WINNIPEG — Take a bow, Winnipeg.
By almost every account, the NHL's Heritage Classic festivities were a smashing success.
The Jets couldn't quite tie the bow on the weekend, falling 2-1 to the Montreal Canadiens in front of a sold-out crowd at Princess Auto Stadium. But everything from the fan festival to a heavy dose of nostalgia at the alumni game, to the marquee event on a beautifully sunny Sunday was executed with passion and style, generating incredible energy from start to finish.
"Myself personally, I told my grandkids to be ready for the (military) flyover (before the game) and I'm sure that's all they're going to talk about is the jets and the helicopters," head coach Scott Arniel said of the atmosphere. "To be in a Canadian market, two Canadian teams like that, that's special."
Jets captain Adam Lowry was equally appreciative of the moment, both for Winnipeg and the greater hockey community.
"It was a spectacular spectacle," Lowry said. "It takes you back to youth hockey, it takes you back to growing up when you fell in love with the game."
Beneath all the cheers and nostalgia, however, the Heritage Classic served as the perfect distraction from the circus that had been playing out in Winnipeg ever since franchise goaltender Connor Hellebuyck publicly demanded a trade in August. The Jets desperately needed a smoke screen to protect their brand this weekend, and they got the best one possible.
Few could have predicted that smoke screen would arrive wearing a massive grin while handing out hot chocolate before puck drop.
Former Jets defenceman Dustin Byfuglien couldn't have returned to Winnipeg at a better time. His highly-publicized departure from the club in 2019 was a messy and complicated divorce that left both sides feeling hurt and a fan base without a proper send-off.
The Jets deserve a lot of credit. They pulled out all the stops to bury the hatchet and give the fans exactly what they wanted. Do not understate the impact of quality time with the most popular player in Jets 2.0 history. It was written all over the faces of adoring fans.
The big man clearly appreciated the love, soaking up all the attention whether he was posing for pictures with warm beverages or simply smiling from ear to ear through deafening screams every time his face flashed on the jumbotron. His presence provided the exact emotional healing this city needed, shifting the focus onto the joy of the past rather than the pressures of the present.
"Just to see the guys from the 1.0 era, and then last night, seeing all the 2.0 guys, and seeing them today downtown. It's part of history," Arniel said. "It's carrying on the tradition of the Winnipeg Jets."
But for the weekend to officially take hold, Jets management needed to clear the air. By trading Hellebuyck to New Jersey on Friday, the organization created the ultimate launching pad for the weekend.
Even Hellebuyck was game to keep the drama in-house for a few extra days to preserve the integrity of the event.
"There's a lot I need to say," Hellebuyck said during his first media availability with the Devils on Saturday. "But they have the Heritage Game coming up. So out of respect for them and the celebration of hockey, I'm going to postpone that to a later date. I hope they know I care about them."
That respect was reciprocated inside Winnipeg's locker room, where players were left to reconcile the sudden exit of a longtime friend with the business cruelties of the NHL.
In return for the Vezina and Hart Trophy winner, Winnipeg received forwards Dawson Mercer, Alexander Command and Nick Bjugstad and goaltender Nico Daws, along with a 2029 second-round pick and a seventh-rounder next year. Only Mercer and Daws are with the team, as Bjugstad continues rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle and Command, who was selected 12th overall in June's draft, is back playing junior hockey in Sweden.
"A goalie that got us to some places, some memories that I'll remember forever," Mark Scheifele said of Hellebuyck. "You try to take the positive out of everything, and I only remember the positive from him. He was obviously a fantastic goaltender and a great friend of mine. I just wish him the best."
Although there was respect for a former teammate who undoubtedly gave his all to the organization for more than a decade, there was also a clear sense of relief that it was no longer a lingering distraction.
"Just having clarity on the situation, it was a bit of a cloud hanging over our heads," Lowry said. "It's nice we can look forward now. We don't have to keep talking about it. We've got guys that want to be here."
Wanting guys who want to be in Winnipeg seemed to be a rallying cry ever since it became known that Hellebuyck wanted out. When he didn't report to training camp -- triggering the suspension that was then quietly extended -- it was another long-time friend and US Olympic teammate, Kyle Connor, who drew a clear line in the sand.
The Jets' sniper doubled down this weekend.
"Super excited to get the guys that we got who want to be here and want to be part of Winnipeg Jets hockey," Connor said. "I think we've done a great job building a good culture here."
With Hellebuyck now behind them, the Jets can focus on the future. Mercer made his debut on Sunday and, with a quick turnaround, was slotted on the third line. With more time to get up to speed, the 24-year-old is expected to eventually contribute in a top-6 role.
"Just being able to move on with the team that we have is good for clarity," Scheifele added. "At the end of the day, I think we are a better team than we were two days ago."
The Jets do appear to be a better team today, but they need to start proving it.
The Heritage Classic not only shielded the organization from further embarrassment with Hellebuyck, but it also temporarily distracted the fan base from what's been a horrible couple of weeks on the ice.
Sunday marked Winnipeg's fifth consecutive loss, and their sixth defeat in the last seven. At 4-4-3, the Jets sit seventh in the Central Division, ahead of only the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks.
Minnesota, Utah, Dallas and Colorado are starting to create some distance in the standings that Winnipeg can't afford. With a daunting schedule that sees the Jets play Tampa Bay and Florida twice, as well as Carolina and Montreal over their next seven games, there's potential to go from bad to worse.
Aside from the loss of star defenceman Josh Morrissey, who remains week-to-week with a wrist injury, Winnipeg's greatest issue is a lack of scoring punch. Beyond the top line, it's almost non-existent.
"Offence has to come from all five guys and that's part of your defence being part of the rush," Arniel said following the loss to Montreal. "You have to get inside. Goaltending is too good in this league. If they see pucks, they're going to stop pucks, and it's hard work. You might get smacked in the nose, but that's where the goals get scored."
It's nothing the players don't already know, with the lack of secondary scoring being a concern even through a 4-1-1 start to the year. It's hurt everything from their transition game to how Arniel distributes his lines, which were once again thrown into the blender on Sunday.
"In that stretch, there's been a couple games we haven't liked," Lowry said of the current losing skid. "We've got to be on our toes, we've got to be a hard team to play against. And we've got to move fast. That's when we're at our best, is when we're coming through the neutral zone… I thought when we got direct, the game really started to tilt in our favour."
With the Heritage Classic in the rearview mirror, there are no more built-in excuses or distractions. What they have is what they'll move forward with and it will be up to this group to right the ship.
The chaos will inevitably pick back up in a couple of weeks, with the Devils visiting Winnipeg and Hellebuyck surely cleared to play by then. There's no telling what type of reception he will get, but there are certainly hurt feelings among the fan base.
"It's not going to be talked about until, I guess, Nov. 10 when he comes back," Lowry said. "So we got a week's reprieve."
For Arniel and the coaching staff, a sense of normalcy is long overdue. The Jets can now finally take a deep breath.
"The Helle part, that's the one where there's closure. I'm really glad I'm giving the guys a day off tomorrow," Arniel said. "I'm really glad Monday's coming and we can just start fresh about our work towards what's coming on Tuesday and then our road trip. There's been a lot on our guys. If maybe the trade happened without all this coming, it might not have been a burden for a lot of our guys…now I just want to move forward. This was a fantastic weekend, but now I just want to go. Let's get back to normal hockey."
