Hellebuyck, Connor get shot at international glory with U.S. Olympic team

OTTAWA – Connor Hellebuyck will get another opportunity to flip the script in international hockey.

The same goes for Kyle Connor, who joins his Winnipeg Jets’ teammate on the United States men’s hockey team after Friday’s announcement on The Today Show.

Hellebuyck and Connor looked like obvious choices for Bill Guerin and the Team USA management team.

Hellebuyck has dealt with arthroscopic knee surgery and seen his numbers (2.51 goals-against average, .908 save percentage in 22 starts) dip a bit after winning the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy last season, but he’s put himself in a strong position to be the starter for the Americans once again after holding that job at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Morrissey eager to make Olympic history of his own

It didn’t take long for Josh Morrissey to remember where he was when Sidney Crosby scored the goal that won Olympic gold for Team Canada 2010.

This time around, Morrissey might be on the ice when another magical moment occurs for his country.

The Winnipeg Jets defenceman was among the 25 players chosen to the men’s Olympic hockey team that will chase a gold medal in Milan next month.

“In 2010, I was pretty early in high school when Sid scored the golden goal. So, that one would rank pretty high,” Morrissey said Thursday when asked about his fondest Olympic memories before to facing the Toronto Maple Leafs. “I think I know exactly where I was when he scored that goal. So yeah, just kind of remember almost watching that game and then going out on the outdoor rink and dreaming of having that chance to be on Team Canada go for a gold medal. So, it’s pretty, pretty surreal.”

Jets’ Morrissey joins two Manitobans on Team Canada

Josh Morrissey is getting another opportunity to represent his country.Only this time, it will be on the grandest stage.

Former Jet providing much-needed secondary offence for Oilers

There was a distinct tone in Jack Roslovic’s voice when he addressed reporters on Monday morning. Several of those reporters were there when the young and occasionally brash version of him made his debut for the Winnipeg Jets late in the 2016-17 campaign.

‘We deserved a better fate’: Jets suffer heartbreaking loss in OT to Wild

Things were supposed to be different for the Winnipeg Jets coming out of the much-needed holiday break.

After recharging their collective batteries and spending some quality time away from the rink, the Jets came back refreshed and ready, determined to leave a consistently inconsistent stretch of hockey in the rearview mirror.

For 59 minutes and change on Saturday night, the Jets did just that, playing a mostly sound defensive game and keeping the quality scoring chances to a minimum against a red-hot Central Division opponent that had collected at least a point in eight of the previous nine outings.

But after surrendering a power-play marker to Mats Zuccarello with 21.1 seconds to go in regulation time, Matt Boldy scored his second of the contest 39 seconds into three-on-three overtime to seal a 4-3 victory for the Minnesota Wild.

Former Jets blue-liner thriving as psychologist after hanging up his skates

Truth be told, Jay Harrison wasn’t exactly sure where his post-playing days were going to take him. The former Winnipeg Jets defenceman didn’t wait until retirement to find out.

Predictions for Milan-Cortina as men’s hockey roster deadline looms

A weekly lap around the NHL by Free Press hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe

DENVER — There hasn’t been a whole lot to smile about lately for Josh Morrissey, with his Winnipeg Jets experiencing extreme turbulence these days.

But the mere mention of the upcoming Winter Olympics brought an instant glow on Friday morning, especially since he’d be hitting the ice a few hours later with an expected pair of future teammates in Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

“They’re both special players. Just what they’re doing is incredible every night,” Morrissey told the Free Press.

Niederreiter first Switzerland-born player to reach 1,000-game mark

A weekly lap around the NHL by Free Press hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe

Nino Niederreiter vividly remembers his first NHL game. He had just recently turned 18 years old, fresh off being the fifth-overall draft pick by the New York Islanders that summer, and his team was hosting the Dallas Stars to kick off the 201o-11 campaign.

“I had a shot on net. And that’s about it,” Niederreiter said on Friday with a laugh.

The power forward would play eight more games that fall — scoring his first goal and registering his first assist — before getting sent back to the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. The next two years would be split between the NHL and AHL before Niederreiter established himself as a full-time big-leaguer starting in the fall of 2013.

Bruins exploit myriad weaknesses in 6-3 win over Jets

The Winnipeg Jets are in a full-blown freefall.

An ugly, uninspired 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday night is the latest in a growing list of games to raise a series of alarming questions about the hockey club, which now has just five wins over the past 18 games.

1. Is this really all the players have to offer? 2. Has the coaching staff run out of answers and/or solutions? 3. What, if anything, is management going to do to fix this mess? 4. Is this rock bottom?

What we are seeing and hearing on, and off, the ice these days certainly doesn’t inspire much confidence. One thing is clear: The Jets, as currently configured, are not a good hockey team. In fact, they are the absolute worst team in the NHL since early November, when a 9-3-0 start started swirling down the drain.

Bettman, Daly address state of the Jets, league

Gary Bettman wasn’t here to sound the alarm or to apply any pressure to the ticket-buying public.

As Bettman, the commissioner of the NHL, and deputy commissioner Bill Daly sat at a table in front of the assembled members of the media inside Canada Life Centre on Wednesday morning, there was no formal agenda to adhere to.

This was a routine check-in with one of the 32 member clubs, which gave Bettman another platform to extol the virtues of an exciting start to a season where parity has taken centre stage.

The recent announcement related to the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Montreal Canadiens in an outdoor game next October was celebrated, questions about the upcoming Olympics were sorted through and Bettman also conceded that the Jets quest to reclaim their 1.0 history remains a work in progress — though that would suggest the efforts will continue until a suitable resolution is found.

Avalanche stand at NHL summit

Time flies when you’re having fun. And somehow the first third of the NHL season is already in the rear-view mirror. How did that happen? Weren’t we just talking about training camp?

Take the Winnipeg Jets, for example. They’ll officially hit the end of the first period on their schedule — fittingly — at the end of the first period Saturday night in Edmonton (27 games and 20 minutes in the books).

There’s been no shortage of intriguing developments and compelling storylines so far. So here at Dump & Chase, we figured we’d compile a list of eight that have caught our eye:

AVALANCHE APPROACHING RECORD HEIGHTSThe numbers are downright staggering and, while the Colorado Avalanche had a 17-game point streak snapped earlier this week by the New York Islanders, they’ve suffered only two regulation losses through the opening third of the season.

Jets rumoured to host Habs at 2026 Heritage Classic

It looks like the 2026 Heritage Classic will feature the Winnipeg Jets and the Montreal Canadiens.

For the Jets that’s ‘one in a row’

NASHVILLE — There were no victory laps being taken inside the Winnipeg Jets locker room Saturday night. No fist pumps, chest bumps or bold claims that everything was suddenly fixed. In fact, a casual observer might have had no idea, based on the subdued reaction, whether the hockey team won or lost.

But make no mistake: A 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators inside Bridgestone Arena was just what the doctor ordered for a wounded group that desperately needed to stop the bleeding.

“It’s one. It’s one. We wanted to win one in a row. So that’s the first one,” head coach Scott Arniel told the Free Press.

Baby steps, for sure. But at least they are in the right direction. The Jets limped into the game having lost a season-high four games in a row, and eight of the last 11, to plummet down the NHL standings. A regulation defeat against the Predators — who currently occupy the league’s basement — would have left only two points separating them.