Jason Doig, D: The Montreal native was selected by the Jets in the second round (No. 34) in the 1995 NHL Draft. He had two points (one goal, one assist) in 15 games as a 19-year-old for the Jets in 1995-96, their final season in Winnipeg before they relocated and became the Phoenix Coyotes. Doig had 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 158 NHL games with the Jets, Coyotes, Ranger and Washington Capitals.
Evander Kane, F: Another Thrashers transplant, Kane had 222 points (109 goals, 113 assists) in 361 games with the Jets. He has played 15 NHL seasons with 617 points (326 goals, 291 assists) in 930 games with Atlanta, Winnipeg, the Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers.
Alf Lewsey, F: Lewsey was one of the first Black players from Winnipeg to gain notoriety. The Chicago Defender, a Black newspaper, wrote of the teenage Lewsey on Nov. 4, 1950: “It would not be a surprise to see him in the uniform of some team in the National Hockey League within the next two or three years. He can be to hockey what Jackie Robinson was to organized baseball — the guy to break down the racial barriers.” He never did reach the NHL, but went on to play for teams in six Canadian provinces, Scotland, England and the United States. He won a championship with New Haven of the old Eastern Hockey League in 1955-56 and had 57 points (20 goals, 37 assists) in 61 games that season.
Ray Neufeld, F: Selected by the Hartford Whalers in the fourth round (No. 81) of the 1979 NHL Draft, Neufeld had 127 points (61 goals, 66 assists) in 249 games for the original Jets, part of the 357 points (157 goals, 200 assists) he had in 595 games with the Whalers, Jets and Boston Bruins from 1979-90.
Johnny Oduya, D: The Stockholm native had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 63 games with the Jets in 2011-12 following the Thrashers’ move from Atlanta. He had 190 points (41 goals, 149 assists) in 850 games with the New Jersey Devils, Thrashers, Jets, Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2013 and 2015.
Eldon “Pokey” Reddick, G: Played 117 games (105 starts) for the original Jets from 1986-89. He went 41-51-14 for Winnipeg with 3.73 goals-against average and .872 save percentage. He finished his NHL career 46-15-6 with a 3.71 GAA and .873 save percentage in 132 games (116 starts) for the Jets, Oilers and Florida Panthers from 1986-94 and won the Stanley Cup with Edmonton in 1990.
Bill Riley, F: Became the NHL’s third Black player when he made his debut for the Capitals at the Flyers on Dec. 26, 1974. He became the Jets’ first Black player when they chose him in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft after the merger with the World Hockey Association that brought Winnipeg, the Oilers, Whalers and Quebec Nordiques into the NHL. Riley had five points (three goals, two assists) in 14 games with the Jets in 1979-80, his final NHL season. He had 61 points (31 goals, 30 assists) in 139 games with Washington and Winnipeg.
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