Laine’s chapter in Winnipeg should have been a book

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/03/2022 (1260 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At one point Friday, Patrik Laine described his time in Winnipeg as a “great chapter” in his hockey career. It certainly was for second-overall draft pick in 2016, a big personality with an even bigger shot who dazzled hockey fans around here during four memorable seasons.

All of which begs one important and, to this date, unanswered question: Why couldn’t it have been a whole damn book?

The Laine saga remains the kind of mystery Agatha Christie would appreciate. And his return to River City was the latest twist, starting with a fascinating morning news conference at Canada Life Centre in which the words Laine spoke — and those he didn’t — might have folks reading between the lines.

Take, for example, how he responded to colleague Jeff Hamilton’s query about his current situation down in Columbus.

“I just feel really comfortable here, around these people, and just being me,” Laine began. “It feels good to, well, not say whatever you want, but say what you think of certain things. But yeah, it’s just fun to be Patty again.”

Oh? The plot thickens.

The implication, of course, is Laine was required to be something he wasn’t in Winnipeg. And that it had him on the outside looking in, requesting a change of scenery when he was still just scratching the surface of his potential and years away from reaching his prime. These types of players don’t come along often — Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen called him a “one-percenter” — and trading away a popular star who scores goals in his sleep and moves merchandise like few others can was a curious bit of business for True North when it happened in January 2021.

So, too, was lumping Laine’s in-game tribute Friday with that of Jack Roslovic and Pascal Vincent and playing just a brief “welcome back” video during a first period TV timeout, the way they’ve done this year with the likes of Mathieu Perreault and Derek Forbort. Not to take anything away from the others — all fine players and people — but I expected something with a little more flair for the Finnish star, who scored 148 goals and 118 assists in 330 combined regular-season and playoff games.

I still see plenty of Laine Jets jerseys whenever I walk the concourse at the downtown rink, and the reception he received is proof of just how much he meant around here. He was cheered loudly during the anthems when shown on the big screen, settling in on the wing to take the opening face-off and exchanging friendly stick taps with Jets winger Kyle Connor.

He may be gone, for reasons we don’t fully understand, but he’s certainly not forgotten.

“Ever since the trade I don’t think I’ve had many thoughts about it. Doesn’t matter how much you think about it, it’s not going to change,” Laine told me when I asked him if he could provide some clarity on why it all went south, quite literally in his case. “I haven’t started analyzing it, really. It just didn’t work out for me, it didn’t work out for the team.”

And that’s a shame, quite frankly. A smattering of boos mixed in whenever Laine got the puck shows there are at least some fans who hold him responsible for a once-loving relationship taking a sour turn.

Like so much in life, it’s not always black and white. More than one thing can often be true, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to the biggest trade in Jets 2.0 history, one we’ll likely still be analyzing and debating for many years to come.

I believe general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff made out well in getting Pierre-Luc Dubois in return for Laine and Roslovic. Dubois, 23, is the future No. 1 centre on this team — he’s running neck-and-neck with Mark Scheifele for that label right now — and perhaps a future captain, as well. His blend of size, strength and skill, combined with a “give a crap” meter that’s usually ramped right up and natural leadership abilities both on and off the ice make him the kind of power forward that gives you a great foundation to build around.

But I also believe the Jets lost a significant part of their charm and charisma as soon as one of the most gifted goal scorers of his generation was sent packing, the same way a big part of their DNA disappeared when Dustin Byfuglien shocked the hockey world by calling it a career. In a season where “fun” has been in short supply and tickets are not exactly selling themselves, it’s more noticeable than ever.

It’s worth remembering — and celebrating, as was the case on Friday.

It’s clear this wasn’t the exact same Laine back in town. A little bit older, and most definitely a bit wiser to the ways of the world. The growth was quite apparent as he pointed the finger of blame directly at himself for past failings when it comes to his on-ice performance. Good for him. That’s maturity right there.

Now he’s bringing both the steak and the sizzle to central Ohio, including a collection of over-the-top suits he rotates through on game-days that put anything Don Cherry ever wore to shame. As his coach Brad Larsen explained, “he’s unique, in a good way, I’m not gonna put handcuffs on who he is and what he’s going to be.”

Nobody should. And it’s unfortunate if that was ever the case.

“This is a pretty cool profession that we get to do, and there’s not too many people in the world that can say the same thing,” Laine explained of his current mindset. “After losing my dad (earlier this season) I probably learned to appreciate these small things a little bit more. And just have fun. You never know when it’s going to end. So just have fun every day, work hard and at least after that you won’t have any regrets. Just appreciate the small things every day.”

He’s a beauty, that’s for sure. Perhaps one day we’ll get the full, uncensored story on what really transpired behind-the-scenes when it comes to Laine and the Jets. If that were to happen, you can bet it would be a real page-turner.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg