For the first time since the Winnipeg Jets returned to the city, a player will wear number 11.
The Jets announced the new numbers of their recent acquisitions on Monday and forward Nate Thompson has been granted permission to wear Rick Rypien’s old number.
Rypien died in the summer of 2011 shortly after signing a contract with the Jets.
“It’s an honoured number, and it’s a protected number, but it’s not a retired number,” Jets assistant general manager and senior V-P and director of hockey operations Craig Heisinger told 680 CJOB.
“Those numbers are there for players to wear under the right circumstances.”
READ MORE: Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien found dead in his Alberta home
Rypien played in parts of four seasons with the original Manitoba Moose when they were then a farm team for the Vancouver Canucks.
“Obviously the number 11 resonates for a lot of people organizationally at True North going back to Moose 1.0 because the trainers were essentially the same, and going to Jets 2.0. Now nobody’s worn the number 11 in Jets 2.0. Although it was going to be Rick’s number, it was one of the things he asked for when he signed here,” Heisinger said.
“So it was not going to be given out easily, but this day was going to come when somebody asked for and wanted to wear it for the right reasons.”
Rypien died by suicide at the age of 27, and according to Heisinger, Thompson is well aware of the history behind the number.
The 13-year NHL veteran recently signed with the Jets on the four-year anniversary of his sobriety.
“His struggles away from the rink and his success, now that he’s been able to have a coming to grips with some off-ice demons, would make Rick even prouder,” Heisinger said.
“I think number 11 being back on the ice will get people thinking about the old number 11, and what he represented, and meant to the franchise. And that’s a tremendous amount. Even though he never played a game, his number, his name and his project live on.”
READ MORE: Newest Winnipeg Jets ‘excited’ to get on board with team
But before the Jets gave Thompson the go-ahead to don number 11, Heisinger first had to make a few phone calls.
“I in my mind needed to check with some important people,” he said. “Two people that had played with him to check that they thought he was worthy of the number. Those two guys being Kevin Bieksa who played with Nate, and also played with Rick. And Ben Chiarot who didn’t play with Rick, but knew the significance of the number in our organization, but played with him in Montreal. Nate checked the boxes for both those guys.
“And then after that, the calls that needed to be made were to Rick’s granny and his dad and talk the situation through with them. And I think everybody’s very comfortable that Nate’s the right person to put this jersey over his shoulders and carry on Rick’s tradition.”
Although no number is officially retired by the Jets, it’s highly unlikely another player will ever wear Dale Hawerchuk’s number 10 after his recent death.
Defenceman Derek Forbort will wear Grant Clitsome’s old number 24. Nick Shore’s number 21 has been snapped up by free agent signing Dominic Toninato. Defenceman Dylan DeMelo wore 12 when he first joined the Jets at the trade deadline, but he’s switching to number two after it was vacated by Anthony Bitetto. And forward Paul Stastny will still wear 25 like he did his first go around with the Jets.
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