Numminen, Selanne honoured to join Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame

Mention the word 'Winnipeg' to Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen, and the memories start to flow almost immediately.
Words like "unbelievable" and "special" are their descriptors for the whiteouts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they're also used to describe their time in the Manitoba capital overall.
"Winnipeg fans, you can't find that passion for hockey anywhere," said Selanne. "There's no one word, or two, or three, to really describe them."
Both players came over from Finland - Numminen in 1988, and Selanne in 1992 - and were immediately embraced by the city.
"That was really nice to see and feel at home right away when you're a young player coming into the league," Numminen said. "I think fans and the community really showed us how things are done, and how even in a smaller market or smaller town, you can get the strength together from the community. We saw that. We carried that with our careers with that lesson."

On November 17, both players will have another chance to thank the fans, as they're inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame. Their banners will join Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Randy Carlyle, Ab McDonald, Lars-Erik Sjoberg, and the members of The Hotline - Anders Hedberg, Bobby Hull, and Ulf Nilsson in the rafters at Canada Life Centre.
"Winnipeg has always been a great place and starting point for my family and my career, so we're really honoured about this announcement," said Numminen. "I think also it's for the teams in the past and future, it's nice to connect."
Fans loved both players for what they brought to the ice each night. They met Numminen first, as the team's second round pick in the 1986 National Hockey League Draft played his first 69 games in the NHL in 1988-89.
"He earned respect through his work ethic, through his play, and his overall commitment to the team," said Jets assistant general manager Craig Heisinger. "He was a Winnipeg Jet through and through. He never took any practices off. He never took days off, and he had fun playing the game."
When Selanne came to North America to start the 1992-93 season, he lived with Numminen as he adjusted to life in a new country.
"I was so happy and lucky when I came to Winnipeg that Teppo was there. He was an older brother for me," said Selanne. "Sometimes I didn't even know what time we had practice. Teppo made sure we weren't late and was in charge of making sure everything went well. I don't think we had many bad days."
That season, Selanne broke Mike Bossy's record for goals in a rookie season with 76 - part of a 132-point campaign that earned the Finnish Flash the Calder Trophy. Through all that excitement, it was Selanne's work ethic that stood out to Numminen.
"He always had a smile on his face, but underneath he really enjoyed and he really wanted to score goals," Numminen said. "He wanted to be the best he could, and it really showed. It was really impressive to see how hard he worked for his goals and on his game, on the ice and off the ice."

Another highlight of their time in Winnipeg together came in 1994, when the Jets travelled to Helsinki for the 1994 NHL International Challenge. They played twice there, as part of a four-team tournament with HIFK Helsinki, Jokerit, and Tappara Tampere.
Winnipeg won both of their games (8-2 over Tappara Tampere and 5-3 over HIFK Helsinki).
"Winnipeg has always been a team that the Finn hockey fans relate to," said Numminen. "The WHA, and there has always been European and Finnish players with the Jets. That was a really proud trip for us. It's exciting to show Finland for our team and show the Jets the Finnish people close by. It was an important, fun, and exciting trip."
The 1995-96 season proved to be the final one in Winnipeg for the Jets. Selanne was traded to Anaheim earlier in the campaign, while Numminen moved with the franchise to Phoenix.
So the opportunity to return to Winnipeg in 2016 to play in the Alumni Classic, part of the Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic weekend, was something neither one wanted to miss.
It was also at that time that Numminen learned of future plans for the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame.

Jets Executive Chairman, Mark Chipman, gave the defenceman the details and later on, Numminen received a call from Chipman informing him that he'd be one of the players honoured.
The thought of seeing his name next to a Jets logo again nearly makes the three-time NHL all-star speechless.
"As a player, you play for something. You play for your logo, you play for your team, you play for your city and community," Numminen said. "In normal life, you develop a relationship with the team and the people around you, so you know who you're playing for, and what for, and you know how much the team means for the city."
He's never lost sight of what the Jets mean to Winnipeg, and neither has Selanne.
"I'm so happy I started my career there and I could feel that love for the game, how friendly the people are there, and how much hockey means to them," Selanne said. "They make you feel so special. It's a great feeling when you can give some experience and some excitement for the fans, and you create that relationship with the fans."