Winnipeg in uphill battle for Pens
Canadian Press
1/5/2004
WINNIPEG (CP) - The latest attempt to bring the NHL back to Winnipeg - this time in the form of the Pittsburgh Penguins - has not exactly been met with enthusiasm.
``We really don't have anything to say,'' Penguins spokesman Todd Lepovsky said Monday.
Lepovsky said as far as he knows, the idea is not even being considered and ``we don't want to blow it out of proportion.''
Winnipeg deputy mayor Dan Vandal has written to Penguins majority owner Mario Lemieux asking him to consider the Manitoba capital.
``It has come to the attention of the City of Winnipeg that the . . . Penguins may be seeking opportunities to relocate to another city,'' reads the letter dated Dec. 9.
``Winnipeg is still, in my opinion, a major league town for an NHL franchise. I am extremely confident that Winnipeg can attract 15,000 fans to each and every NHL game.''
The Penguins are still struggling to fill seats after emerging from bankruptcy two years ago. They're also struggling in the standings. Heading into Monday's game against Toronto they sported an unimpressive 9-22-5-3 record and a league-worst 26 points.
Although Lemieux has not responded to the letter, the idea has stirred up excitement among some city residents.
``It's an uphill battle,'' said Darren Ford, who runs www.jetsowner.com, a website dedicated to finding an NHL team for the city. ``But if no one ever started an uphill battle, nothing would get done in life.''
Winnipeg has been without an NHL team since 1996, when the Jets moved to Phoenix.
What makes Ford, Vandal and others hopeful about attracting a new team is the looming labour dispute in the NHL.
With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire next September and many teams losing money, team owners have sought some sort of salary cap. The NHL Players' Association has flatly rejected the idea.
The NHLPA reportedly offered a five per cent pay cut in an Oct. 1 negotiation meeting, which the owners rejected.
Vandal is hoping the move to lower salaries will make mid-size cities such as Winnipeg affordable again.
Another factor that may be in Winnipeg's favour is a new 15,000-seat arena under construction in the city's downtown.
But there are many people in the city who feel Vandal's chances are slim.
``I personally doubt it, but who knows,'' Randy Moffat, a former Jets ownership partner told the Winnipeg Sun last week.
Moffat said mid-size cities could only sustain an NHL team if the league's financial structure undergoes a big change.
``(The money) would all have to come out of the player's hides, and I don't think they're about to accept that.''
Penguin hopes rest on law vote
Legislation would give team tax cash No response yet
to Winnipeg letter
MARK ZWOLINSKI
SPORTS REPORTER
PITTSBURGHForget Winnipeg coming to the rescue if the Penguins' darkest hour is realized and the franchise has to pull out of Pittsburgh.
The real saviour of the franchise in fact, the only realistic one is the state's slots and property tax legislation.
Under a new law that would open the state of Pennsylvania to slot machines for the first time, the Penguins could get as much as $150 million (all figures U.S.) to build the new arena that appears to be at the root of its future in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins' stipend would be drawn from an estimated $1 billion annually of tax money from slot machine and casino revenue that would also provide a 20 per cent property tax cut for Pennsylvanians.
The franchise has yet to respond officially to an early December letter to owner Mario Lemieux from Winnipeg deputy mayor Dan Vandal inviting the club to the city if it leaves Pittsburgh.
The letter was not an official inquiry from the city, and the chances of moving to Winnipeg are remote at best. But the letter could give Lemieux some firepower in his quest for a new arena.
The Penguins, who meet the Leafs tonight, are optimistic about the legislation, which is set for another vote in February, and about replacing Mellon Arena, the oldest in the NHL.
But just last week, Dan Onorato, the CEO of Allegheny County, rejected the notion of local tax funds for the Pens' new rink.
The Penguins have met similar stonewalling since coming out of bankruptcy two years ago. The club is a shadow of its former self, missing the playoffs the past two seasons after 20 straight post-season berths.
Lemieux has forced to mandate GM Craig Patrick to trade away or non-tender every star player Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Bobby Holik, Darius Kasparaitis, Martin Straka to keep the club's payroll in check.
Lemieux himself has been plagued by a hip injury that has limited him to 10 games. He won't play tonight.
A new arena is seen as the launching of a new era for the Penguins.
The slots vote, though, has been in a seven-month deadlock as two key players Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Vincent Fumo, Democratic Chairman of the State Appropriations Committee debate giving ownership of one of 13 new casinos to local Indian tribes.
1983:
In his 42nd game, Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky scored his 100th point of the season with an assist in the Oilers' 8-3 triumph over the Winnipeg Jets. Too bad wasn't a Jet.
Thursday, December 30, 1999
Hatskin silenced skeptics
Put Winnipeg on the professional hockey map
By PAUL FRIESEN -- Winnipeg Sun
None of it would have happened if it weren't for Ben Hatskin.
