Winnipeg Jets Greatest Players

When I think of the Winnipeg Jets, I think of white-outs, the giant picture of the Queen, and the WHA. They were perhaps the best team in WHA history, but once they joined the NHL in 1979, they never quite found the same success. WHA fans will always remember Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. As an NHL fan, I will always remember Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen and ton of undersized speedballs.

Dave Babych - The 2nd overall draft pick in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, Babych was an early workhorse on defense and the franchises first representative at the NHL all star game..

	Dave Christian - His father and two uncles competed in a total of 3 Olympics ahead of him. No wonder why long time NHL star Dave Christian considers his Olympic experience as his best memory.
	Kim Clackson (WHA) - Kim Clackson built up quite the reputation as a tough guy. He wasn't a very good fighter in comparison to the heavyweights, but he never backed down.
	Dave Ellett - Dave Ellett was an outstanding power play performer for the Winnipeg Jets..
	Terrible Ted Green (WHA) - This mean-spirited rearguard was an all star and a winner, but is best remembered as the victim of an ugly stick swinging incident.
	Bob Essensa - Bob Essensa was a star goalie for the Jets in the 1990s.
	Dale Hawerchuk - A junior and international star as well, for a time in the 1980s Hawerchuk may have been the best player in the league not named Gretzky.
	Anders Hedberg (WHA) - Anders Hedberg teamed with Bobby Hull and countryman Ulf Nilsson to be arguably the greatest line in all of hockey in the 1970s
	Larry Hopkins - Larry Hopkins' famous moustache got him confused with teammate Paul MacLean.
	Bobby Hull (WHA) - The Golden Jet might be better known now as Brett's dad, but this Chicago and Winnipeg legend is one of the most important players in hockey history

	Jim Kyte - Big Jim Kyte was the first hearing impaired person to play in the National Hockey League.
	Morris Lukowich - Morris Lukowich was a goal scoring threat with both the WHA Jets and the NHL Jets.

Dave Manson - Dave "Charlie" Manson was one of the most feared players - and better players - of his era.

	Dave McLlwain - Dave McLlwain will always be remembered for his incredible speed and penalty killing.
	Troy Murray - A hard hitting and underrated center, Troy Murray was a native Winnipeger who came home to become the Jets captain.
	Kent Nilsson (WHA) - Nicknamed "Magic Man" and "The Swedish Gretzky," Kent Nilsson was a joy to watch. He was skilled and creative as they come.

	Ulf Nilsson (WHA) - Perhaps a little more underrated than running mates Anders Hedberg and Bobby Hull, it was Nilsson's slick playmaking and defensive conscience that really made that famous line click.
	Ed Olczyk - Native Chicagoan Eddie Olczyk was the talk of the Windy City when he first arrived. Unfortunately the pressure proved to be too great.
	Rich Preston (WHA) - Rich Preston was the WHA's playoff MVP when Winnipeg won the final Avco Cup championship in 1979.

Terry Ruskowski (WHA) - This heart and soul former captain of the Hawks centered the RPM line with Rich Preston and Grant Mulvey.

	Teemu Selanne - Will anyone ever challenge the Finnish Flash's rookie record of 76 goals?
	Thomas Steen - A quintessential Winnipeg Jet, the former captain is remembered as one of the most cerebral and most underrated stars of the 1980s
	Peter Sullivan (WHA) - A solid contributor in the World Hockey Association, "Silky" couldn't get untracked under John Ferguson's NHL watch of the Jets
	Tim Watters - "Muddy" was a two time Olympian overcame size issues to become a really steady NHL defender.

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Larry Hopkins

You know your NHL career did not go the way of hockey dreams when you are best known as the mustachioed man mistakenly pictured on another player's rookie hockey card.

That would sum up how hockey history remembers Larry Hopkins, the man pictured as Paul MacLean in the 1982-83 O Pee Chee hockey card set.

I guess it can be chalked up to an honest mistake. After all both sported some pretty significant facial hair.

But that might be as close as the comparison between the two gets. MacLean went on to a 10 year NHL career averaging 36 goals and over 100 PIMs per season. Hopkins played in just 60 games in his career, scoring 13 times and assisting on 16 others.

