Better late than never, Mr. Chipman

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/07/2016 (3395 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s always been a strange quirk of True North Sports & Entertainment Ltd.’s ownership of the Winnipeg Jets 2.0 — its stubborn and steadfast refusal to acknowledge the existence of Winnipeg Jets 1.0.

The banners hanging at the MTS Centre acknowledge the AHL and IHL’s Manitoba Moose, while ignoring the previous WHA and NHL versions of the Jets.

Mike Keane’s number hangs from the rafters in the city’s downtown arena, but not Bobby Hull’s.

The Golden Jet, however, is on the Arizona Coyotes’ ring of honour at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. So, too, are Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Teppo Numminen and Keith Tkachuk.

Anyone else think that is a bit weird?

When it comes to records, True North chairman Mark Chipman’s team pretends its history began with the Atlanta Thrashers instead of the Jets. There’s a monumental difference between “franchise history” and “Winnipeg Jets history,” but no one in these parts has really acknowledged that.

(Hands up if you’re tired of hearing about all the Winnipeg Jets records Ilya Kovalchuk holds.)

Heck, if Chipman had his way, this team wouldn’t even be called the Winnipeg Jets.

No one is sure exactly what Chipman intended to call his new NHL franchise — Moose? Bears? — but what is clear is during the long, hot summer of 2011, Manitoba hockey fans took the decision away from him and forced the Jets name upon True North through sheer force of community will.

Now, I get why True North wanted nothing to do with the previous Jets logo, which — let’s remember — depicted the silhouette of a passenger jet.

“Come to the hockey game, it will remind you of an airport” is a marketing slogan no one goes into business with.

Why Chipman was so dead-set against the Jets name — and so recalcitrant in the intervening years to meaningfully acknowledge the city’s former hockey history — is something he has never fully explained.

But, hey, better late than never. A lot better, in fact.

Five full years into the existence of Jets 2.0, the team announced Friday it is finally going to pay homage to Winnipeg’s NHL and WHA past with the creation of a new Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame.

The initial inductions are no-brainers — the legendary “Hot Line” of Hull, Ulf Nilsson and Anders Hedberg — will be the kickoff to Heritage Classic festivities in October.

While the trio is an homage to the Jets’ WHA past, the club made it clear in Friday’s announcement there are more to come and it won’t be long before it gets to the likes of Jets NHL greats such as Hawerchuk, Steen and Teemu Selanne.

We’ll probably never know for sure why True North has chosen this time to finally acknowledge what is a huge part of not only this province’s hockey history, but also this province’s history in general.

But I’m sure it’s not coincidental this is finally happening in the same year ownership was going to be forced to acknowledge the team’s NHL past during the Heritage Classic games at Investors Group Field.

The event will include an old-timers game between the Jets and Edmonton Oilers and it would have been more than a little weird — not to mention raised some very uncomfortable questions all week long — if ownership had staged the outdoor extravaganza without first paying meaningful acknowledgement to this city’s NHL heritage.

But in the end, I wonder if the creation of a Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame and the induction of the Hot Line came about for the same reason Chipman was forced to call his new NHL team the Jets — this city and province demanded it through sheer force of will.

True North might run the current version of the franchise, but it’s the city and province that own the Winnipeg Jets.

We’re silent partners, until we’re not.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @PaulWiecek