Not the Bobby Hull signing at Portage and Main, not the startling success of the World Hockey Association, not the Winnipeg Jets acceptance into the NHL.
There would have been no Anders or Ulf, no Morris or Silky, no Ducky or Teemu.
Arena expansion? Forget about it. Without the Jets, who would have needed it?
REAP THE BENEFITS
Even today, hockey fans continue to reap the benefits of the late Hatskin's legacy. Think the 1999 World Junior Hockey Championship would have come to a rink with fewer than 10,000 seats?
The fact is, this city owes its rich, albeit turbulent, hockey history to a North End kid who, before getting into pro hockey, helped the Bombers win two Grey Cups as a player.
"I quickly came to learn that if he said he was going to do something, he'd do it," recalled Vic Grant, the Winnipeg Tribune's hockey writer at the time.
Never was this more true than in 1972, the year Hatskin said he was going to bring professional hockey to the city.
"It was with a degree of skepticism that many Winnipeggers first addressed it," Grant said. "It was with a huge degree of skepticism when Ben Hatskin first announced he was going to bring Bobby Hull to Winnipeg. Everybody laughed."
Nobody was laughing, especially the NHL, when Hatskin signed Hull to a 10-year contract for a then-unheard of $2.75 million, turning the sports world on its ear and sparking a 24-year love affair between the city and its team.
Suddenly, Winnipeg was on the hockey map of the world.
Hatskin's influence didn't end at the Perimeter.
At one point in 1973, he not only owned the Jets but was also chairman of the WHA and soon-to-be owner of the Honolulu franchise in the World Football League. His accomplishments earned him the nod as Manitoba's Man of the Year plus Sporting News magazine's Executive of the Year.
Seven years after the WHA was founded, and after the Jets had skated home with three championships, four teams from this renegade league were absorbed into the NHL.
After 17 seasons as part of the best league in the world, Winnipeg lost its Jets, some say, because there was no Ben Hatskin around to save them.
"What Benny did then (in the early '70s), people tried to do here in 1996," Grant said. "He succeeded, they failed."
The Last Word
By STEVE SIMMONS
First rule of thumb regarding tomorrow's NHL entry draft: Don't believe a word anyone says.
Hockey people talk in draftspeak. It is a secret language only they understand. You can't work in the game if you can't say things such as: "We were surprised he was available at our pick."
Even if they happened to call timeout twice before considering the selection.
Mike Smith knows about this as well as anyone. For years, he has been dining out on the Winnipeg Jets' selection of Keith Tkachuk with a late first-round pick in 1990. It was one of those choices on which you build a reputation.
It was also little more than some luck of the draft.
The Jets were scheduled to make the 14th selection that June. When it came closer to the Winnipeg pick, Smith, the onetime Maple Leafs general manager, had his mind set on drafting a college defenceman named Michael Stewart.
No relation to Yogi.
Stewart, however, was selected by the New York Rangers one pick prior to Winnipeg's turn. The Jets officials, terribly disappointed, called timeout. They had been working on a deal to send Dale Hawerchuk to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Phil Housley. Other less-important players were also involved. But the Sabres were hot for a junior named Brad May, who had yet to be drafted.
The Housley-for-Hawerchuk deal was made because the Sabres were able to swap draft picks with Winnipeg and because the Jets didn't know what they wanted at pick No. 14. Buffalo chose May.
The Jets, five picks later, weren't certain what to do. Again, they called timeout. But Joe Yanetti, one of the team's scouts, lived in a Boston suburb, not far from the Tkachuk family. Yanetti knew the kid and the family and thought it was a worthwhile gamble.
Keith Tkachuk went on to become a star.
Michael Stewart, whom the Jets desperately coveted, never played a shift in the NHL.
That's how it is with the entry draft. Either you're a genius or you're a bum, and neither is ever entirely accurate. There is far more luck involved with scouting and selecting than any of those in the business would have you believe.
One year, the Minnesota North Stars selected Brian Lawton with the first pick overall ahead of Pat LaFontaine and Steve Yzerman because they liked his psychological test better.
And take another Mike Smith story, for example. He was getting heat in Winnipeg for selecting too many European players, but also had this thing for American collegiate stars. The year before, he wanted Stewart -- who played defence for Michigan State -- and came away empty.
The next year, with the fifth pick in the Eric Lindros I'm- Not-Going-To-Quebec draft, Smith targeted defenceman Aaron Ward of Michigan. Never mind that it took Ward almost a decade to find himself as an NHL player of importance.
Had Smith gone with his usual instincts -- which was to pick the best European available -- he would have taken the next player chosen.
His name? Peter Forsberg.
And if the Philadelphia Flyers had any idea what kind of player Forsberg would turn out to be, they never would have included him in the package that brought them Lindros.
Sometimes you have to trust your scouts, though, and not listen to the coach. Had the Maple Leafs done that in 1987, how different would hockey life have been in Toronto for the past decade or so?
The Leafs had the seventh choice that year and, when it came to their pick, head scout Floyd Smith knew exactly whom he wanted -- this skilled centre from the Swift Current juniors.
John Brophy, the coach, wanted toughness on defence. Smith lost, Brophy won and the Leafs made a reasonable choice with the selection of Luke Richardson, who, of course, they couldn't believe was still available.
The player they passed on: Joe Sakic.
The following year, the Leafs did listen to their scouting staff. They picked Scott Pearson, a forward from Kingston, with their first choice. Three of the next four picks happened to be Jeremy Roenick, Rod Brind'Amour and Teemu Selanne.
Everyone at the time said they were lucky and surprised to get the player they chose. They always say that. It's part of their game.
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New name needed if NHL returns
If, and it remains a substantial if, the NHL decides to come back to Winnipeg, let's make one thing perfectly clear: Leave the Winnipeg Jets name to rest in peace and remain in the history books where it belongs.
While the possibility of an NHL return is closer than it has been since the beloved Jets left town, it's time to put things in proper perspective.
Sure, there were plenty of good times.
Who can forget the way the Winnipeg Arena shook during the famous whiteouts, especially the first one in the playoffs against the Calgary Flames?
Who can forget the way Dale Hawerchuk came into his own during the epic battles against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers?
And who can forget the way Teemu Selanne brought fans to their feet while establishing a rookie record with 76 goals?
But what did those good times amount to when it came down to crunch time?
Absolutely nothing.
Well, nothing but heartache.
The Jets always fought the good fight, but could rarely close the deal.
It didn't matter that the Jets were often good enough to get out to a 3-1 series lead, the Jets almost always found a way to come up short.
The Smythe Division opponents, whether it was the Flames, Oilers or Vancouver Canucks, were always just a little better.
So what are fans clinging to exactly?
Since the franchise moved south to Phoenix, Ariz., the Coyotes still haven't won a playoff series.
CURSED?
Some things never change.
Cursed? Maybe, but that's an argument for another day.
The point is, it's not like bringing back the Jets would be like going back to the glory days.
Let's not forget the last professional hockey championship won in this city was the Avco Cup the Jets won in the final season of the rebel World Hockey Association -- and that was 25 years ago this spring.
That's why a clean break is necessary if the NHL returns.
A new team would need a new identity, whether it's the nickname of the team that moves here or an original name.
Before you cast off the idea as insensitive or insane, consider two recent case studies.
The NHL left Colorado for New Jersey in the early 1980s, only to return in 1995-96 when the Quebec Nordiques headed south.
REBORN
The team was reborn as the Avalanche, not the Rockies.
Closer to home, when the North Stars left Minnesota for Dallas, most observers felt the NHL might never return.
But when they did, it was not as the North Stars or as the Fighting Saints (as they were known in the WHA).
The state of Minnesota became Wild country.
History was neither ignored or forgotten. Minnesota merely decided to clean the slate and start anew.
And who can argue with the results?
Since entering the league, the Wild have sold out every game -- pre-season, regular season and post-season -- in the sparkling Xcel Energy Center.
SECOND CHANCE
This is not to suggest Winnipeg is in the same economic bracket as either Colorado or Minnesota, but both cities did the right thing when a second chance came their way.
It's time to follow in their footsteps.
If the opportunity to support an NHL franchise in the soon-to-be-completed MTS Centre arose, fans would flock to the new barn no matter what the name on the jersey said.
Don Cherry would still rave on Coach's Corner about how great the fans in the province are, whether they were wearing Jets jerseys or not.
Unless Winnipeg hockey fans relish the thought of being associated with a losing franchise again, why go through the torture of drumming up the past and re-opening old wounds.
A better option would be to cut the cord and start from scratch.
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Sat, January 17, 2004
Dream still alive
Mystery NHL team puts out feelers to Winnipeg
The dream of bringing the National Hockey League back to Winnipeg isn't dead yet. A National Hockey League franchise has contacted city hall to inquire about possibly relocating to Winnipeg, The Sun has learned.
Deputy mayor Dan Vandal received a phone call last week from a representative of a United States-based NHL club, who wanted further information about the possibility of Winnipeg regaining a major-league team.
The inquiry did not come from the Pittsburgh Penguins, a franchise Vandal had courted during the past few weeks. However, the St. Boniface councillor refused to reveal which team contacted his Main Street office and left the voice-mail message while he was on vacation in Costa Rica.
"They're asking, 'How serious is Winnipeg? Because we're in trouble,' " Vandal said yesterday.
