Number 37
by canadian texan on Oct 4, 2011 9:07 PM EDT
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PrintI am really hoping that the Jets find a way to take this number out of circulation. Whther they do it informally or Ring of Honour or actually retire it up to the rafters this number is one I find deserves to be retired by the franchise.
If you are unaware as to the connection between this number and tragedy within the franchise, both Daniel Snyder and Rick Rypien wore this number throughout their NHL careers and both men died far too soon while still members of the Thrashers/Jets franchise.
I'd like to see the Dan Snyder Memorial Award rolled over as well as keeping Snyder's parents and the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation involved with the team.
There are some things bigger than hockey. This is one of those things.
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I think your heart’s in the right place, but since Rypien played ZERO games, not even a pre-season game, for the Jets, I would hardly think of them as evil, heartless bastards if they did nothing in particular to honor Rypien. That’s just my opinion and I’d certainly not be militant about it, but I sort of feel that honoring Rypien is something the Canucks need to do if anybody does it.
For those who don’t know, the various Canadian press reports that Dan Snyder’s number was retired by the Thrashers are completely wrong. Snyder’s number was NEVER retired, but it was also never given out again either in Atlanta.
And for those nay sayers who feel that neither player is worthy, there is historical precedent for honoring players with even less NHL time than Snyder and Rypien. Bill Masterson’s NHL career was shorter and arguably of less consequence. To be blunt, his “claim to fame” is he died from an on ice injury. Pelle Lindbergh and Tim Horton both killed themselves in drunk driving accidents and got their numbers retired. Snyder’s number should have been retired by the Thrashers and not really left the Jets in the position of having to do the “right thing” here. It’s just more evidence of what complete asshats our owners were in Atlanta that they couldn’t even get that one right.
True
Rypien never played for the Thrashers/Jets franchise. But he played for the Moose franchise which was owned by True North who own the Jets. His ties to the team do run deeper than “he signed a deal back in July”. That and it’s the number 37. It’s not a highly sought after number. I don’t see any problem with removing it permanently from circulation. Just because the ASG screwed up the Snyder deal doesn’t mean True North can’t make amends.
In Canada our balls are bigger
Your point about Rypien playing for Manitoba is well taken and one that I hadn’t considered. However… having had some time to think about this, I am not sure but it may be completely without precedent for a team to retire a player’s number because he killed himself. That may ultimately be the reason why Rypien doesn’t get an official honor from the Jets. I don’t think anybody wants to go down that path of establishing a precedent that if you just kill yourself, you’ll get your number retired. I’m not trying to be cruel or thoughtless here, I’m just stating what I think will happen.
Indeed
If this were just Rypien then yes you likely would have a strong case there. But combined with Snyder I see it as almost mandatory that something is done to acknowledge these players
In Canada our balls are bigger
by canadian texan on Oct 6, 2011 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Lindbergh's number is not retired, it's just taken out of circulation.
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 8, 2011 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm not really sure how I feel about Snyder's number.
I would like to distance myself from everything Atlanta-related (I personally was angered when Phoenix retired Jets numbers- remember when Thomas Steen played for the Coyotes? Me neither.)
But Snyder’s situation is unique (obviously). I’m alright with any decision TNSE makes one this one, though if it were me, I probably wouldn’t retire it, or even honour it. Its not anything against Dan Snydner or his legacy, just that I maintain a team’s history remains with the city, and not where Gary Bettman would prefer it to go. The Jets 1.0 history is ours, not Phoenix’s, and Atlanta should continue to remember and honour the Thrashers, and by extension, Dan Snyder. It’d be a little weird honouring a guy who never played for us (are you listening Phoenix?).
With that said, I can understand why TNSE would make that move.
Deleting comments from a blog is not 'censorship.' Common practice. -BBS
by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Oct 11, 2011 9:58 PM EDT reply actions
Good point
I honor him simply because of what happen to him, but if the Jets don’t you won’t hear a peep out of me. I believe when a team relocated to another city that history stays in that city. I don’t see the Devils honoring the Rockies or the Avs honoring the Nords. A team history stays with that city when they pack up and leave. It dosen’t follow them to said city because the fans there have zero emotional attachment to their past. Do you people feel any type of emotional attachment to the Thrashers? Doubt it.
I don’t like the double standard employed by fans and journalist that hate that a team that no one gave a shit about packed up and moved to a prarie town in Canada of all places. It’s sickening to say the least.
Pittsburgh Sports: Creating sports history and legends since 1887.
by Bradley James McEachern on Oct 23, 2011 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions
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