Good morning. I’m Marty Klinkenberg, a sports reporter at The Globe. I was recently in Winnipeg to write about the Jets who have quietly achieved the best start in NHL history. More on that below, along with labour news at Canadian ports and incivility in the classroom. But first:
Today’s headlines
- President-elect Donald Trump is naming immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, reports say
- There are lockouts at Canada’s two biggest ports after Montreal dock workers reject the latest offer
- The postal union has issued a 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post
- Discovery of the first human case of avian flu acquired in Canada should prompt extra vigilance during flu season
Kyle Connor #81 of the Winnipeg Jets is an elite scorer, and may be the league’s most underrated star.Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Hockey
The NHL’s low-key hottest team
There is no doubt which team is the best in the National Hockey League. The Jets, of unpretentious Winnipeg, made history on Saturday when they defeated the Dallas Stars and improved to 14-1 to start the season.
To put an exclamation point on this, In the league’s 107 years, no club has ever accomplished that.
The 4-1 victory was Jets’ sixth consecutive win and kept them perfect in the Central Division (6-0-0) and they have now earned 28 of a possible 30 points. (Teams get two for each win).
At this juncture Winnipeg has scored 67 goals and allowed only 31; each figure leads the league. Connor Hellebuyck, the team’s Vezina Trophy award-winning goalie, lost a scoreless streak of 191 minute 47 seconds when Roope Hintz beat him with 1:22 left.
It was an unfortunate break for Hellebuyck, who lost control of his stick right before Hintz scored.
Hellebuyck had 32 saves and stopped 88 of 89 shots he faced last week. His counterpart for Dallas, the normally dependable Jake Oettinger, was benched in the second period after allowing four goals on 15 shots. Hellebuyck was named the NHL’s first star of the week Monday.
Jets fans taunted Oettinger with choruses of “U.S. backup.” Hellebuyck and Oettinger are both American and the leading candidates to play the net for the United States in February at the Four Nations Face-off.
The latter is a best-on-best tournament between teams from the U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden. It is meant to be a bridge between now and the 2026 Olympics in Italy where NHL stars will compete for the first time since 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
This is a fine time in Winnipeg, even with the temperature falling and gusty winds. I have spent a fair amount of time there over the years and enjoy it. People are friendly and the fans are passionate. There are some unexpectedly great restaurants including the Wood Tavern, where I tried rabbit stew on Thursday. (It was excellent, sorry Bugs.)
The Jets are about to embark on a stretch where they play nine of the next 10 games on the road. Players had a well-earned day off on Sunday and travel to New York on Monday for a game against the Rangers Tuesday night. They finish the week with outings at Tampa Bay and Sunrise, Fla, against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
At some point, of course, they will be tested with a losing streak like all teams. Right now, however, they are the toast of the NHL.
Earlier last week, coach Scott Arniel was asked if he anticipated a then 12-1 start. He laughed and said, “Absolutely not.”
On Saturday his team climbed to 14-1.
“I am pretty amazed,” Arniel said. “The players have to recognize that what they have accomplished is an amazing feat so far.
“We’d like to keep this going a little longer but they have to be awfully proud of what they have done.”
As good as Hellebuyck is, the Jets are not a one-trick pony. They play great defence and get points from throughout their lineup.
The underrated left winger Kyle Connor has nine goals and 19 points. He is the epitome of the Jets, an unassuming and elite player who lacks the panache of a Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon.
The Jets are much the same way. They almost always punch above their weight but are very much an afterthought for fans around the league.
The team marches to its own drumbeat. Winnipeg’s dressing room is the only one in the NHL where anyone visiting the dressing room must place plastic wrap around their shoes before entering.
The official explanation is that it keeps the carpet spotless and eliminates dirt and salt and other substances that make skate blades duller.
There is a part of me that wonders if it is just a practical joke to prove how malleable journalists are.
The Jets are a very loose bunch. Their clubhouse is open after practice and even following game-day morning skates. That doesn’t automatically happen in other cities.
The players are enjoying this run immensely and well they should.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Alex Iafallo, a Winnipeg winger said after Saturday’s victory. “A stretch like this is what you play for.”
The Shot
‘It is a debt we can never repay’
Lisa Marcantonio hugs her daughter as they remember family member Ret. Captain Albert McTaggart who served in multiple units including a Canadian Armed Forces Anti-Aircraft and Royal Canadian Horse Artillery unit.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Canadians gathered yesterday across the country for Remembrance Day, to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service. “Every day my group gets smaller,” said Paul Baiden, who served during the Cold War era. “From our crew there’s maybe 20 of us left.”
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: Lawyers are preparing clients for Trump presidency, bracing for tariffs and activism
Abroad: Satellite images show Israel’s military is building along UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in Syria
Super chill: Paul Hoffman wins prestigious Kyoto prize for scientific contribution to snowball Earth hypothesis
Not super chill: Students are ruder in the classroom than before the pandemic, educators say