Ever since Winnipeg got an NHL team again in 2011, I've been theorizing and pretty much protesting to anyone who will listen, the Winnipeg Jets should be allowed to get their history back.
An article in the Hockey News by Jared Clinton seems to agree with me.
Forget the Atlanta Thrashers for a second and that "the Jets are in Phoenix now." The franchise's "other history" is still apart of this, but I'm going to plead my case that the NHL could easily amalgamate the histories of the Winnipeg Jets 2.0 (2011-present), the Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2011) and Winnipeg Jets 1.0 (1979-1996)
Just simply evoke a provision by where the Jets 1.0 history (but only from entering the NHL originally in 1979-1996) the Jets 2.0 history (2011-present) and the Atlanta Thrashers history (1999-2011) is amalgamated together.
Example: In Arizona, Shane Doan is the Arizona Coyotes (formally Jets 1.0) franchise all-time leader in points scored, recently surpassing Dale Hawerchuck who played with the original Jets from 1981-1990. If you remove the Coyotes from the records entirely, you have Hawerchuck as the "Jets" all-time leader once again, in both goals and points, while still maintaining Doan's achievement with the Coyotes between 1996 and today. He would still be the Coyotes all-time leader. Nothing would change about that. Ilya Kovalchuck's current franchise record notwithstanding.Hawerchuck would still be the current leader over Kovalchuck anyway.
With the same adjustment, Thomas Steen would also re-claim the spot as the all-time assists leader.
Moreover, Shane Doan, being as he briefly played with the Jets 1.0 in his rookie campaign of 1995-1996, would also be in the adjusted Winnipeg Jets history, although way down on the list. His stats of his single year in a Jets uniform would then not carry over to his career totals as a Coyote.Adjustments would, of course, have to be made. The players that played in Phoenix/Arizona and not at all with Winnipeg would move up in the rankings with Arizona; just as players that haven't played long in a Jets uniform would drop down on the list of all-time Winnipeg Jets scoring leaders.
In the cases of players that played with both the Jets and Coyotes, you simply omit their numbers between 1996 till whenever they left the team. For example, Teppo Numminen who played defense with the Jets between 1988 and 1996 and the Coyotes from 1996-2003, his numbers with the Coyotes would be voided. The points Teppo accumulated between 96-03 would still be with the Coyotes. His numbers he accumulated between 1988-96 would be with the newly amalgamated Winnipeg Jets history.
The same goes for Kieth Tkachuck, Nikolai Khabibulan, Dallas Drake,etc.
This, of course, doesn't mean the players would lose career totals. Those totals would obviously stay intact as far as their league career totals are concerned, just not with a "team" that they never really played for.
As for former Thrashers? Simple. You mix in their numbers with the current 2.0 Jets. Some of them are still on the squad like Bryan Little, Dustin Byfuglien, Blake Wheeler, Toby Enstrom and Mark Stuart. Those numbers, as well as players from the Jets 80s and 90s days, such as Hawerchuck, Thomas Steen, Laurie Boschman, Paul MaClean, Scott Arniel, etc, are all mixed together with numbers from players such as Ilya Kovalchuck, Dany Heatley and Marion Hossa.
Awards and memorials of deceased players would still be honored as well; such as for Dan Snyder and Rick Rypien.
It could also work for players that played on both the Coyotes and the new Jets, such as Al Montoya and Lee Stempniak. Montoya played net for, the then, Phoenix Coyotes in the 2008-2009 season and with the Jets from 2012-2014. Stempniak played with the Yotes from 2009-2011 before being traded to Winnipeg from the New York Rangers in 2014-2015.
It would affect records that were broken this year. As it turns out, Patrik Laine broke the Jets/Thrashers rookie goal-scoring record of 29, formerly held by Kovalchuck, this season. A re-mixing of records would, unfortunately, take away that honor from Laine; as Teemu Selanne's NHL record of 76 goals would once again be the Jets franchise topper for goals both by a rookie and a Jets player overall.
Consequently, the Coyotes rookie goal-scoring record for goals in one season would then default from Selanne to whoever has had the most goals in one season as a rookie since 1996-1997. Try as I might, I can't seem to locate that information.
In the case of former Jets 1.0 going back to the franchise in Arizona in an opportunity to extend their previous stats with their former team, such as was the case with former Jets goaltender, Bob Essensa, who signed with the Coyotes after stints with the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers; their totals would be added to the Coyotes ranks only. Not the new Jets totals.
Does the Jets/Coyotes career scoring list debacle even matter? Should it? With the NHL poking around Seattle and the heavy rumor being-a rumor not without merit-that the Coyotes are Seattle-bound (especially with the Coyotes reducing seating capacity at Jobing.com Arena) why would the NHL care anyway. Wouldn't it make even less sense to have both the Jets 1.0 and Coyotes history residing in Seattle?
Me thinks Carolina also will ultimately re-locate to Quebec City, and just like the Jets, the Nordiques will be re-born.
If anyone cares to remember, by the way, it wasn't that long ago in the sports world where this has, more or less, already happened, multiple times. It has already happened in the NHL specifically, when the NHL allowed the Quebec Nordiques to keep their intellectual property and history when the team moved to Denver in 1995.
It happened with the Browns (NFL), the Montreal Alouettes (CFL), the Seattle Sonics (NBA), the Charlotte Hornets (NBA) and the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Why can't it happen with the Jets?
It can. There's no real reason why not.
And yes, this theory can be, and should be applied to other teams that re-locate or expand to cities that have had a prior team in that league.
This can be applied to the Minnesota Wild/North Stars (who themselves merged with another team, the Cleveland Barons in 1978-although maintaining all of the North Stars records and history with those of the Barons under the North Stars umbrella), the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, should they once again get a team, the Colorado Avalanche/Rockies and that same Quebec Nordiques team from which Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg played on before moving to Denver in 1995 and winning the Stanley Cup one year later as the Avs.
That heartbreak has to be worse than the Boston Red Sox coming so close to winning it all all those years.
This idea should also apply to the Montreal Expos when they eventually return to Major League Baseball.
This can and should be done. I'd wager that you wouldn't find too many that would complain. Save for some hardcore Devils fans that has shared the history of the Kansas City Scouts (1974-1976) and the Colorado Rockies (1976-1982) and other "purists" who think think this is anything but tripe.
