The Winnipeg Jets (4-0-0) are the sole undefeated team left in the NHL, and they’ll look to continue their impressive run in an afternoon clash (2 p.m. Central Time) with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 20. At Canada Life Centre, the Jets’ focus will be on coming out victorious, but also remembering a special player of theirs.
Bryan Little, who played every game of his career with the Atlanta Thrashers until the franchise’s relocation to Winnipeg in 2011, is one of the key faces in Jets lore. Versus the Penguins, he’s set to officially retire from the NHL, and do so with the team he helped shape the future of.
Related: Bryan Little to Sign One-Day Contract to Retire as a Winnipeg Jet
Little will be attending the game to be honoured by the Jets. He played 843 contests with the Thrashers and Jets from 2007-08 through 2019-20, accumulating 217 goals and 304 assists for 521 points. That is the fourth-most points in team history, but he could be passed by both Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers as soon as this season—they’re 33 and 60 points shy respectively from breaking his total.
THE CHECK IN – Celebrating Bryan Little https://t.co/z5NifDNg83
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) October 20, 2024
The now-retired centre will have a ceremony prior to the game for his years of dedication to the Jets. They never really got a chance to say a proper goodbye, as he was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes at the 2022 trade deadline as a result of a long-term injury that forced him to retire. Since he was unable to play for the Coyotes, Little’s last contest was with Winnipeg on Nov. 5, 2019.
