Like a bear over a long winter, the Jets name for the National Hockey League's franchise in Winnipeg spent a long hibernation, beginning in 1995 when the team left for Phoenix and became the Coyotes, and ending in June, when Winnipeg's owners, having acquired the Atlanta Thrashers' franchise, made a legion of Prairie hockey fans joyous by rechristening the team Jets.
J-E-T-S - JETS! JETS! JETS!
All is well once again in Winnipeg, but for the longest time, team owner Mark Chipman and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff kept fans on edge, suggesting Jets was a name that represented the past, and this relocated franchise, bringing the NHL back to hockey's heartland, was all about the future.
Dozens of potential names were bandied about, but Jets remained in the hearts of Winnipeg and Manitoba hockey fans. In the end, after Falcons, Moose, Monarchs, Thrashers, Warriors and other would-be monikers were considered and dismissed, it was made official that the name Jets was coming out of hibernation.
It's a perfect fit. NHL, Winnipeg, Jets.
It didn't have to be. Ownership could have established a first for professional sports by merging the names Thrashers and Jets, jumbling the letters around and then calling the team either Threats, when the franchise was contending for the Stanley Cup, or Jesters, if it became a laughingstock.
Seriously, though, Jets was the overwhelming choice when fans were polled. Even though grabbing the old name might reduce valuable marketing potential (old Jets clothing would continue to sell, even if a new Falcons name and logo, for example, were established), the emotional attachment to the Jets never faded, even during the team's 16-year absence.
While the majority of North American sports fans associate Jets with the football team from New York, the hockey world - and especially those in Winnipeg and Manitoba - think only of ice and the NHL when they hear the roar of this newest Jets incarnation.
Comedy writer Jerry Perisho: "Tiger Woods fired his long-time caddie Steve Williams. There, that ought to make him No. 1 in the world again."
Greg Connors of the Buffalo News, on the NBA lockout: "Help me out here: Would LeBron James go back to Ohio to file for unemployment?"
Spotted in Dwight Perry's Sideline Chatter in the Seattle Times: "Former catcher and funnyman broadcaster Bob Uecker said 'People don't know this, but I helped the Cardinals win the pennant. I came down with hepatitis. The trainer injected me with it.' "
Perisho again: "NFL players and owners reached an agreement to end their four-month-old lockout. Usually when an NFL player is locked out, he'll just shoot the lock off."
Another one from Perisho: "Brett Favre's agent said, 'Brett is retired, period.' 'Period' is a Louisiana term meaning 'probably not.'"
Perry again: "Here's hoping the missus wore the pants in boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley's family, because in the divorce proceedings, she got all his belts."
One more from Perry, again, with a groaner: "Marty Mornhinweg's quarterback son, Skyler, announced he'll be playing his college football at Penn State, to mixed reviews. Nittany Lions fans immediately proclaimed him a bona fide blue-chipper, while overworked jersey seamstresses say he's just another sew-sew player."
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, after former Hurricanes football recruit Willie Williams was charged with burglary - his 15th arrest: "That's a milestone. Do they give you a watch for that, or do you have to steal it?"
Janice Hough of LeftCoastSportsBabe.com, on the Yankees' 17-7 win over the A's: "Uh, I know I've heard talk of a deal. But how did I miss the start of the NFL preseason?"
Brad Dickson of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, on retired 7-foot-6 Yao Ming saying he'll remain a Rockets fan: "Which is good news for everyone except for the fan with the season ticket directly behind Yao."
Hough again: "If you crossed Brett Favre with Sarah Palin, would you end up with someone who actually knew when to quit?"
Perisho again: "A Braves-Pirates game ended in the 19th inning at 1:50 a.m. with a missed call at home. Usually a missed call at home involves a teenager, a worried parent and a borrowed car, but the resultant immature screaming was the same."
Dwight Perry again: "Burke Kenny, 26, of Olympia captured first place in the full beard with styled mustache category at the World Beard and Mustache Championships in Trondheim, Norway. Contest wags say they hadn't seen such impressive facial hair since the East German women's swim team."
Another one from Dickson, on Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez being out four to six weeks after knee surgery: "While he's out of action, Cameron Diaz called up some guy from the minors."
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