Vandal has since returned the team official's call but hasn't been able to reach him. Until he does, he won't identify the club.
He confirmed "it's a team that's not doing really well" financially.
Vandal said he plans to discuss the matter with fellow members of Mayor Glen Murray's executive committee.
"Why would we give up?" he asked of The 'Peg's hopes to put an NHL team into MTS Centre, seven years after the Jets left for Phoenix in 1996.
"There's no risk to us at this point. It's all about keeping the right position to catch a fly ball. Anyone who says we can't do that is short-sighted."
A lockout by NHL owners or strike by the players is widely expected before the start of next season, when the owners' agreement with the NHL Players' Association expires. Owners are expected to be willing to sacrifice up to an entire season to bring salaries under control.
Jim Ludlow, president of True North Entertainment, which operates Winnipeg's coming arena, said it's far too early to predict the city's NHL prospects.
Edmonton Oilers Governor Cal Nichols said he would welcome Winnipeg back into the NHL.
In Edmonton, a group of about three dozen small and medium-sized business people all own a share of the hockey team. Nichols said that formula would work well in Winnipeg.
"Hockey is Canada, Canada is hockey, and I think the game really does have legs here. Under the right economic circumstances, it can be viable," he said.
Former Winnipeg Jets general manager John Ferguson said he isn't surprised an NHL team would consider a return to the city.
"It would be an ideal situation to come back to Winnipeg," said Ferguson via telephone from Windsor. "There's a new arena being built, and the fan base is there. Winnipeg has probably the most knowledgeable hockey fans in the world.
ONLY GAME IN TOWN
"If some common sense comes out of the next collective bargaining agreement I don't see why Winnipeg shouldn't have a team. Hockey is the only game in town during the winter there -- you don't watch NASCAR and you're not that interested in basketball."
ABC sports hockey analyst John Davidson said Winnipeg deserves another NHL team.
"Salaries are going to come down. I'm hearing the players have already offered a 5% give-back, so that's the starting point for negotiations," Davidson said, adding owners will also push hard to curb the entry-level salaries of NHL rookies.
courtesy of the Winnipeg Sun
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If we were to get the Predators as rumors say here are
there list of prospects. And yes that includes local boy the Tootoo train (jordan tootoo).
2002-2003 Top Ten Predator Prospects
Welcome to the Predators Report prospects page. Below are the top ten best rated prospects in the organization as rated by the Hockey News. The links to the left under the heading "Prospect Central" will take you to a complete list, broken down by team or league. All prospects that are property of the Nashville Predators will be listed. All information sources are listed in silver. Media guide is the official Nashville Predators media guide from the listed season.
#1-Scottie Upshall (UHP-shawl) · Right Wing
Team: Kamloops (WHL)
Shoots: Left · 6-0 · 184 lbs.
Born: Fort McMurray, Alberta · October 7, 1983
Drafted: 1st rd, 2002 (6th overall)
Acquired: 2002 NHL Entry Draft
A good skater with quick acceleration...Plays a solid all-around game...Has keen on-ice perception and uses his teammates well...Has the knack to position himself well in the offensive zone...Has the ability to create good scoring chances...Possesses great skills and has the ability to score in many different ways...Plays bigger than his size and does not shy away from the physical game...Plays a very consistent game and is always a standout player...Plays hard away from the puck. (02-03 Predators media guide) "He has a chance to be a good scoring winger. He finishes every check, will be in your face and makes things happen. He plays an abrasive style and plays on the edge." (Craig Channell, Predators director of amateur scouting) The best of the rest is super pest Scottie Upshall, a 5-11 left winger who plays much bigger than his size. He's highly skilled and gets under opponents' skin better than anyone. Has speed, quick hands, and great moves. Plays like a big man trapped in a small man's body and would be a legitimate top 10 candidate in most draft years. (USA Today)"Character and intelligence are the most appealing of his many assets." (David Boclair, THN writer)
#2-Dan Hamhuis (HAM-yoos) · Defense
Shoots: Left · 6-0 · 208 lbs.
Born: Smithers, British Columbia · December 13, 1982
Drafted: 1st rd, 2001 (12th overall)
Acquired: 2001 NHL Entry Draft
A very good, well balanced skater with good agility and excellent speed...A very skilled, intelligent defenseman who anticipates the play very well and makes good decisions...Is a confident puck carrier and is very capable of leading the offensive rush...Possesses excellent passing skills and is a strong playmaker...Has excellent stamina and logs a tremendous amount of ice time...A very strong competitor and a hard worker...Plays a very sound positional game and is very poised and efficient in the defensive zone...Is strong in the corners and in front of the net and has shown a mean streak at times...Specializes in the hip check along the boards and is a very good open ice hitter. (01-02 Predators media guide)
#3-Jordin Tootoo (TOO-too) · Right Wing
Team: Brandon (WHL)
Shoots: Left · 5-9 · 193 lbs.
