Ladd makes triumphant return

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This article was published 18/03/2016 (3489 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Andrew Ladd got some love and the points Friday night in his former home rink.

His 20th goal of the NHL season helped lift the Chicago Blackhawks out of a four-game losing slump and helped them blank the Winnipeg Jets 4-0 at the MTS Centre.

“Yeah, it was different right of the hop, looking across and seeing a lot of friends and being back on this rink on the other side but as the game went on, it kind of got more to just playing hockey,” said Ladd, the former Jets captain who was traded to Chicago Feb. 25. “A big two points for us and it’s nice to be back in the win column.”

During the game’s first TV timeout Friday, a video tribute to the first captain of Jets 2.0 was played on the arena’s giant screens and drew a standing ovation from the capacity crowd of 15,294.

“Yeah, it was awesome,” Ladd said. “I always appreciated the fans and really the people of Winnipeg when I was here. I appreciate the ovations and really I can’t say enough about the city.”

Even the Jets liked the public salute.

“I think it’s nice to appreciate a guy that’s done a lot for this organization, a lot for this city,” said Jets winger Blake Wheeler, Ladd’s former linemate. “It was a classy move.”

Said Jets head coach Paul Maurice: “Andrew is a really well-liked guy. It was a fitting tribute for him. It was appreciated on our bench by the way our fans acknowledged Andrew and what he’s meant to our team.”

There were some morning hijinks prior to the team’s fourth meeting of the season but first since the deal that brought Marko Dano to the Jets lineup. Winnipeg also received a first-round draft pick plus a conditional pick, while the Hawks also got defenceman Jay Harrison and forward Matt Fraser.

Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, one of Ladd’s closest friends, spoke to reporters with a straight face Friday morning and said: “Same as facing Patrick Kane; another player we’ve got to go out and do our job against. All business. I can’t wait to shoot a puck at him and run him into the boards.

“It is a little different but we’ve got a job to do. I want to play you, whack you and I’ll buy you a beer afterwards. You’ve got a job to do, go out and do it.”

Ladd was ready for the mischief, he said.

“Yeah, I already told him I’ve got an elbow coming for him if he’s coming,” Ladd said with a smile, referring to Byfuglien’s comments. “He might end up with a bloody nose.”

Nothing of real note happened between any of the former teammates until Ladd popped in his goal at 3:06 of the third, going to the net at just the right time as captain Jonathan Toews put a perfect pass on his tape after eluding the defence of Toby Enstrom.

‘I always appreciated the fans and really the people of Winnipeg when I was here. I appreciate the ovations and really I can’t say enough about the city’– Andrew Ladd 

By that point of the game, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville had Ladd playing with Toews and Patrick Kane, who had opened the scoring with a wicked backhand at 16:56 of the second.

“It’s pretty good,” Ladd said. “Kaner’s a magician with the puck and then Johnny is just so strong at both ends of the ice. I just kind of read off them and try to get to the net and create some space.”

The Jets are familiar with that kind of touch. Ladd was their leading scorer last season, and the reverberations of the trade are still felt.

“It’s different,” Wheeler said Friday morning. “It still feels like he’s hurt or something and we’re expecting him back at any time.”

Ladd had a chance to connect with a few of his ex-teammates Thursday after the Hawks arrived in Winnipeg.

“It’s kind of weird,” he said. “I saw some of the guys last night and it doesn’t feel like I’ve been gone that long. I guess because it’s happening so quick it feels a little weird still but when you spend that much time with the same group of guys and the same organization, it’s going to be a little weird coming back and playing in the rink where there are a lot of friends on the other side.”

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

jeff.hamitlon@freepress.mb.ca