Right around this time last season, fans of the Winnipeg Jets were ready to erect statues of head coach Paul Maurice and general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff in front of MTS Centre.
Morale was high among the fan base – and rightfully so, as the Jets qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the franchise returned to the NHL in 2011.
There's no doubt that Maurice and Cheveldayoff each played a significant role in snapping a seven-year playoff drought for the organization.
Maurice, in his first full season as Jets bench boss, established an identity with this group of playing fast and being tough to play against and got his team to buy in to committing to tighten things up defensively.