maurice on Hellebuyck getting the start in goal in Anaheim, how the team is handling success and more https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/practice--blake-wheeler/t-277437442/c-54932103

PRACTICE | Blake Wheeler

Blake Wheeler on the challenge of facing the Ducks, and how the team is handling its early success https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/practice--josh-morrissey/t-277437442/c-54931903

PRACTICE | Josh Morrissey

Josh Morrissey reflects on the win over LA, and talks about how the Jets plan to play a similar game on Friday against the Ducks https://www.nhl.com/jets/video/practice--andrew-copp/t-277437442/c-54931803

PRACTICE | Andrew Copp

Andrew Copp talks about the recent success of his line, and tomorrow's matchup with the Ducks