Born: Churchill, Manitoba · February 2, 1983
Drafted: 4th rd, 2001 (198th overall)
Acquired: 2001 NHL Entry Draft
A strong skater with good acceleration, agility and balance..Has good hockey sense and handles the puck well in tight situations...Has one of the hardest shots in the WHL and is often used at the point on the powerplay...Works very well in the corners and along the boards and drives hard to the net...A very dedicated and competitive player and a very hard worker...Plays a very physical game and is one of the hardest bodycheckers in the league...An effective antagonist who can take opponents off their game...Will sacrifice himself to make the play. (01-02 Predators media guide)
#4-Brian Finley (BRIGH-uhn FIHN-lee) · Goaltender
Catches: Right · 6-3 · 205 lbs.
Born: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario · July 3, 1981
Drafted: 1st rd, 1999 (6th overall)
Acquired: 1999 NHL Entry Draft
A butterfly style goaltender who goes down on most shots staying square to the puck for rebounds...Has very quick, controlled, smooth movement...Possesses tremendous reflexes with very fast feet and legs...Gets pads down and extended quickly to handle shots...Is able to recover efficiently from scrambles...Goes to the paddle down technique to close off the lower net...Good with his blocker and glove hand, however tends to juggle the puck at times...Has excellent anticipation, timing...Rarely caught out of position...Very good concentration and focus...Poised and confident...A solid competitor and a quiet leader. (99-00 Predators media guide)
#5-Denis Platonov (DIHN-his PLAH-tah-nahv) · Right Wing
Team: Kazan (Russia)
Shoots: Left · 6-1 · 194 lbs.
Born: Saratov, Russia · November 6, 1981
Drafted: 3rd rd, 2001 (75th overall)
Acquired: 2001 NHL Entry Draft
Good skater with excellent agility...Strong skills in traffic...Competitve and hard working...A strong two way player. (01-02 Predators media guide) "He is big and strong and has great acceleration on his skates with the puck. He can create open space for his teammates and give a perfect pass from traffic and he can also keep the puck in traffic. He has a strong, quick and sharp wrist shot. He can be a scorer and a playmaker." (Alexei Dementiev, Predators European amateur scout)
#6-Timofei Shishkanov (TEEM-oh-fay SHISH-kuh-nahv) · Left Wing
Team: Quebec (QMJHL)
Shoots: Right · 6-1 · 213 lbs.
Born: Moscow, Russia · June 10, 1983
Drafted: 2nd rd, 2001 (33rd overall)
Acquired: 2001 NHL Entry Draft
Shishkanov's 6'1 and 203lb frame is definitely more then sufficient for the rigors of the NHL. He is a very talented player. Timofei is an excellent skater, able to blow by his opponents with great moves and fast speed. He also possesses a solid shot, though he rarely uses it and does not really have a trademark shot that he is known for. Timofei Shishkanov is also a very good puck handler, able to work it in both zones of the ice. According to a Finnish observer from the U18 2001 World Junior Championships, Timofei had a comprable skill set to that of Kovalchuk (Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk), but "the difference between Kovalchuk and Shishkanov is the hunger, Kovalchuk wants all the time desperately [to] score goals, but Shishkanov sometimes floats around." The observer added further that Kovalchuk shot the puck a lot more then Shishkanov, while Shishkanov seemed "meaner, more unpredictable and stronger then Kovalchuk". The main area where Shishkanov loses to players of Kovlachuk's class is in his hockey sense. He still has not developed that knack for making split second decisions on the ice that players of Kovalchuk's caliber possess. (www.russianprospects.com) Excellent skater with a powerful stride...Good acceleration speed and very good balance...Can change both tempo and directions at top speed...Clever and cool with the puck...Has soft hands...Controls the puck well in traffic and finds his man even in tight situations...Has good size, is strong, and has good straight ahead speed...Plays with intensity. (01-02 Predators media guide)
#7-Jonas Andersson (JOH-nas AN-duhr-suhn) · Right Wing
Shoots: Right · 6-3 · 202 lbs.
Born: Stockholm, Sweden · February 24, 1981
Drafted: 2nd rd, 1999 (33rd overall)
Acquired: 1999 NHL Entry Draft
A good, effective skater...Is well balanced and has quick acceleration...High overall skill level...An offensive minded winger...Likes to go straight to the net...Possesses soft hands and is a good, crisp passer...A good competitor with strong desire. (99-00 Predators media guide) A speedy winger who left Sweden at a early age. Andersson has fine offensive skills and seems to be a very popular prospect on the other side of the pond. Has the potential to become a good NHL-player. (www.eliteprospects.com)
#8-Libor Pivko (LEE-bowr PEEV-koh) · Left Wing
Team: Zlin (Czech)
Shoots: Left · 6-2 · 194 lbs.
