Post-season heroes come in all forms, from the star player to the unknown fourth-liner. We all know the exploits of the great playoff performers. However, we hardly hear about the unlikely playoff heroes. These unlikely post-season stars can contribute in many ways. Contributions could be for an entire playoff run, a series, a game or even a goal. These unlikely heroes have made big plays that no one expects. This series looks at all of these unknown stars. These are the unlikely Winnipeg Jets playoff heroes.
Winnipeg Jets Playoff Heroes
Joseph Morrow
Before the Moment
During the 2018 trade deadline, the Winnipeg Jets sent a fourth-round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for bottom-six defenceman, Joseph Morrow. The Jets received a depth-defenceman to help them down the stretch and into the playoffs. Winnipeg was enjoying their best season in franchise history (including their time as the Atlanta Thrashers) and finished second in the league with 114 points. Morrow played 14:30 a night for them and contributed five points in 18 games.
At the time, the Jets/Thrashers franchise had made it to the playoffs twice but were swept both times. It was expected they would get the first Winnipeg Jets playoff win because of how well they performed in the regular season. However, an unexpected hero emerged for their first win.
The Moment
The Jets played the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 was back and forth. Mark Scheifele opened the scoring for the Jets late in the second period. The Wild answered back in the third from two quick goals by Matt Cullen and Zach Parise to take the lead. Morrow poorly defended a two-on-one and left a passing lane behind him open for Parise to receive a pass and score. Patrik Laine scored a minute after Parise’s goal to tie the game 2-2.
Morrow made up for his blunder in a big way. With 7:20 left in the third period, Nikolaj Ehlers dug the puck out of a battle behind the net and passed it to Morrow, who was wide open at the left point. Morrow fired a slapshot that got by Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk to give the Jets the lead. The Jets held on, and Morrow scored the first game-winning playoff goal in franchise history.
After the Moment
The Jets went on and beat the Wild in six games, and defeated the President’s Cup-winning Nashville Predators in seven games in the second round. They looked to be on their way to the Stanley Cup Final when they defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. However, the Golden Knights won four consecutive games to eliminate the Jets.
Morrow had a strong first-round series against the Wild. He was paired with the Jets’ top defenceman, Dustin Byfuglien because Toby Enstrom was out with an injury. Morrow played around 15 minutes a night and had a 57.39 Corsi for percentage. However, Enstrom came back in the second round, and Morrow was scratched for the remainder of the playoffs.
Joseph Morrow played 41 games for Winnipeg the following season. He scored one goal, and added six assists for seven points, and played 14 minutes a night. He was not as successful as he was during the playoffs. His 45.21 Corsi for percentage was second-worst among defencemen who played at least 100 minutes for Winnipeg. He didn’t play for them in the playoffs.
Last season, Morrow signed with the New Jersey Devils but only played for their AHL team in Binghamton. He only scored four points, and the Devils released him. Morrow played the remainder of the season with Minsk Dynamo in the KHL where he scored three points in 22 games.
Lee Stempniak
Before the Moment
The Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg during the summer of 2011. Fans of the new Winnipeg Jets waited four seasons before the team finally made the playoffs in 2015. Winnipeg was known for having a passionate fanbase in the playoffs. When the old Jets were around, they created the white-out, where the whole arena would wear white to unify the fans. The fanbase was excited to bring back that excitement for their first Winnipeg Jets playoff game at home.
As the 2014-15 season progressed and it was obvious the Jets had a shot at making the playoffs, they traded for right-winger Lee Stempniak from the New York Rangers. Stempniak was a middle-six winger who could provide offence. He scored 18 points in 53 games with the Rangers but jumped to 10 points in 18 games with the Jets.
Winnipeg secured the last wild card spot and faced the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the playoffs. The Ducks won the first two games at home before going to Winnipeg for Game 3.
The Moment
Jets fans didn’t disappoint in their first home playoff game. The whiteout came back and the building was shaking. The fans were as loud as you’re ever going to hear, and they got creative with their chants. They called Ducks sniper Corey Perry, Katy Perry.
Hear’s a video that shows how loud the MTS Centre was before the game.
Nearly half-way through the first period, the fans had something to cheer about. Jacob Trouba took the puck into the offensive zone and shot. Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen made the save but the rebound went to Adam Lowry. Lowry saw that Stempniak was in front of the net and passed him the puck. Stempniak shot it before Andersen could move over to give the Jets the first goal of the game, and the crowd went nuts. It was the first Jets playoff goal scored in Winnipeg since Norm Maciver scored against the Detroit Red Wings in 1996, 19-years before Stempniak’s.
Here’s the goal.
After the Moment
Unfortunately, for Jets fans, Winnipeg wouldn’t win. Rickard Rakell scored the overtime winner to put the Ducks up 3-0 in the series. Anaheim won Game 4 to sweep the series. Winnipeg would have to wait three more years for Joesph Morrow’s heroics to get their first playoff win.
Stempniak didn’t re-sign with the Jets after the season and went to play for the New Jersey Devils. Stempniak played four more seasons in the NHL split between New Jersey, the Carolina Hurricanes, and Boston Bruins. He remained a middle-six scoring winger. He retired in October of 2019.
Paul Stastny
Before the Moment
When the Jets were tearing through the league in 2018, they felt they needed some depth at centre. At the trade deadline, the same day they acquired Morrow, Winnipeg traded for Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues. Stastny had 40 points in 63 games with the Blues that season and was a solid second-line centre. He continued his strong play in Winnipeg. He finished the season with 13 points in 19 regular-season games for the Jets. But he surprisingly became a star for them in the playoffs.
The Moment
On May 10, 2018, the Jets were playing in their first Game 7 in franchise history. They were going against the President’s Cup-winning Nashville Predators and had to beat them at home to win the series. Stastny was playing great with 11 points in 12 games on a line with sniper Patrik Laine and the speedy Nikolaj Ehlers.
Stastny scored a secondary assist on Tyler Myer’s first goal of the game. Two minutes later, Stastny made the game 2-0. He tried to tuck the puck in near the post, but Nashville goalie, Pekka Rinne, got his skate there. Stastny got the rebound and flicked the puck on his backhand over the goalie’s blocker. Rinne was pulled right after for backup Juuse Saros.
With eight minutes left in the third period, Stastny scored his second goal of the game. Laine ripped a shot from the point on the power play, and Stastny was right there to bury the rebound. That made the score 4-1. Mark Scheifele scored an empty-net goal to seal the deal.
Stastny’s performance led them to go on to the Western Conference Finals. A team’s second-line centre being the hero of Game 7 isn’t unlikely. But it is a microcosm of his great playoffs. Stastny normally scored around 40 points in 65 games. If he kept that pace over his 17 playoff games, that would have him at 10 points. Stastny had 11 points in the 12 games leading to Game 7 and finished with 15 points. His star performance make him an unlikely hero.
Aftermath
The good times would not continue for Stastny and the Jets. Winnipeg lost to Vegas in five games in the Western Conference Finals with Stastny only picking up one point. Stastny would then pull a Kevin Durant and sign as a free agent to the team that beat him, the Golden Knights. After two years in Vegas, he scored 80 points and didn’t get back to the Western Conference Finals. He was traded back to the Jets in the off-season, so he has more to add to his Winnipeg Jets’ legacy.
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