Winnipeg Jets : 2011-12 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Southeast Division

As the Atlanta Thrashers, the franchise was part of the Southeast Division, which included the Washington Capitals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers, and the Carolina Hurricanes. After moving to Winnipeg, they stayed in the Eastern Conference and the Southeast Division, mostly because a division realignment meant having all the team owners agree on what a new alignment would look like.

The Jets played their first two seasons while still a part of the Southeast Division, with all the travel headaches that implied.

Answer: Manitoba Moose

It was the ownership group True North Sports and Entertainment (TNSE) that acquired the Atlanta Thrashers and moved them to Winnipeg. And it was TNSE that was also the owners of the AHL's Manitoba Moose, who became the St. John's IceCaps and the affiliated farm team of the Jets at the same time.

With TNSE's familiarity with the coaching abilities of Claude Noel, it can be understood why the ownership wanted to stick with Noel, despite his lack of NHL coaching experience. Prior to coaching the Jets, Noel had only coached 24 games at the NHL level (with the 2009-10 Columbus Blue Jackets).

Answer: Andrew Ladd

Andrew Ladd began his NHL career with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06, winning the Stanley Cup with them in his rookie year. In the 2007-08 season he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. A couple of years later he won the cup with them as well. Ladd only spent one year with the Atlanta Thrashers, but shortly after moving over in the off season, he was named the captain of the team (on November 18th).

Answer: Montreal Canadiens

Back in 1996, the Winnipeg Jets played to six games against the Red Wings, with the Jets losing game six at home with a score of 4-2. While the 'new' Jets also managed to lose their first regular season game (a 5-1 drubbing), the atmosphere in the arena was anything but the same.

In 1996 the fans already knew that the Jets would be moving to Phoenix after the end of the season. In 2011, despite losing, the Jets were back in town, and nothing could dampen the high spirits of fans that had waited 15 years to have a team back in Winnipeg!

Answer: Yes

After being selected by the Jets, Scheifele participated in the Young Stars Tournament, where fledgling Jets players vied against other young players from the Calgary Flames, the Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks, and the San Jose Sharks. Then came the Jets training camp and pre-season games.

Scheifele made a good showing overall, but when it came time to play the games that counted, he only managed one goal in seven games played. At that point he was returned to the Barrie Colts of the OHL to continue his development, remaining a part of the Jets organization for the future.

Answer: Six games

Overall, the Jets had a home record of 23-13-5, compared to a dismal 14-22-5 on the road. The strongest stand started in November and continued into December, for a total of six games in a row:

Nov. 19 - Winnipeg 5, Washington 0
Nov. 21 - Winnipeg 2, NY Islanders 1 (overtime win)
Nov. 24 - Winnipeg 5, Detroit 1
Nov. 26 - Winnipeg 3, Montreal 0
Nov. 28 - Winnipeg 4, Boston 1
Dec. 6 - Winnipeg 3, Nashville 2 (overtime win)

Answer: Ondrej Pavelec

There were three goalies that played for the Jets in 2011-12, but only Ondrej Pavelec and Chris Mason saw any real ice time. Peter Mannino played only one game, facing only one shot. Pavelec's final stats were 29 wins, 28 losses, and four overtime/shootout losses, with a goals against average of 2.91 and a save percentage of 0.906. Ondrej Pavelec was drafted 41st overall in 2005 by the Atlanta Thrashers, and played seven games in his first NHL season in 2007-08.

Answer: Evander Kane

Evander Kane began his NHL career with the Atlanta Thrashers franchise in 2009. He earned a spot in the lineup in his first season, but suffered injuries that kept him from playing a full 82 games in both of his seasons with Atlanta (before the move to Winnipeg).

This trend continued in his first year in Winnipeg, where he missed 10 games due to injury. Despite only playing 72 games in the 2011-12 season with the Jets, Kane still managed to beat out captain Andrew Ladd by two goals to claim the goal-scoring title on the team. Bryan Little was the third Jet to break 20 goals, managing 24 in total. Of the other players, Wellwood had 18 goals, Antropov had 15, and Bogosian got five.

Answer: Blake Wheeler

Blake Wheeler was drafted fifth overall by Phoenix in the 2004 NHL entry draft, but Wheeler and the Coyotes ownership could not come to a contract agreement. In the 2008 off-season, Wheeler signed an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. In February of 2011, Wheeler was traded along with Mark Stuart to the Atlanta Thrashers for Boris Valabik and Rich Peverley.
The other players listed finished third in scoring (Byfuglien, 53 points), fourth (Ladd with 50), and sixth (Little, 46).

Answer: True

The Winnipeg Jets finished the 2011-12 season with a 37-35-10 record, which put them eleventh in their conference, and fourth (of five) in their division. They were actually tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 84 points but, with one more win, the Lightning held on to third spot.

Their 84-point finish was eight points out of the playoffs; the Ottawa Senators claimed the final spot with 92 points.