Born: Novy Vicin, Czech Republic · March 29, 1980
Drafted: 3rd, 2000 (89th overall)
Acquired: 2000 NHL Entry Draft
A good skater with decent hands...A hard worker...An effective passer and playmaker. (00-01 Predators media guide)
#9-Brandon Segal (SEE-guhl) · Right Wing
Team: Calgary (WHL)
Shoots: Right · 6-3 · 206 lbs.
Born: Richmond, BC · July 12, 1983
Drafted: 4th rd, 2002 (102nd overall)
Acquired: 2002 NHL Entry Draft
A well-balanced skater with a strong stride and a good change of pace...Possesses strong puck-handling skills and is a creative playmaker...Works well in heavy traffic and is effective in one-on-one situations...Has a quick wrist shot...A smart player with good hockey sense and natural offensive instincts...A feisty player who can play an aggressive game...Displays a lot of desire and drive on every shift...A dependable player who is used in all game situations...An unselfish player. (02-03 Predators media guide) "Brandon is a big kid who goes to the net. He has good hands. He goes to the areas where maybe the other guys don't like to go. He pays the price to get the puck. Not only can he put them in, but he can make plays, and he also has a real physical aspect to his game." (Mike Roony, Predators Western amateur scout)
#10-Patrick Jarrett () · Center
Team: Owen Sound (OHL)
Shoots: Right · 5-11 · 181 lbs.
Born-Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario · February 6, 1984
Drafted: 5th rd, 2002 (138th overall)
Acquired: 2002 NHL Entry Draft
A smooth skater with good agility...Very strong hockey sense...Uses his head rather than physical play to beat opponents...Sees the ice well and has good awareness of his teammates around him...A naturally offensive-minded player with very good passing and playmaking skills...Very good at anticipating the opposition's moves, often resulting in turnovers and scoring chances. (02-03 Predators media guide) "He's a very smart player with great vision. He handles the puck well and distributes the puck very well to his wingers. He's more of a play-maker than a goal scorer, and is also a good two-way player. His upside is tremendous." (Greg Royce, Predators assistant director of amateur scouting)
© 2002-2003 ThePredatorsReport.com
The Predators Report is a non-profit fansite covering the Nashville Predators. It is not affiliated with the Nashville Predators or the NHL. All logos are property of the NHL. Scouting reports are the property of its respective owner.
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Report: NHL team approaches Winnipeg
TSN.ca Staff
1/17/2004
(TSN.ca) - The Winnipeg Sun is reporting that an unidentified NHL team has approached the City of Winnipeg about possible relocation.
Deputy mayor Don Vandal received a voice mail from a representative of an American-based club that is interested in potentially moving to Winnipeg. "They're asking 'How serious is Winnipeg, because we're in trouble," Vandal told the paper.
The reported team is not the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that Vandal has courted in recent weeks, but he would confirm that it is a team that is not doing well financially.
Winnipeg hasn't had a team since the Jets left for Phoenix in 1996.
The news comes just after the Pittsburgh Penguins gave a firm 'Thanks, but no thanks,' to an invitation by the deputy mayor to move the team to Winnipeg.
Some diehard hockey fans said bring it on, while others said their passion for the league left town with the Jets when they moved to Phoenix and became the Coyotes in 1996.
Radio call-in shows, online chat groups and sports pundits jumped on the story, which had snowballed following the publication in the Sun of a letter Vandal wrote Penguins majority owner Mario Lemieux.
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T-Shirt Release Bash!
JetsOwner.com and FREQ 107 present:
The Return Of The  Campaign T-Shirt Release Party
Friday, February 13th @ The Pyramid Cabaret (Located at 176 Fort St., Winnipeg, between St Mary's and York Ave)
Save that date on your calendar because it's time to take flight and wear white. Yes, the T-shirts will be ready and will be released at The Pyramid Cabaret that night. Audiofile and guests will rock the night with great tunes and the event will offer lots of great Jets memories.
We will celebrate the past while we look to the future.
Only $5 gets you in and $10 will get you a shirt so that you can show your support for vision in Winnipeg all over town. Locations to get the shirt after the release party are to be determined.
     
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Winnipeg Free Press stories.
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Powerhouse gets a new lease on life
To become sports bar, Moose offices
Wed Feb 4 2004
By Mary Agnes Welch
A squat brick building that once powered the Eaton's department store will soon become a sports bar and the offices of the Manitoba Moose hockey team.
City council's property and development committee, which also doubles as the downtown design board, approved the $6-million project yesterday with little fanfare.
