Winnipeg Jets: Teemu Selanne
For the purposes of fun and entertainment value, we decided to combine the entire roster history of the Winnipeg Jets. See, they used to be a thing from the ‘70s up until 1996, and then they weren’t a thing, and now they’re a thing again and totally dominating the Western Conference. Actually, they might just be the best team nobody knows about.
It’s also a great excuse to brag on the Finnish Flash Teemu Selanne, and to tell you about this celly which is the greatest thing hockey has ever seen. Selanne for his part is arguably the greatest thing the Jets have ever seen, though Patrik Laine might have some words on that when his career is done.
He also holsters a pretty unforgettable name, one made famous the NHL world ‘round when he popped 76 goals his rookie season of ’92-93.
But Selanne certainly wasn’t a one-year wonder, and unfortunately for Winnipeg fans, the Jets didn’t feel like sticking with him long enough to realize that full potential. Instead, they traded him part way through the 1995-96 season to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Then, uh, Winnipeg just stopped existing. Selanne definitely did not, though. He’d go on to score 684 career goals and more than 1,400 points in 21 seasons, joining with future Hall of Famer Paul Kariya (300 goals as a Duck) to form one of the most lethal combinations in the NHL.
Selanne is also in the Hall of Fame, but maybe don’t tell the Jets that.
Honorable mentions: Connor Hellebuyck, Patrik Laine, Dmitry Kulikov, Evgeny Davydov, Anssi Melametsa, Anatoli Fedotov and Dale Hawerchuk, Alfie Turcotte, Tim Trimper, Phil Sykes, Eldon Reddick, Hannu Jarvenpaa and Alexei Zhamnov
Have a favorite hockey name not on the list? Let me know on Twitter @CL_Kohuss, and be sure to check out more NHL content on the FanSided NHL hub!