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Death. Taxes. And outsiders ripping on Winnipeg.
Yes, these are the certainties in life, the last of which was reaffirmed this week when The Athletic released results of its annual NHL player poll conducted on a number of topics.
One of the questions was: “If you have a no-trade clause, what’s the first team on it?” And the overwhelming winner — or is that loser? — would be good ol’ River City, with a whopping 48.7 per cent of the 111 respondents essentially saying hell would have to freeze over before they’d come here to be paid millions to play hockey.
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Ouch.
Buffalo was a very distant second at 19.51 per cent. San Jose was third (8.54 per cent) while Calgary and Ottawa (both at 3.66 per cent) rounded out the top five.
To add further insult to insult, there were several negative comments included in the piece to justify the overwhelming thumbs-down.
“There’s not much to do out there. It’s f—ing cold. I haven’t heard a guy go to Winnipeg and be like, ‘This is going to be my forever home,’” said one anonymous skater.
“Nothing to do. Bad food. Freezing,” said another.
Sigh.
To be clear, I’m not the type of person to get my back up when someone wants to bad-mouth the place I was born, raised and have spent all 50 of my years living in. That’s their prerogative, and nothing I can say will likely change their mind.
Besides, we need to have thick skin around here. It helps us survive the subarctic temperatures for our 10-month winter with absolutely nothing to do or good to eat.
I do, however, have some thoughts on the poll results, which echo several previous ones over the years.
Let’s start with the notion that we have “bad food” in our city. I’m not sure exactly where all these players are eating here, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Winnipeg punches WAY above its weight when it comes to dining, both in terms of variety and quality. I say this as a bit of a foodie who has travelled extensively. We truly are blessed with a buffet of top-notch choices with a wealth of options and cultures represented.
If players are really experiencing “bad food” here, then I daresay that’s either on the (extremely poor) choices they are making and/or the (very bad) guidance and suggestions they might be getting from team officials.
There’s a LOT you can criticize Winnipeg for. Our culinary options are not one of them.
I’m also laughing at the idea that players are in any position to declare there’s nothing to do here. Again, this is coming from visitors who are literally landing at the airport, being shuttled to the hotel, going to the rink for a morning skate, back to the hotel for a nap, back to the rink for a game and then flying to the next city.
Translation: they have no time to do anything around here besides their job.
For those who actually spend any time here, there’s no shortage of options. Live music and theatre and comedy? A diverse range of bars and lounges and leisure/entertainment/sporting options? Fishing and hunting and boating and skating snowmobiling and skiing and other outdoor adventures? A resounding yes, on all counts.
True, it can get really chilly around here during the guts of the hockey season, which is when the majority of players are popping in for a quick trip. No argument there. It is what it is, even if a typical Winnipeg winter doesn’t seem to have the same bite in recent years. Live here long enough and you learn how to dress the part.
But it also gets sizzling hot here in summer, and one of things I’ve always loved about living here is getting to experience all four seasons in all their splendour. Again, that’s something you don’t get a sense of when stopping in for 24 to 36 hours in mid-January.
Are we perfect? Of course not. And these types of polls should at least be grounds for reflection on what, if anything, could be done to improve the experience.
For example: a healthy, vibrant downtown is essential, and something True North has taken a first-hand interest in improving. But it’s a slow, at times painful, process.
However, I suggest nobody get too bent out of shape by these poll results.
The real measuring stick to me is how many players are packing their bags and getting out of Dodge at their earliest opportunity. And the answer to that suggests those voting are out to lunch.
Connor Hellebuyck is the best goalie on the planet and could have named his price and gone anywhere else in the league in free agency. He chose to re-sign here and, as a result, will likely play his entire career in Winnipeg.
Same goes for Mark Scheifele, the first-ever Jets 2.0 draft pick way back in 2011, whose services as a top centre would have been in hot demand.
All-star defenceman Josh Morrissey signed here long-term. So did all-world sniper Kyle Connor. And Danish winger Nikolaj Ehlers. Don’t forget captain Adam Lowry, who is one of several players to have a home here.
OK, those are all drafted-and-developed talents. Maybe they’re suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Surely players without longstanding roots here don’t feel the same way, right?
Wrong.
Dylan DeMelo, acquired in a trade, signed a long-term extension rather than test the free-agent waters. So did Nino Niederreiter. And Vlad Namestnikov. Before them, so did the likes of Blake Wheeler, Dustin Byfuglien and Bryan Little, who all came over from Atlanta. And Mathieu Perreault, who came via trade.
Heck, goaltender Eric Comrie is back here for a third stint. As he joked the other day, he just can’t stay away.
Speak to these players about Winnipeg, as I’ve done on numerous occasions, and you’ll hear many themes emerge:
They love the organization and how the organization treats them and their families. True North certainly goes above and beyond, no doubt wanting to push back against the reputation that often precedes a player’s arrival. They can’t change the weather. But they can provide a warm, welcoming environment.
They love the downtown rink and the rabid fan-base, which can make it one of the rowdiest buildings in the league and give a true sense of home-ice advantage.
They love the community feel around here, which includes being recognized while out and about, being asked for photos and autographs and just talking shop whether they’re at the grocery store or the gas station. Hockey matters around here, and that’s important to many of them.
They also love the “underdog” feeling that a lot of this outside noise creates, the sense that it’s Winnipeg against the world.
To be clear, general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff DOES have his work cut out for him in trying to build a Stanley Cup contender. Plenty of players DO have no-trade clauses — fortunately for the Jets it’s still the minority — and Winnipeg is absolutely at the top of many of them. That’s not just talk. It’s a legitimate challenge, and there are no doubt times he’s tried to bring talent to town only to be told, “No thanks.”
All of which makes it even more impressive that the Jets, since the 2017-18 season, have perpetually been among the best teams in the NHL. And this year, now 55 games into the season, they ARE the best with a remarkable 38-14-3 record.
You’ve heard the expression “Build it and they will come”? I suspect “Win it and they will come” might also apply. A Stanley Cup parade down Portage and Main in early summer would be a nice way to present the city in a different light, don’t you think?
If not, well, that’s ultimately their loss. As we were reminded again this week, they really don’t know what they’re missing.
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