Bob Eastwood of Number 10 Architectural Group told the committee the building at the corner of Hargrave Street and Graham Avenue will become a funky sports bar that makes use of the building's high ceilings, huge windows and original brick and ironwork.
A second and third floor will be built through the north half of the old powerhouse to accommodate offices for the Moose organization, as well as the arena's management staff and any other support services.
That's also where the powerhouse will connect to the skywalk system over Hargrave Street that takes pedestrians into the MTS Centre. The powerhouse project is backed by Toronto development firm Osmington Inc., which owns the building, and Mark Chipman's family firm, which is also a key partner in the MTS Centre.
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The bar and restaurant will have an outdoor patio on Graham Avenue and the powerhouse's distinctive smokestack will also be preserved. The powerhouse will also expand to the west, covering what's now a surface parking lot. Eastwood has plans to build a three- or four-storey expansion that will serve as another set of offices as well as some covered parking.
When the powerhouse opened in 1910, it used coal-burning furnaces to heat the department store next door. Over the years, it switched to oil and then steam-generated electricity.
Eastwood said he would like to salvage most of the brickwork and as much of the old equipment as possible. That includes a huge circular brass control dial and the railings from an inside staircase.
Crews are now busy gutting the inside, removing old pumps, pipes and boilers and cleaning up hazardous materials.
Eastwood said the powerhouse project is the first sign of the arena's spinoff effect in the area. He said he hopes to have a tenant in place and the old powerhouse complete by November of this year, when the arena is slated to open.
"We don't have long at all," said Eastwood. "As with the True North Arena itself, it's a pretty tight schedule."
He would not divulge who may have expressed an interest in opening a restaurant or bar in the powerhouse. He would only say there has been local and national interest.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca
pictures from Truenorth project
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NHL can happen, 'Peg told
Rally city's business forces, Oilers president advises
Winnipeg's leaders must rally their business forces and begin planning ahead if they're serious about regaining a National Hockey League franchise, says the president of the Edmonton Oilers. "I wouldn't think about getting a team right now -- I'd think about getting my army together, and make sure that's working," Patrick LaForge told The Sun yesterday from the Alberta capital.
"And knowing Winnipeggers the way I do, stand back. It's going to happen."
Winnipeggers hoping for a return of the NHL aren't dreaming unrealistically about gaining another team after the loss of their Jets to Phoenix eight years ago, added the Oilers' CEO.
LaForge stressed the major league is facing a "watershed" moment in soon ending its current collective agreement with its players, and moving toward what many see as a new economic model -- one that might allow cities such as Edmonton and Calgary to more easily shoulder their NHL financial burdens brought by staggering player salaries.
COULD OPEN A DOOR
For Winnipeg, he says, a looming league shutdown could open a door. And if the city wants another team, a business group -- perhaps comprised of grassroots entrepreneurs -- should be ready to enter.
LaForge's attitude, in part, mirrors that of CBC commentator Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada, who says the 'Peg's coming $133-million MTS Centre arena and its "passion" for the sport bode well as the NHL's economics seem ready to shift.
"Those two criteria alone seem to help give Winnipeg the opportunity," MacLean told The Sun on Thursday. "I just think the league's expansion into the southern footprint was motivated in terms of a U.S. TV deal, which was supposed to be the panacea.
REVENUE SHARING
"We've all seen where it's headed for the upcoming negotiations with television. U.S. TV money won't be the panacea, so it will remain a gate-driven league where obviously some form of revenue sharing would be important."
Winnipeg media mogul David Asper heightened local speculation this week when he told The Sun the city has plenty of well-heeled entrepreneurs who might be interested in discussing a purchase if a struggling NHL franchise comes calling.
"At the end of the day, though, the guy who owns the Moose owns the arena," Asper said, referring to Mark Chipman, president of the AHL's Manitoba Moose. "And no one is going to talk about NHL hockey in this city without owning the facility. Nobody."
While Chipman has remained mostly silent on the subject, Jim Millican of True North Sports & Entertainment insists no NHL opportunity will arrive unless the league dramatically lowers its costs for centres such as Winnipeg.
"We will stay close to and study the situation," Millican said. "But until that day arrives, there is really not going to be any change."
Edmonton's current 36 investors partnered in 1998 to buy the Oilers from Peter Pocklington for $100 million and haven't looked back, LaForge said.
"They're not, in Winnipeg terms, the Aspers," he added. "We call them the blue-collar millionaires. They have pickup trucks ... They're close to the community and raise families here." If Winnipeg has such people, he said, it's not too soon for this city to get excited about chasing a franchise.
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Jets name available for team at a price
Lawyer hopeful about league co-operation
Winnipeg can't bring back the players who wore the Jets colours, but the long-lost team's name might become available -- for a price. Though deputy mayor Dan Vandal's efforts to regain an NHL team for the city have spurred calls to "bring back the Jets," that club is firmly planted in Arizona after the club's move to Phoenix in 1996.
