Jets announce number changes, Thompson to wear 11 in honour of Rypien

WINNIPEG -A number is just a number.
Except when it isn't.
The Winnipeg Jets announced the numbers that the new faces in the organization will be wearing, along with any number changes for the not-so-new faces today for the 2020-21 season.
One number stands out - 11.

No one has worn that number since the Jets moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg. Rick Rypien would have been the first, but he lost his battle with depression before the Jets took to the ice for the first time in October of 2011. Craig Heisinger, assistant general manager of the Jets, touched on the importance of the number here in Winnipeg.
"It means something to the managers, it means something to the trainers. It means something to a lot of people here. Nobody has worn it in Jets 2.0 and even going back as far as Moose 1.0, 11 never really was given out," said Heisinger.
"I think Rick was the first to wear it after Scott Arniel because it was not a number we gave out to just anybody. I can remember calling Arnie and asking him if it was okay if Rick wore it. That would have spoken to how highly we thought of Rick to reach out to Arnie."
This season, Nate Thompson - who has had his own battles with addiction in his life - will wear 11. On Oct. 10, Thompson celebrated his fourth year of sobriety, the same day he signed his one-year, $750,000 deal with Winnipeg.
"I was talking with Jason McMaster, the head equipment manager, about numbers," said Thompson. "Obviously 44 was taken (Josh Morrissey), and 19 was unavailable (David Gustafsson). He gave me a list of numbers and I asked, 'what about 11?'
The ensuing phone call was enough for Thompson, an NHL veteran, to know how special that number is to the organization.
"He said he hadn't given the number out since Rick Rypien wore it and he said if anyone was going to wear it, it would be you," said Thompson. "At first, I was kind of nervous about it. It was kind of overwhelming at first because I know how much Rick Rypien meant to people. I had to think about it a little bit."
Thompson wanted to check off all the boxes when it came to wearing a number that was clearly important to so many people. He reached out to Rypien's former teammate, Kevin Bieksa, who Thompson played with in Anaheim between 2015 and 2017.
"I wanted to make sure it was the right thing," said Thompson. "Kevin was great about it he said you definitely should wear it."
Heisinger was also doing his due diligence to make sure people outside of the Jets organization were aware that 11 would be on someone else's back this upcoming season.
"I had to reach out to Rick's grandma and Rick's dad, then get final approval from people who know Nate Thompson better than we do - like Bieksa and Ben Chiarot," said Heisinger.
The fact that Thompson was intent on making sure wearing 11 wasn't going to ruffle any feathers meant a lot to Heisinger.
"He did check all the boxes. He reached out to (Bieksa) before he called me and Juice explained to him the significance of the number. Not just from a Winnipeg Jets perspective but from a Manitoba Moose perspective," said Heisinger.
"Kevin explained to him that Moose 1.0 morphed into Jets 2.0 and Rick is the conduit to both those organizations."
After numerous conversations and checking off all the boxes, Thompson made the decision to wear number 11, and continue to use his story of sobriety to represent the number in a positive way.
Next season's timeline is one of the many questions left unanswered due to COVID-19. But one thing Thompson does know is the Jets not only value him enough to sign him as a free agent - he's also someone people inside and outside of the organization think highly enough of to wear Rypien's old number.
"It's flattering, humbling. I guess it's a little overwhelming," said Thompson. "For Jason and Zinger and those guys to think it's okay for me to wear number 11, it's just extremely humbling that they would think of me in such a positive way to wear a number that represents so much," said Thompson.
"I'm just really excited to start with this organization. It's pretty exciting. I can't wait to get going, I'm super pumped to be part of the Winnipeg Jets."
Heisinger also looks forward to the night that the Jets return to the ice and history being made at the same time.
"I think it will resonate when it happens because you picked the right person. He asked about wearing it, he knows the history behind it, so he's invested in it," said Heisinger.
"He's overcome his own obstacle to get this far. So Rick would be happy that a veteran player is inspired to bring honour to his number."