The Oshawa born left winger made next to no splash at all in his quiet junior career with the hometown Generals. Despite playing with the likes of Rick Middleton, Nelson Pyatt and Lee Fogolin, he managed just 7 goals and 29 points in two years with the legendary OHA team. Despite his impressive size (he would play in the NHL at 6'1" and 210lbs) he was very polite, collecting just 13 minutes in the penalty box.

If it was not for his impressive size, NHL scouts may never have noticed Hopkins. He likely had realized the NHL dream was unrealistic for him when he passed on the chance to play with Oshawa as an overaged 20 year old junior and enrolled at the University of Toronto instead. He chose to pursue a degree in commerce while playing for the U of T Varsity Blues hockey team.

It is rare that a Canadian university player gets noticed by the NHL. But Hopkins quickly established himself as the best collegiate hockey player in all of Canada. Sensing he may be a late bloomer, the Atlanta Flames took a flier on him with the 152nd pick of the 1974 NHL Amateur draft.

Hopkins stayed at the University of Toronto for 5 seasons, completing his degree in commerce. In that time he also led the U of T to CIAU championships in 1976 and 1977.

Upon graduation late in the 1977-78 season, the Flames did not offer Hopkins a contract, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent. The Toronto Maple Leafs offered the kid in their backyard a tryout contract. Though he would finish that season and all of the next in the minor leagues, he did get a chance to play in two games for the Leafs, wearing number 12.

This undoubtedly rekindled Hopkins' dreams of the NHL, and he worked hard while in the minor leagues. The Winnipeg Jets noticed and offered him a contract in the summer of 1979.

Over the next three seasons Hopkins was shuttled back and forth between the NHL and the minor leagues. His best season was in 1981-82 when he got into 41 games with the Jets, sometimes even playing on the top line with Dale Hawerchuk and Paul MacLean.

Hopkins retired after the 1982-83 season. He and his wife Linda soon returned to the Tulsa, Oklahoma area where he played 3 seasons of minor league hockey and was a very popular player and was voted as the unsung player of the year. He became an account manager for a telecommunications company.

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Bob Essensa

Robert Earle (Bob) Essensa was drafted 69th overall in the 1983 Entry Draft by the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets knew he was a long term project. He had just completed playing hockey at Henry Carr High School in Toronto (although scholastically he attended Vincent Massey High School) and was about to enroll at Michigan State University for the 1983 season. The Jets were patient with their selection, knowing he'd be 4 years away from turning pro, but they knew he was with one of the top hockey programs in the United States.

The Jets' patience paid off. He was a CCHA all star with a career record of an impressive 62-13-2 career record and set several school records, though they have since been bettered.

Essensa made his NHL debut in 1988-89 at the age of 23. He went 6-8-3 in 20 games, but in 1989-90, that record improved to 18-9-5 with a 3.15 goals-against average, while being named the NHL All-Rookie goaltender. In 1990-91, Essensa posted four shutouts and won the Jets' Molson Cup award, given to the player with the most points accumulated through three-star selections at the conclusion of each game.

In 1991-92, Essensa registered a league best five shutouts and was the second runner up for the Vezina and Jennings trophies, and posted a career-high 33 wins in 1992-93. He was an extremely popular player in Winnipeg, and well decorated too. He set franchise records for most career games played by a goalie, most minutes, most career wins, most wins in one season, most consecutive wins and most assists by a goalie in one season.

In 1993-94 Essensa was traded to the Detroit the Red Wings for Tim Cheveldae and Dallas Drake. Though he was excited to return to the city where he attended university, he never got the playing time he had hoped for in the Motor City and played most of the next two seasons in the minors.

Essensa resurfaced in the NHL in 1996 as a backup goalie with the Edmonton Oilers. Though he never really was given a shot to re-prove himself as a number one goalie, he received great feedback for his positive attitude and play as a back up netminder, thus lengthening his career. He also was quite approachable when it came to mentoring young goalies.

In 1999-2000, Essensa rejoined the Phoenix Coyotes, the old Winnipeg Jets team, and posted a 13-10-3 record. On July 26, 2000, Essensa signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks and split goaltending duties first with Felix Potvin and then Dan Cloutier. He went 18-12 with a 2.68 GAA and helped the Canucks make the playoffs for the first time in five years. In the playoffs, he started two of the Canucks four games.

Although Vancouver fans loved to chant "Bob E, Bob E," the popular goalie was not re-signed. In September 2001, Essensa signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabres where he served as backup and mentor to Martin Biron.

He would retire at the end of the season, and would move on to become a goalie coach. He retired 173-176-47 record with 18 shutouts in 447 NHL games.

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Dave Manson

When a player is affectionately known as "Charlie" Manson, it comes as no surprise he was one of the most feared NHL tough guys of his era. But he could play too, a terrific package of terror and talent.

The pride of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, the former hometown Raiders star Dave Manson played in over 1100 NHL games, most notably with the Chicago Blackhawks. He also played well in Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal before toiling with Toronto and Dallas late in his career.

Manson quickly established himself as a rough and tumble customer. He had nearly 2800 career penalty minutes, including a Chicago single season record (since broken) of 352 penalty minutes in his third season, 1988-89.

The following season he would have bettered his own record if he was not suspended three times - twice for pushing a linesman and returning to fights, and once for biting the hand of Scott Stevens.

With his rugged approach to the game he was an obvious fan favorite in the Windy City. He had some real battles in that old Norris Division, and Chicago had some long time rivalries. Bob Probert and Joey Kocur were in Detroit. Basil McRae in Minnesota. Todd Ewen and later Scott Stevens in St. Louis.

That Stevens bout was quite the classic. Let's take a look:



Manson backed down from nobody, and you can not accuse him of having a bark worse than his bite. You see, Manson often had to let his physical play send messages for him, as he his voice was reduced to a raspy whisper courtesy of Sergio Momesso, then with Vancouver. Big Momesso punched Manson right in the throat during one altercation, and Manson contracted a permanent case of laryngitis. Even after two major surgeries, Manson still talks very softly and gravelly.

Despite the nickname and impressive pugilistic resume, one should not be too quick to jump to the conclusion that he was simply a goon. No, in fact he was also an offensive defenseman who twice played in NHL all star games.

Remember that '88-89 season where Manson sat in the penalty box for 352 minutes? The defenseman also registered 18 goals and 54 points that year.

Blessed with a heavy shot, Manson was a natural on the power play. He loved to tee up one timers but was also smart enough to change up his shot now and again. And he was never afraid to pinch up and surprise the penalty killers with his straying from the left point.

That year Manson really put it altogether. There is not a coach in the league that would not want a defenseman with Manson's scary combination of physical aggression and offensive intimidation. He was always playing on the edge, but he constantly struggled to keep that right balance.

The problem was Manson was never able to maintain the right mixture over any length of his career. This was due to discipline and hockey sense.

First and foremost was discipline, but with penalty minute totals like his that comes as no surprise. Too often he would unnecessarily engage in scrums after the whistle instead of just concentrating on hockey. He would often throw himself off his own game as he ran around out of position and taking bad penalties. With his well-established reputation as one of the most feared men on ice, he did not need to do this. He needed to learn let his reputation do a lot of the intimidating for him, and just concentrate on playing hockey.

Discipline in hockey also refers to playing the game smartly and patiently. This is also known as hockey sense.

At times Manson was too over-exuberant in his offensive game too, making bad pinches, impossible passes, and plenty of turnovers. He was very much a gambler with the puck, and he got burned many times. This only led to a significant number of minor penalties, for hooking and tripping, because he did not have the superior foot speed to make up for his gaffes.

Had Manson learned to be more patient with the puck and just make the safe if unspectacular play, he would have been one heck of a defender. He might not have been as noticeable on the ice if he played more conservatively, but given his turnover history that might have been a good thing.

Defensively he could be an adventure, too. Certainly the opposition did not like to put the puck into his corner, given the likelihood he would try to put you into the first row of seats. But the opposition knew Manson would stray too far from his optimal position to make a big hit or to unnecessarily help out his defense partner. Poor reads by Manson led to wide open scoring chances for attackers too often.

Manson may have been a big city star who lasted over 1100 wars in the NHL, but he never forgot his hometown roots. He was always a Saskatchewan boy at heart, proud of his hometown of Prince Albert where he led the WHL Raiders to the Memorial Cup in 1985. Following the conclusion of his NHL career, Manson returned to Prince Albert and became involved in coaching with the Raiders.

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