However, the old Jets name and logo designs are owned by the National Hockey League through two registered trademarks in Canada, says local lawyer David Carrick.
'CONTROL THE RIGHTS'
"They want to control the rights to the Winnipeg Jets," Carrick said of the big league, "both the name and the design -- to keep as much control as possible and to maximize revenues."
The NHL's New York City head office also recently applied for two more Jets trademarks -- at least one such inquiry made as recently as March 2002, Carrick added after checking databases in Canada and the United States.
For a second consecutive day, the NHL didn't return calls for comment.
Carrick doubted the NHL would charge much -- perhaps nothing at all -- to Winnipeg interests who want to revive the name with a new franchise.
"I'd be surprised if they charge an arm and a leg for the rights," he said.
Darren Ford, head of a campaign to spur interest in the city's new NHL pursuit, said naming talk is premature.
"We're not close to that stage yet, but it definitely would have to be called the Jets," Ford said. "If it ever gets to the point where we're thinking about what to call the team, my work is done."
Ford expected hundreds to turn up last night at The Pyramid nightclub for a T-shirt selling promotion. The event was to heighten interest in what Vandal and his group are trying to achieve.
Looking ahead to Winnipeg Arena's pending demolition within the next year to make way for MTS Centre, the AHL's Manitoba Moose will stage two Jets tribute games Feb. 20 and March 6.
"We're encouraging fans to wear white that night for the final time at Winnipeg Arena," communications director Scott Brown said, adding the Moose are not standing in the way of any NHL dreams.
"The public seems to think that because this team is here and the American Hockey League is here, that the NHL is not looking at Winnipeg," Brown said. "And that's not correct at all."
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New name needed if NHL returns
If, and it remains a substantial if, the NHL decides to come back to Winnipeg, let's make one thing perfectly clear: Leave the Winnipeg Jets name to rest in peace and remain in the history books where it belongs.
While the possibility of an NHL return is closer than it has been since the beloved Jets left town, it's time to put things in proper perspective.
Sure, there were plenty of good times.
Who can forget the way the Winnipeg Arena shook during the famous whiteouts, especially the first one in the playoffs against the Calgary Flames?
Who can forget the way Dale Hawerchuk came into his own during the epic battles against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers?
And who can forget the way Teemu Selanne brought fans to their feet while establishing a rookie record with 76 goals?
But what did those good times amount to when it came down to crunch time?
Absolutely nothing.
Well, nothing but heartache.
The Jets always fought the good fight, but could rarely close the deal.
It didn't matter that the Jets were often good enough to get out to a 3-1 series lead, the Jets almost always found a way to come up short.
The Smythe Division opponents, whether it was the Flames, Oilers or Vancouver Canucks, were always just a little better.
So what are fans clinging to exactly?
Since the franchise moved south to Phoenix, Ariz., the Coyotes still haven't won a playoff series.
CURSED?
Some things never change.
Cursed? Maybe, but that's an argument for another day.
The point is, it's not like bringing back the Jets would be like going back to the glory days.
Let's not forget the last professional hockey championship won in this city was the Avco Cup the Jets won in the final season of the rebel World Hockey Association -- and that was 25 years ago this spring.
That's why a clean break is necessary if the NHL returns.
A new team would need a new identity, whether it's the nickname of the team that moves here or an original name.
Before you cast off the idea as insensitive or insane, consider two recent case studies.
The NHL left Colorado for New Jersey in the early 1980s, only to return in 1995-96 when the Quebec Nordiques headed south.
REBORN
The team was reborn as the Avalanche, not the Rockies.
Closer to home, when the North Stars left Minnesota for Dallas, most observers felt the NHL might never return.
But when they did, it was not as the North Stars or as the Fighting Saints (as they were known in the WHA).
The state of Minnesota became Wild country.
History was neither ignored or forgotten. Minnesota merely decided to clean the slate and start anew.
And who can argue with the results?
Since entering the league, the Wild have sold out every game -- pre-season, regular season and post-season -- in the sparkling Xcel Energy Center.
SECOND CHANCE
This is not to suggest Winnipeg is in the same economic bracket as either Colorado or Minnesota, but both cities did the right thing when a second chance came their way.
It's time to follow in their footsteps.
If the opportunity to support an NHL franchise in the soon-to-be-completed MTS Centre arose, fans would flock to the new barn no matter what the name on the jersey said.
Don Cherry would still rave on Coach's Corner about how great the fans in the province are, whether they were wearing Jets jerseys or not.
Unless Winnipeg hockey fans relish the thought of being associated with a losing franchise again, why go through the torture of drumming up the past and re-opening old wounds.
A better option would be to cut the cord and start from scratch.
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Goldenduckyjet
