The Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club will induct Randy Carlyle and Thomas Steen as the seventh and eighth members of the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame. Both players, who served as captains during the Jets 1.0 era, will be honoured at a special Hall of Fame induction ceremony prior to the Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020 Alumni Night game where the Winnipeg Jets will take on the New York Rangers at Bell MTS Place.
To recognize the event, the Winnipeg Jets will wear their adidas ADIZERO Authentic Pro Heritage jerseys. It will be the third and final time the team wears the Heritage jersey this season following the 2019 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic taking place tomorrow vs. the Calgary Flames in Regina, Sask. at Mosaic Stadium and on Dec. 3, 2019 when the Jets host the Dallas Stars at Bell MTS Place. The Winnipeg Jets adidas ADIZERO Authentic Pro Heritage jersey is available online at shop.nhl.com, adidas.com, adidas.CA and at all Jets Gear locations, including its flagship store at Bell MTS Place.
Carlyle and Steen join Ab McDonald, Lars-Erik Sjoberg, Anders Hedberg, Bobby Hull, Ulf Nilsson and Dale Hawerchuk in this honour. The Hall of Fame was established in 2016 to honour the accomplishments of the team’s alumni and to celebrate the rich history of the franchise and its impact on the city.
Along with other Winnipeg Jets alumni, Carlyle and Steen will attend the induction ceremony as well as the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame Luncheon, taking place Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 at The Fairmont Hotel in Winnipeg. The event will be hosted by JetsTV Host, Jamie Thomas and will include a Hot Stove hosted by the voice of the Jets on TSN, Dennis Beyak.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for the Hall of Fame Luncheon and tickets can be purchased by table of 10. More information is available by contacting jetshof@winnipegjets.com or by visiting winnipegjetshof.com.
Backgrounder on Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame Inductees
Randy Carlyle
Randy Carlyle, born in Sudbury, Ont. played 17 seasons in the NHL from 1976-93 after being drafted in the second round (30th overall) in the 1976 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs and playing his first two seasons there before a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Carlyle won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman and was a First Team All-Star for Pittsburgh in 1980-81 after posting an 83-point (16G, 67A) season. Carlyle was traded to the Winnipeg Jets on March 5/84 and played with the club until his retirement in 1993, serving as the co-captain in 1989-90 and 1990-91. He played 564 games for Jets, the most of any Jets 1.0 defenceman, and posted 306 points (80G, 226A) for the club. Following his retirement as a player, Carlyle became an assistant coach for the Jets serving on the Manitoba Moose coaching staff as both an assistant and head coach in two separate stints. He was also an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals before serving two tenures as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks and parts of four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His coaching career featured three NHL Conference Final visits, culminating in the 2007 Stanley Cup win with Anaheim.
Thomas Steen
Thomas Steen was the fifth ever draft pick of the Jets 1.0 when Winnipeg selected him in the fifth round (103rd overall) in the 1979 NHL Draft. The product of Grums, Sweden made his NHL debut in the 1981-82 season and posted double digit totals for goals, assists and points for 13 straight seasons, highlighted by an 84 and 88-point campaigns in 1984-85 and 1988-89, respectively. Steen played his final NHL season in 1994-95 and finished with 817 points (264G, 553A) in 950 regular season games with another 44 points (12G, 32A) in 56 playoff games. He had the most assists, games played and playoff games in Jets 1.0 history and the second-most goals, points, playoff assists, and playoff points. Steen was the first player in the NHL history of the Jets 1.0 franchise to have his number retired when his “25” was raised to the rafters on May 6, 1995. He played another four seasons in Sweden and Germany, while also helping to bring the Manitoba Moose to Winnipeg and then he returned to the NHL as a scout for the Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks and Phoenix Coyotes. More recently, Steen ran in a federal election in 2008 before he was elected to Winnipeg City Council for Elmwood-East Kildonan in 2010 and he has worked for True North Sports + Entertainment in various capacities, including his current role in scouting and alumni relations.