Post by Believer on Aug 11, 2009 22:54:06 GMT -5
Former Jets still skating down to Final Five By: Randy Turner
Then there were five.
The official retirement of Teppo Numminen last week wasn't just the sun setting on the dignified 18-year career of the quiet Finn. At least not for anyone conscious of the last skating residue of the Winnipeg Jets.
With Numminen's departure, there are only five former Jets still remaining (by our count); Kris Draper, Nikolai Khabibulin, Teemu Selanne, Keith Tkachuk and the youngster of the bunch, Shane Doan.
Yep, just a handful now.
Yet this much can be said of the aging remnants of the Jets -- they all remain relevant even at the back end of their careers, and then some.
Heck, there's still some Flash left in Selanne's 39-year-old pistons after scoring 27 goals last year in Anaheim, just two years removed from a Stanley Cup victory.
Not bad for an old guy.
Draper, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup appearances with the Detroit Red Wings, at age 38, and remains the epitome of leadership for the league's most respected franchise over the last decade.
Khabibulin was the cornerstone of the Chicago Blackhawks spirited playoff run this past spring, five years removed from capturing a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Then the Russian netminder bolted for Edmonton, signing a four-year, $15-million deal with the Oilers, who are banking that the 36-year-old has something left after all these years.
Tkachuk? Apparently born-again as the old warrior among the young turks in St. Louis. The last player to score 50 goals for the Jets (1995-96) managed to pot half that number with the Blues 13 years later.
And Doan, the last Jet to have the misfortune of remaining with the Coyotes, has flourished on the international stage for Team Canada, both at the Olympics and World Championships in the last 10 years.
So that's a pretty respectable Final Five, right?
But the day is coming now when the last Jet skating will hang them up, too, just another visage of the franchise that will quietly disappear. That won't be a particularly happy day, either, since just seeing Selanne or Tkachuk or Doan is a constant source of Jets memories. They are a link to the past, and to a hockey team and an arena that no longer physically exist.
This isn't about being maudlin. Any grief about the Jets' ignoble death has long ago morphed into what passes for fuzzy nostalgia. In fact, if anything there is a far more prevalent feeling of optimism for the future return of the NHL to this city than mourning the past.
Still, you keep track. Chad Kilger and Dallas Drake retired last year. Alexei Zhamnov is a general manager in the KHL, where countryman Oleg Tverdovsky still toils on defence. Fredrik Olausson was last reported to be an assistant coach in the Swedish elite league and Bryan Marchment (who spent a handful of games in Winnipeg) is a scout for the San Jose Sharks. Stu Barnes is an assistant coach in Dallas.
All of them wore Jets jerseys and all of them walked away from their NHL careers in the last few years. Just like Numminen last week.
In all, more than 300 players pulled that decidedly pedestrian logo over their shoulders during the Jets time in both the NHL and WHA, from Mike Amodeo to Joe Zanussi. Some were icons, a precious few were Hall of Famers and some were just passing through. Still, they all had a common bond.
So who will be the Last Jet?
Well, Selanne has already confirmed the upcoming season will be his final lap. Draper's days in Detroit are numbered. Tkachuk is entering a one-year contract with the Blues, but could still coax a couple more years out of a rebelling body. So it's probable that Doan, the kid at 32, and Khabibulin will ultimately be left to carry the Jets flickering torch.
However, for what it's worth, Doan could play another five years. Khabibulin is signed for another four himself. So the end isn't imminent, but it's out there.
One day, training camps will open and no active player who once donned the same jersey as Hull, Hedberg, Babych and Hawerchuk will be left. They will go the way of the dinosaur and the Edsel. But life goes on.
And, hey, if it's any consolation, remember this: There's every reason to believe that the Last Jet skating will survive longer than the Phoenix Coyotes.
Happy trails, Teppo. You wore it well.
randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca
Then there were five.
The official retirement of Teppo Numminen last week wasn't just the sun setting on the dignified 18-year career of the quiet Finn. At least not for anyone conscious of the last skating residue of the Winnipeg Jets.
With Numminen's departure, there are only five former Jets still remaining (by our count); Kris Draper, Nikolai Khabibulin, Teemu Selanne, Keith Tkachuk and the youngster of the bunch, Shane Doan.
Yep, just a handful now.
Yet this much can be said of the aging remnants of the Jets -- they all remain relevant even at the back end of their careers, and then some.
Heck, there's still some Flash left in Selanne's 39-year-old pistons after scoring 27 goals last year in Anaheim, just two years removed from a Stanley Cup victory.
Not bad for an old guy.
Draper, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup appearances with the Detroit Red Wings, at age 38, and remains the epitome of leadership for the league's most respected franchise over the last decade.
Khabibulin was the cornerstone of the Chicago Blackhawks spirited playoff run this past spring, five years removed from capturing a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Then the Russian netminder bolted for Edmonton, signing a four-year, $15-million deal with the Oilers, who are banking that the 36-year-old has something left after all these years.
Tkachuk? Apparently born-again as the old warrior among the young turks in St. Louis. The last player to score 50 goals for the Jets (1995-96) managed to pot half that number with the Blues 13 years later.
And Doan, the last Jet to have the misfortune of remaining with the Coyotes, has flourished on the international stage for Team Canada, both at the Olympics and World Championships in the last 10 years.
So that's a pretty respectable Final Five, right?
But the day is coming now when the last Jet skating will hang them up, too, just another visage of the franchise that will quietly disappear. That won't be a particularly happy day, either, since just seeing Selanne or Tkachuk or Doan is a constant source of Jets memories. They are a link to the past, and to a hockey team and an arena that no longer physically exist.
This isn't about being maudlin. Any grief about the Jets' ignoble death has long ago morphed into what passes for fuzzy nostalgia. In fact, if anything there is a far more prevalent feeling of optimism for the future return of the NHL to this city than mourning the past.
Still, you keep track. Chad Kilger and Dallas Drake retired last year. Alexei Zhamnov is a general manager in the KHL, where countryman Oleg Tverdovsky still toils on defence. Fredrik Olausson was last reported to be an assistant coach in the Swedish elite league and Bryan Marchment (who spent a handful of games in Winnipeg) is a scout for the San Jose Sharks. Stu Barnes is an assistant coach in Dallas.
All of them wore Jets jerseys and all of them walked away from their NHL careers in the last few years. Just like Numminen last week.
In all, more than 300 players pulled that decidedly pedestrian logo over their shoulders during the Jets time in both the NHL and WHA, from Mike Amodeo to Joe Zanussi. Some were icons, a precious few were Hall of Famers and some were just passing through. Still, they all had a common bond.
So who will be the Last Jet?
Well, Selanne has already confirmed the upcoming season will be his final lap. Draper's days in Detroit are numbered. Tkachuk is entering a one-year contract with the Blues, but could still coax a couple more years out of a rebelling body. So it's probable that Doan, the kid at 32, and Khabibulin will ultimately be left to carry the Jets flickering torch.
However, for what it's worth, Doan could play another five years. Khabibulin is signed for another four himself. So the end isn't imminent, but it's out there.
One day, training camps will open and no active player who once donned the same jersey as Hull, Hedberg, Babych and Hawerchuk will be left. They will go the way of the dinosaur and the Edsel. But life goes on.
And, hey, if it's any consolation, remember this: There's every reason to believe that the Last Jet skating will survive longer than the Phoenix Coyotes.
Happy trails, Teppo. You wore it well.
randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca
