8 thoughts on the Jets and Oilers Alumni game

The game was just an exhibition game. An event that was all in good fun and a pretty solid cash grab for True North and the Winnipeg Jets. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t serve some sort of importance for Winnipeg and Edmonton fans. While the memories of Dale Hawerchuk, Teemu Selanne and Bob Essensa will forever be engraved in the memories of Jets fans, to actually see the Jets 1.0 legends in Jets uniforms once again, is something special. 

The Jets won 6-5 against the Oilers. Win or lose, the game probably brought a smile to the faces of many Winnipeg Jets fans.

Here are 8 thoughts from this afternoons contest 

1) What a great event. An attendance of 31,317 got to witness the old Smythe division rivalry come back to life. The intensity may have been minimal, but seeing the fixtures of this historic rivalry return made for a great experience.

2) No helmets? I’m all for tradition and customs but it would look pretty bad for the NHL if someone slipped and fell on their head in this kind of game. Thankfully nobody did and one would have to think that the players that elected to not wear a helmet signed a waiver of some sort. Ultimately, the players really should have been wearing helmets even if the game was at a slow pace.

3) Teemu’s first penalty shot. It got the crowd going early in the game and who would’ve thought we would’ve heard the phrase ” Winnipeg Jets goal scored by number 13…Teemu Selanne!” in the year 2016. Having penalty shots in the game instead of putting a player in the box was also a smart call. It brought more entertainment to the game and an old-timers team trying to kill a penalty could have been a disaster.

4) Willy Lindstrom. The 65 year-old right winger played four seasons in the WHA with Winnipeg and almost another four seasons with Winnipeg in the NHL followed by three seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. He started the first two periods off with the Oilers ( who he won two Stanley cups with). But for the 3rd period he changed jerseys to suit up for the Jets and pay respect to another one of his former teams. He was traded for Laurie Boschman mid game who went over to play for the Oilers for the remainder of the game.

5) No Wooden sticks used in this game. Other than a handful of players that played with composite sticks in the back-end of their careers, this could’ve been the first time that many of these players played with composite sticks. 

6) The ice looked pretty good. Obviously it may be different when NHL skaters are on the ice tomorrow, but it doesn’t seem like the ice will interfere with any of the play tomorrow. We have seen some pretty slushy ice in past Winter Classics and one would hope (weather permitting) the ice holds up tomorrow. 

7) Jets old logo should be emphasized more. It’s nothing against the Jets current logo, but one would hope the team’s heritage classic jersey could evolve in to the team’s third jersey. In some way or another, having the historic Jets 1.0 logo being utilized more would be a good move for the Jets. This is unlikely, but maybe the Jets switch back to a more retro jersey down the road? Who knows, but the more Jets 1.0, the better. 

8) The ending. Oilers alum and Sportsnet broadcaster Craig Simpson tripped Teemu Selanne in the dying seconds of the game. Selanne capitalized on the penalty shot to make the score 6-5 and win the Jets the game.