In 2010, Andrew Ladd was a casualty of the Chicago Blackhawks‘ salary cap. On Friday, he was being honoured by Winnipeg faithful for his time as the Jets’ captain — now, as a member of the Blackhawks once again.
Friday was Ladd’s first trip back to Winnipeg after being traded to the Hawks prior to the deadline. Jets fans stood on their feet to commemorate Ladd’s time with the franchise that he first joined when they were the Atlanta Thrashers.
The veteran scored in the third period, his 20th of the season, to help the Blackhawks to a 4-0 win.
Ladd played four full seasons and most of a fifth in Winnipeg, only missing a handful of games over that time. In 348 games with the Jets, Ladd scored 110 goals and 136 assists for 246 points. Last season, he was a part of the Jets’ first playoff appearance since their return to Winnipeg.
It was only a few weeks ago that fans went to their Twitters to thank their former captain.
https://twitter.com/NHLJetsNation/status/710983807147442176
Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien spoke before the game about playing against old friends:
It was an emotional night for many on Friday: