FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: It seems like only yesterday I was sitting inside Rogers Place watching the Jets whip the Edmonton Oilers 6-0 to kick off the 2024-25 campaign. Time flies when you’re having fun, and this year was quite the joyride.
Winnipeg would ultimately play 95 meaningful games over a 220-day span — winning 62 of them — but my personal enjoyment had little to do with on-ice results. Rather, it was getting to document the journey for a rabid fan-base in a hockey-crazed market such as this one which reminded me of how lucky I am to get to do what I do.
We certainly saw that in spades during the playoffs, with seven Whiteouts and enough twists and turns to fill a novel.
We’re always trying to find new ways to tell stories in the pages of the Free Press, and some personal highlights this year include:
I hope you enjoyed reading these stories as much as I did researching and writing them.
Winnipeg Jets’ Cole Perfetti scores the latest game-tying goal in NHL Game 7 history on St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington to push overtime on May 4. (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press)
Now in my 31st year as a full-time journalist, and my 29th at the Free Press, I’m lucky to work for an employer that still values the importance of local journalism and gives us all the support and resources we need to do as thorough a job as possible.
To that extent, I’d invite you to read a pair of stories that recently appeared in our pages which detail a patriotic new campaign — running now through Canada Day — to ensure our product remains as strong as ever:
It was also a treat to connect with you through this game-day newsletter, our monthly Jets mailbags and thousands of emails and social media messages that serve as a constant reminder of how much passion there is out there.
The end of the season doesn’t mean the end of our hockey coverage. Far from it. From NHL awards, the draft and free agency to rookie development camp, player signings and off-season features, Kenny and I will still have plenty of material coming your way before we really ramp back up after Labour Day, when I begin what will be my 10th year on the Jets beat.
I’ll continue to produce my weekly Mike On Sports newsletter, which is emailed out every Thursday. If you aren’t already a subscriber, you can read the latest issue and sign up here.
Have a great summer, folks. Thanks for following along. We’ll see you back here in September.
KEN SAYS: Is it time for training camp yet? It’s certainly been an interesting ride, covering the 2024-25 season. After watching 101 Jets games (including pre-season) — the majority in person — it’s difficult to try and encapsulate the season in a few short paragraphs.
The first season of Scott Arniel’s tenure as an NHL head coach, in his adopted hometown, was filled with success for both the team and a number of individuals who put forth the best stats of their career.
Of the many stories written, a couple of my favourties were my lengthy feature on Jets goalie coach Wade Flaherty and my deep dive into why eight players use the sticks they do.
While many of the numbers posted by the Jets and their players were impressive on the road to the Presidents’ Trophy, what will stand out to me is the way the Jets rallied around Mark Scheifele on the day of and during Game 6 of the second-round series with the Stars.
Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele waits on a face-off against the Dallas Stars in the second period of Game 6 in Dallas on May 17. (Gareth Patterson / The Associated Press)
The Manitoba Miracle from Game 7 against the Blues was astounding in its own right, yet as someone who lost a parent far too young back in 1995, seeing the courage of Scheifele and the support of his teammates was a scene I won’t soon forget.
Beginning with how captain Adam Lowry spoke about the zest for life that Brad Scheifele had in the morning, to how he emotionally talked about wanting to get the penalty kill for Mark in overtime after the series ended in Game 6 in Dallas, his leadership was on display for the entire hockey world to see.
You didn’t need to be a fan of hockey to see this support group doing everything they possibly could to help their friend get through one of the most difficult days one may ever endure.
From Josh Morrissey walking stride for stride with Scheifele off the team bus and into the dressing room before Game 6 to Lowry going to get him out of the penalty box at the conclusion of the series to the long embraces prior to and during the handshake line with teammates and opponents like Jamie Benn and Mason Marchment (who lost his father, Jets 1.0 D-man Bryan, in 2022), this was bigger than a game — even a playoff game with so much on the line.
Winnipeg Jets’ Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele talk during warmups before first Game 6. (Gareth Patterson / The Associated Press)
This was also about the human spirit, the power of sport and the importance of community in both the micro and the macro sense.
I consider it a privilege to cover the NHL in the province where I grew up, and I feel a tremendous amount of gratitude to work at a place where journalism matters and a massive investment is made so we can be on the scene to tell the stories that are important to you.
Thanks for following along and for investing your time with us. Enjoy the offseason — which we will be covering closely — and we look forward to being back in this space this fall.
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Although the exit interviews are complete and our notebooks have been emptied, we will monitor all of the offseason news and notes closely.
Hellebuyck is a lock to win his third Vezina Trophy, but where will he finish in Hart Trophy voting as league MVP?
What about a Jack Adams Trophy for Arniel and the GM of the Year award for Kevin Cheveldayoff?
Plus, with the 2025 NHL Draft on tap next month and the Jets holding the 28th overall pick in the first round, we will open up the monthly mailbag for June a bit early.
The next edition will go up on June 15, so there’s plenty of time to get your submissions in. Simply hit reply to this email to send us your questions.
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