Winnipeg Jets : 2019-20 Trivia Quiz

Answer: New York Rangers

The initial trade saw the NY Rangers send center Kevin Hayes to Winnipeg in exchange for left winger Brendan Lemieux, the first round pick (conditional on the Jets not earning pick #1,2 or 3), plus a fourth round pick in 2020 (also conditional).

In June, the Jets traded defenseman Jacob Trouba to the Rangers, receiving their first round pick back, along with defenseman Neal Pionk. And with that first round pick at number 20, the Jets chose Finnish defenseman Ville Heinola. The remainder of the draft went as follows (with some picks traded away):

Round 2 - #51 - Simon Lundmark (D), Sweden
Round 4 - #113 - Henri Nikkanen (C), Finland
Round 5 - #134 - Harrison Blaisdell (C), Canada
Round 5 - #144 - Logan Neaton (G), United States.

Answer: Patrik Laine

Jets fans were getting nervous when September rolled around and a number of the team's biggest names (Laine, Connor, Morrissey) had still not signed contracts. Bryan Little had already signed on for four more years back on June 19th, but the others were holding out for better terms.

Then, it all happened in quick succession, beginning with Morrissey on Sept. 12th (eight-year contract), Laine on Sept. 27th (two-year contract), and Connor on the 28th (seven-year contract). The fandom breathed a collective sigh of relief with just five days to the beginning of the NHL season.

Answer: Dustin Byfuglien

There was a lot of mystery surrounding Dustin Byfuglien in September when he didn't report to training camp, which resulted in a suspension by the team. Then there was an announcement that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence. Rumours swirled around the reasons behind such a move, from injury to personal differences with management, to whatever you might imagine.

Then came word that Byfuglien would be undergoing ankle surgery, after which he would be resuming his career. Rehabilitation went into January, but then another wrinkle appeared - Byfuglien filed a grievance against the Jets through the NHLPA challenging the suspension (and subsequent lack of pay). In the end, on April 17th after a lengthy dispute, Dustin Byfuglien and the Winnipeg Jets mutually agreed to terminate the remainder of their contract, which still had two years and many millions of dollars left on it.

Answer: Regina, SK

The game was held at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, home of the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders, on October 26th. It was the first time a regular-season NHL game was played in Saskatchewan, and the first time since 1994 that the NHL played any game in Saskatchewan (the previous time had been an exhibition game).

The game was a success for the Jets, as they defeated the Flames by a score of 2-1 (in overtime) with goals from Josh Morrissey and Bryan Little.

Answer: True

Connor Hellebuyck had previously attended the All-Star showcase in 2018, while Mark Scheifele earned the nod for the second year running. Unfortunately, they did not earn any bragging rights during the skills competition, and their team (The Central Division) lost 10-5 to the Pacific during the Division qualifier prior to the Conference final matchup (the Pacific beat the Atlantic 5-4).

Answer: March 12th

Prompted by news of an NBA player contracting the Coronavirus, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the season, with 189 games remaining, would 'pause' until further notice. At that moment, the Jets held a record of 37-28-6, good for 80 points and fourth place in the Central Division. When play ceased, the Jets were on a four-game winning streak (and six-game home-winning streak).

It was not until May 26th that the official announcement confirmed the 'return-to-play' plan, outlining the means by which final regular season standings were determined, and the format for the 24-team playoffs from August 1st (allowing time for training camp).

Answer: Kyle Conner

Kyle Connor's 38 goals and 35 assists edged out Mark Scheifele's 29 goals and 44 assists to officially earn him the team's scoring title for the season. Connor was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at 17th overall, then proceeded to spend a couple of years in development before earning a full-time spot early in the 2017-18 season.

He has hit the 30-goal mark in each of the three seasons he has played in the NHL.

Answer: Yes

Six shutouts was also the franchise record for the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets organization, set during the 2017-18 season, also by Connor Hellebuyck. With eleven games unplayed this season, here was another opportunity lost due to the Coronavirus... the chance to break the franchise record.

Hellebuyck was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Draft at 130th overall. He himself stated that he was unsure if he would ever get to play in the NHL, but his hard work and persistence made him one of the best in the game.

Answer: Edmonton

Cities were able to bid for the honour of hosting the NHL playoffs in the never-before-seen format. The other finalists that were considered to host were Las Vegas and Vancouver.

With no fans coming to see games, and no travel required between cities, the playoff 'bubble' saw teams playing to empty stands and no 'home ice advantage'. Without the distractions of the crowd or the vagaries of travel, the 2020 NHL Playoffs proved to be as pure a contest of skill on skill as you could have at this level.

Answer: Calgary Flames

With the qualifying round having the 5th through 12th place teams in each conference vying for the right to play against the top four teams, the Flames (8th) were matched against the Jets (9th) in a best-of-five games elimination.

It's hard to say if there might have been a different outcome if the Jets hadn't lost two of their best players to injury in the first game, but after Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine went down, it wasn't going to be anything but an uphill battle against the feisty Calgary Flames. The series was won by the flames in four games:

Game 1: Winnipeg 1 - 4 Calgary
Game 2: Winnipeg 3 - 2 Calgary
Game 3: Calgary 6 - 2 Winnipeg
Game 4: Calgary 4 - 0 Winnipeg.

And thus ended the return to play for the Winnipeg Jets and the end of the 2019-20 season.