The Winnipeg Jets’ Heritage Classic alumni roster is starting to feel like a real reunion.
What began in January with seven headline names has grown by 15 more former players, plus the club’s first head coach in franchise history, giving October’s alumni game against the Montreal Canadiens a much deeper and more familiar look. More additions are still expected before the puck drops.
The first wave of names included Dustin Byfuglien, Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd, Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault, Paul Stastny and Chris Thorburn. Thorburn is no longer on the list, though, after his recent promotion to director of player development with the St.
Louis Blues. A Jets public relations representative said Thorburn was "no longer a 100 percent commit" to participating.
The new group stretches across nearly every stage of Jets 2.0 history. It includes players from the inaugural 2011-12 team, longtime fixtures such as Enstrom and Stuart, fan favourites like Slater, Glass and Peluso, and members of the club’s first playoff teams. Manitoba-born Fehr, Eakin and Meech also add a local touch.
Noel’s addition stands out for obvious reasons. As the first head coach in Jets 2.0 history, he helped shepherd the franchise from Atlanta to Winnipeg, coached many of the players now set to return for the alumni game and led the team to its first postseason appearance after the move. That gives the weekend another layer of nostalgia in a celebration built around one of the defining stretches in modern Winnipeg hockey.
With more than 20 former Jets now confirmed, the alumni game is turning into something bigger than a brief spotlight on a few franchise stars. It’s becoming a full-scale gathering of the first decade of Jets 2.0, with players from different eras coming together to mark the return of hockey in Winnipeg.
For fans who filled Canada Life Centre through those years, the Heritage Classic weekend in October should bring back plenty of memories while making a few new ones, too.
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