With the 2026-27 NHL season officially underway, Michael Lindenbaum of TXHT Hockey will be doing a weekly article where he muses on various topics around both the NHL and PWHL. Future editions of Michael’s Musings will appear on Hockey HotStove before coming to TXHT Hockey.
The Winnipeg Jets are Whole Finally
On September 24, the NHL announced that the statistical history of the Winnipeg Jets would be consolidated, bringing together both iterations of the franchise.
The consolidation means the Jets’ official history will now encompass their first stint in Winnipeg from 1979 to 1996, their years as the Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011, and their current run in Winnipeg, which began with the 2011-12 season.
However, the statistical history of the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes will only reflect the franchise’s years in Arizona from 1996 to 2024 and will not be included in the Jets’ history.
I have a lot of thoughts about this, as do many others. On one hand, this is something I believe should have happened when the Jets returned to Winnipeg in 2011. On the other hand, the decision creates an interesting level of uncertainty when you consider the possibility of future expansion and the fact that both Phoenix and Atlanta have been discussed as potential future NHL markets.
There is also the argument from some hockey purists who believe the World Hockey Association’s history should eventually be incorporated into the NHL’s statistical records. If that were to happen, it would create another significant change to some of the records we recognize today.
Personally, I like the fact that the two iterations of the Winnipeg Jets have finally been brought together. However, I think the NHL should have taken it one step further and separated the Atlanta Thrashers’ history from the Jets’ record book.
I have always been of the opinion that when a team relocates, it should be considered a fresh start in its new location. A good recent example is the Utah Mammoth.
I thought the NHL handled the transition involving Utah and the Arizona Coyotes in a way that made the situation relatively clear. The Coyotes franchise was made inactive, while Utah was established as an expansion franchise rather than simply inheriting Arizona’s history. That separation also leaves the door open for Arizona to potentially return to the NHL at some point, particularly given Commissioner Gary Bettman’s longstanding support for hockey in the market.
At the same time, the NHL has never consistently handled relocations that way. Previous franchise moves have resulted in histories and statistics following the franchise to its new location, while a new team in the original market starts over.
That inconsistency is ultimately what has created the strange situation we are seeing with Winnipeg.
The current Jets are technically the continuation of the Atlanta Thrashers, while the original Jets’ history had remained attached to the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes for nearly three decades. Now, the NHL has essentially decided that the original Jets’ history belongs back in Winnipeg, while also allowing the Atlanta Thrashers’ records to remain part of the Jets’ history.
From a Winnipeg perspective, I completely understand the reasoning. Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Teemu Selanne and the other stars of the original Jets are an important part of Winnipeg hockey history, regardless of what happened to the franchise in 1996. The NHL’s decision restores those players and their accomplishments to the record book of the city where they became legends.
But it also raises an interesting question: What happens if Atlanta or Phoenix eventually gets another NHL team?
If Atlanta receives an expansion franchise, for example, would the Thrashers’ history remain permanently attached to Winnipeg? Or would the NHL eventually separate that history and give it to a new Atlanta franchise? Likewise, if Arizona returns to the NHL, would the dormant Coyotes franchise retain its existing statistical history, or would a new Arizona team begin from scratch?
Those questions are part of what makes the NHL’s approach to franchise history so fascinating—and, at times, confusing.
For now, though, the record books have changed. Dale Hawerchuk is once again the Jets’ all-time leader in goals and points, while Thomas Steen holds the franchise record for assists. Mark Scheifele, who previously held the goals and points records, now has those marks in his sights once again.
The NHL has finally reunited the original Jets with the current Jets. Whether this ultimately becomes the permanent solution—or another chapter in the league’s complicated history of franchise records—remains to be seen.
PWHL Announces First All-Star Game
On September 24, the PWHL announced that it will host its first-ever All-Star Game on March 7, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
The PWHL will use a 3-on-3 tournament format similar to the NHL’s All-Star format. The event will feature four teams: PWHL Canada, PWHL USA, PWHL International, and PWHL Rookies. The league is touting the event as a major milestone for both the PWHL and women’s hockey.
However, this isn’t a milestone for women’s hockey.
The Canadian Women’s Hockey League held an All-Star Game in 2014, featuring several players who are now part of the PWHL, including Hilary Knight, Jocelyne Larocque, Natalie Spooner, and Jamie Lee Rattray.
The following year, the newly established National Women’s Hockey League held its first-ever All-Star Game. That event also featured Knight, as well as current PWHL Hamilton General Manager Meghan Duggan, Hockey Hall of Famer Brianna Decker, and current PWHL player Shiann Darkangelo.
The NWHL continued to hold All-Star Games after rebranding as the Premier Hockey Federation, including an All-Star Game during the 2022-23 season—the league’s final season before the PWHL was established.
That’s why describing the PWHL’s inaugural All-Star Game as a major milestone for women’s hockey comes across as disingenuous to the leagues that helped pave the way for the PWHL to exist today.
Make no mistake: this is absolutely a major milestone for the PWHL. Entering its fourth season, the league is hosting its first All-Star Game at one of Canada’s most prominent hockey venues, and that deserves to be celebrated.
But there is an important distinction between being a milestone for the PWHL and being a milestone for women’s hockey as a whole.
Women’s professional hockey has a history that predates the PWHL, and the players who helped build that history are now part of the PWHL. The CWHL, NWHL, and PHF all played roles in developing the sport, creating opportunities for players, building fan bases, and establishing the foundation upon which the PWHL was ultimately built.
The PWHL should absolutely celebrate reaching this point. But it can do that while also acknowledging the leagues and players who came before it.
The first PWHL All-Star Game is a milestone for the PWHL. It doesn’t need to be presented as though women’s hockey didn’t have an All-Star tradition before the league came along.
HNIC Revived for the PWHL
After what appeared to be the end of Hockey Night in Canada this past summer, it was announced that the Canadian TV staple would be revived, with the PWHL becoming its new focus.
I’m happy to see Hockey Night in Canada sticking around and putting the spotlight on the PWHL. I’m looking forward to its return to CBC and curious to see how the broadcast will be presented for the women’s game.
Hockey Night in Canada returns Saturday, December 5, when the defending Walter Cup champion Montreal Victoire hosts the expansion PWHL Hamilton.
You can read Michael’s Musings every Wednesday over at HockeyHotStove.com before it comes over to TXHTHockey.com on Fridays.
