Last month, the Hockey Hall of Fame unveiled its class of 2024, which consisted of five players — three in the male player category, two in the female player category — and two builders. Two of the male players, Pavel Datsyuk and Shea Weber, went in during their first year of eligibility. Jeremy Roenick had been eligible since 2012, or three years after he played his last official game as a professional with the 2008-09 San Jose Sharks. That’s a distinction that’s unique to the HHOF, because it takes into account players who continue to play professionally around the world, even after their NHL careers conclude.

So, for example, Datsyuk played five years in Russia after leaving the Detroit Red Wings following the 2015-16 season, which is why he wasn’t eligible for selection until this year. Jaromir Jagr, the NHL’s second all-time leading scorer, hasn’t played a game in the NHL since 2017-18, but he continues to play a handful of games every year for Kladno, the team he owns in Czechia. If Jagr finally stops playing this year, he’ll become eligible in 2027 — and he’ll be about as sure a thing as there is to a guaranteed first-ballot inductee.

That’s the thing about Hall of Fame debates. They generally aren’t too controversial at the top end.

GO DEEPER

How…

Scott Arniel has been named the fifth head coach in Winnipeg Jets 2.0 history, the team announced Friday.

Winnipeg hired Arniel, 61, as an associate coach to work under Rick Bowness in 2022 after he first interviewed for the head coaching position.

OFFICIAL

Scott Arniel has been appointed as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets! pic.twitter.com/e1EnRQ1e9h

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) May 24, 2024

Arniel has been responsible for Winnipeg’s defensemen and penalty kill over two seasons, while being called into interim head coaching duties on multiple occasions: First, during Bowness’ COVID-19 illness in 2022-23, then again when Bowness left the Jets to be with his wife, Judy, following a seizure in October and finally in March when Bowness left the team for a minor medical procedure. Arniel’s 10-5-2 head coaching record in 2023-24 gave him a playoff-worthy .647 points percentage.

In a lot of ways, this was always his job to lose. His associate coaching position was decided before Bowness’ hiring, with a sense that the Jets were considering a succession plan when Bowness eventually moved on. Arniel’s work in spot duty gave players a sense of confidence, while his media work following the death of Adam Johnson likely showed management that he was ready for the…

When Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff made his first phone call to Rick Bowness in June 2022, he didn’t get an answer.

Bowness and his wife Judy were in Scottsdale, Ariz. They planned to look for a home and settle down near their son, Ryan, and his family. Rick Bowness, then 67 years old, had already stood behind an NHL bench for more games than anyone in league history. He’d stepped down from his head coaching job in Dallas the previous month and turned down multiple job offers since that time.

When Cheveldayoff made the call that set the wheels in motion to make Bowness the Jets’ head coach — and this season, with Winnipeg leading the Central Division, a coach at the All-Star Game — Bowness’ phone wasn’t his priority: he was golfing. So, they tried a different tack: Assistant GM Larry Simmons reached out to one of his closest friends: Rick’s son Ryan.

GO DEEPER

Why each NHL contender will win the Stanley Cup this season

Simmons had given Ryan Bowness his first NHL job in Atlanta, as manager of hockey operations for the Thrashers. True North retained him when it moved the team to Winnipeg, allowing Simmons and Bowness’ friendship to grow so close that Simmons ended up in Ryan’s wedding party.

The Jets had an “in.” To that end, Simmons had already texted…

Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness returned to the team Friday following a month-long leave of absence, the club announced. Bowness’ leave came after his wife, Judy Bowness, suffered a seizure on Oct. 22.

BREAKING NEWS: Bones is back pic.twitter.com/6VniI20TSX

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) November 24, 2023

Associate coach Scott Arniel served as the Jets’ interim coach. Winnipeg was off to a 2-3-0 start in Bowness’ second season at the helm before he stepped away, and is now 11-5-2 — third in the Central Division.

Winnipeg plays the Florida Panthers on Friday. Last season, the Jets were 46-33-3 and fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights.

What this means for Rick Bowness

First and foremost, this news is a positive indication regarding Judy Bowness’ health.

On the ice, it means Bowness can return to a Jets team that’s been playing the sustainable, high-quality brand of hockey that Bowness hoped it could get to when he was hired in 2022. The Jets forecheck hard, backcheck hard and protect the middle of the ice better than almost anybody in the league, particularly after long stretches of in-zone play. The days of no “pushback” are long gone; Winnipeg is a handful to play against and Bowness is a big part of building…

Paul Stastny knew people were going to figure it out eventually.

But he didn’t see the point in making a big deal of it.

And so when I reached out this week to see how he was doing, curious whether he was talking to teams about one last run, I got a completely different answer.

“I haven’t filed anything, but in early September we decided we were done,” Stastny said.

After putting up 822 points in 1,145 career regular-season games over 17 NHL seasons, the 37-year-old forward has called it quits.

Without much fanfare.

“I didn’t put anything out on social media or anything,” Stastny said with a chuckle. “I kind of came into the league quietly and I’m leaving the league quietly. That’s the way I like it.

“All the people close to me know, and then word always gets out eventually.”

Well, we all know now.

Stastny said he had some calls from teams this summer but wanted to wait and see how he felt.

“I wanted to take all the emotions out of it,” he said. “The summer got further along, and I got on the ice a few times … I wouldn’t say the spark wasn’t there — I still love the game — but I think I was just ready to move forward to the next chapter.

“When you know, you know.”

Stastny and his wife and two kids, aged 8 and 6, are currently at their home in…

Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness is taking a leave of absence from the club after his wife, Judy Bowness, suffered a seizure Sunday, the team announced Monday.

Associate coach Scott Arniel will serve as the Jets’ interim coach until Rick Bowness returns.

Judy Bowness is in the hospital undergoing further testing, per the team.

pic.twitter.com/0sGJ9VDxA9

— Winnipeg Jets PR (@WpgJetsPR) October 23, 2023

“Just thinking about Judy and Bones and their whole family,” Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey said Monday. “It’s difficult when a member of our family here goes through something like that. Just praying for Judy and the family and (doing) our best here at the rink to do what we need to do for Bones.”

When asked about the family culture created by the team, Morrissey said, “That’s the culture I believe we’ve built here. Certainly, we’re all a part of that. When someone goes through something or is going through something, the rest of the group, everyone, feels it. We’re waiting to hear more and praying for them.

“The biggest thing we can do for Bones is take care of our job here at the rink and allow him to be where he needs to be.”

Jets alternate captain Mark Scheifele also weighed in: “They’re amazing people, amazing human beings, and all you can do is…

Before the hockey world descended on Sunrise, Fla., for NHL All-Star Weekend, players used the weeks leading up to celebrate women in sports, local high schools and apparently their deep-seated love for plaid suits. Fashion traditions were turned on their heads, while vintage looks from a decade ago were brought back to life.

Players having great seasons ahead of the season’s halfway mark reminded everyone that you can wear what you want, shamelessly, when you’re performing on the ice. Additionally, one star re-emerged with a dazzling blue suit and made a case for being the best-dressed player in the game. He had some incredible competition from two different teams who used their platforms to highlight those in their respective community.

Which athletes made a lasting impression before the All-Stars converged on the Sunshine State?

To get more stories like this delivered to your feed, follow our Culture vertical.

---

Wow, that scarf in the first photo is taking me all the way back to middle school and early high school in the late 2000s and early 2010s. This is a serious (and funny) flashback to what was stylish during my teenage years. Of the two looks, I’ll admit that, nostalgia aside, I prefer the all-brown suit and turtleneck ensemble by the Calgary Flames…