‘Stanley! Stanley!’ Jets fans roar for unexpected hero

CALGARY — The chants were raining down from the rafters Saturday night inside Canada Life Centre. Not once, but twice.

“Stanley! Stanley! Stanley!” the crowd of more than 14,000 bellowed in unison.

Believe it or not, this had nothing to do with a certain silver trophy the Winnipeg Jets hope to be hoisting next June — and everything to do with their 6-7 defenceman who has, at times, been public enemy No. 1 around here.

“I think it’s a first, so yeah, it felt good. I’ll take it,” Logan Stanley said after the game, a 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators which improved Winnipeg’s record to 4-1-0.

It’s safe to say the 207th game of Stanley’s NHL career will be one he won’t soon forget.

First came something familiar: a fight. Stanley went toe-to-toe, and in this case eye-to-eye, with 6-6 Nashville forward Michael McCarron. It was more of a prolonged grappling match than a slugfest, but it clearly got everyone’s attention and sparked the first round of chants.

Then came something entirely new: a second goal in the same NHL season. And in just the fifth game of the campaign, no less. Hard to believe, but a player who’d scored exactly one goal in each of his previous five seasons already has a new career high — with 77 games to go. Once again, “Stanley!” echoed through the rink.

“It’s kind of weird when you have that much time, so just head down and hammer it,” Stanley said of his slapshot which eluded Predators goaltender Juuse Saros and gave the Jets a two-goal cushion in the third period.

For those keeping score at home, Stanley now sits two goals ahead of Edmonton Oilers megastar Connor McDavid in the early Rocket Richard race. And among Winnipeg defencemen, who had Stanley, locked in a battle just to crack the top six out of training camp, leading the way in scoring?

The Jets’ social media team even got in on the fun, posting a meme joking that Stanley, now up to 39 career points, was hot on the heels of Mark Scheifele, who on the same night set a new franchise record with 813.

“He’s been fantastic here at the start of the year,” Scheifele said of the teammate known as “Stanimal.”

In all seriousness, Stanley has provided steady play, along with some unexpected offence, for a Jets team currently missing shutdown defenceman Dylan Samberg (broken wrist). He’s been physical, smart, and disciplined, avoiding some of the costly errors that dogged him in the past. He’s also been a key part of a penalty kill that sits at an impressive 22-for-23.

“Obviously, when we lost Samberg, everybody would have to stand up and I think that he’s done that,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel.

“When you get a little bit more ice time, you’ve got to take advantage of it. He’s trying to make it hard on us as a staff when Sammy comes back. You have to present the opportunity and it’s theirs to go and take and make the most of it and he’s done that.”

Stanley has always been a lightning rod for some fans, due largely to the fact he was selected in the first round, 18th-overall, in 2016 and hasn’t exactly blossomed into the type of player you’d expect from that spot.

There was one game last year, for example, where a blunder ended up in the back of Winnipeg’s net late in a game, spoiling what looked to be a shutout for goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The next time he was on the ice and touched the puck, a chorus of boos rained down.

Some critics also feel he’s been afforded chances over more talented young defencemen simply because of his size, which he hasn’t always used to his advantage.

But so far this season, Stanley has done exactly what the Jets need him to do while filling in for Samberg on the second pairing beside Neal Pionk. And hearing the home fans chanting your name instead of jeering it? That’s got to feel pretty sweet.

“You’ve got to have confidence to play in this league,” said Stanley.

“If something doesn’t go right, you’re trying to forget about it quick and go back out and make a good play. So yeah, confidence is a huge part and you try and build on it.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg