Run it Back
 

The Winnipeg Jets finally climbed to the top of the mountain when they took down the New Jersey Devils in a four-game sweep to capture their first ever SMJ Cup.  Heading into the 1995 NFHL season, the Winnipeg general manager was the longest serving GM that had yet won their final playoff game of the season and now joins eleven others that have at least one championship to their name.  Corcoran now hands the honour of serving the league the longest with no titles to the current Philadelphia Flyers general manager, Simon Hogget, who joined during the 1977 season.

The Jets now head into 1996 hoping to join an even smaller group of teams to have won two titles which includes the last four original GMs Mark Jones, Shane Matheson, Dennis Healy and Brandon Clark, along with Mike Smith and Glenn Merkir.

If fans grew attached to their championship team they will be excited to know they will see almost an identical team that lifted the league’s trophy last spring.  Karl Friesen left that last game with tears of joy and sadness as skated into retirement when he left the ice.  Dino Ciccarelli hit free agency and got a major payday as he signed a one-year deal at $6.2 million with the Detroit Red Wings.  The veteran winger collected nine goals and 32-points last season and added another seven points in the 20-game playoff run.

29-year old Tom Chorske will get his first chance at being an everyday player as he will move into the fourth line wing role that Ciccarelli manned last season.  Chorske played the role of 13th forward last season suiting up for 22-games, collecting ten points.  He has 60 career NFHL games to his name and with his modest $1 million salary, he looks to find a role on the team.

Taking Friesen’s spot as Allan Bester’s back-up is the club’s top prospect Evgeni Nabokov.  The 21-year old goalie looks to get 28-30 starts this upcoming season and has the task of taking over for Friesen who was one of the league’s best back-ups earning a 30-8-2 record over the last two seasons with a 2.83 GAA.