Winnipeg Jets to induct Selanne, Numminen into team’s Hall of Fame

The Winnipeg Jets will induct Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen as the ninth and 10th members of the team’s Hall of Fame.

Selanne and Numminen, who played for the original Jets franchise, will have their banners raised to the rafters of Canada Life Centre in a pre-game ceremony on Nov. 17 before a matchup against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Finnish stars join Bobby Hull, Ulf Nilsson, Anders Hedberg, Dale Hawerchuk, Ab McDonald, Lars-Erik Sjoberg, Randy Carlyle and Thomas Steen as members of the Jets Hall of Fame which was established in 2016.

“Winnipeg gave me my start in the NHL and holds a special place in my heart,” said Selanne in a statement. “I have a lot of great on-ice memories from my time playing in the city, but equally as many off-ice memories in a community that has made me feel like one of their own since day one. I feel beyond privileged to be recognized by the Jets in this way, and to do it alongside my good friend Teppo is a true honour.”

Selanne played four seasons with Jets where he set the rookie record with 76 goals and 132 points in his first NHL season after getting selected 10th overall by Winnipeg in the 1988 NHL Draft. The 52-year-old had 147 goals and 306 points in 231 career games with the Jets before getting traded to the Anaheim Ducks where he won a Stanley Cup in 2007.

Selanne was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 after playing 1,451 games with the Jets, Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, and San Jose Sharks finishing with 684 goals and 1,457 points.

Numminen played 15 seasons for the franchise, including eight in Winnipeg and seven more after the team was relocated to Phoenix in 1996. The 54-year-old recorded 108 goals and 426 assists in 1,098 career games with the franchise and was named to the NHL All-Star Game three times.

“To be inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame alone means a great deal, but to be inducted with Teemu is beyond words for me,” said Numminen.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better city to play the first eight years of my NHL career in, and to be recognized in front of the same passionate community that made playing hockey a treat every single night will be an unforgettable moment for my family and I.”