Wheeler relishes role as Jets captain, leads return to playoffs

WINNIPEG -- When Blake Wheeler became captain of the Winnipeg Jets last season, he put his stamp on the team.
His style is best described as a blend of serious, like Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, and the type who wears his heart on his sleeve, such as Phil Esposito, who was captain of the New York Rangers from 1975-78.
Wheeler, who replaced Andrew Ladd as Jets captain in 2016 after Ladd was traded to the Blackhawks, led them this season with 91 points (23 goals, 68 assists) in 81 games, an NHL career high. He was a point-per-game player for the first time in 10 NHL seasons and tied Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers for the most assists in the League.

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When the dressing room doors open for interviews, usually five minutes after a game or practice, Wheeler is there and often not all the way down from the high emotion of competition.
At the start of this season, he said that was one area of the captain's job where he'd like to improve, and it was rare when he wasn't direct and focused.
"I wouldn't go so far as saying it's something I look forward to every day, but it's nothing that would ruin my day," the 31-year-old said with a grin.
Like most captains, Wheeler fields every variety of question and has never been afraid to disagree with a reporter's premise.
"For the most part, I think I have a good relationship with most of the people within the media here," Wheeler said. "It's good to have a relationship so that some days maybe they can cut me a little slack when they see the red in my eyes, and I'll try to cut them a little slack, too, if the line of questioning isn't where I'd like it to be.
"It's a give and take, and I'm sure there are days people leave here and say, 'What the [heck] is wrong with that guy?'"
Wheeler believes he is filling the role of captain the same way he plays forward, with intensity and honesty.
"I think some of those things are inherent," he said. "You're born with certain qualities. The honesty … it's black or white. There's no gray areas. As far as I'm concerned, I get a pass or fail; no A's, B's or C's. It's either there or not.
"I try to have that with the guys too. It's a two-way street. If I'm going to try to bring that every night, then I hope the guys try to follow that lead. And if I don't have it, I expect the guys to let me know. I think it's a really healthy thing."

Jets coach Paul Maurice said Wheeler's leadership has been exemplary. Whenever the subject is put to him, the endorsement is so strong you get the impression he'd like to talk for an hour.
"I think we understand each other," Maurice said. "I've always had a respect for greatness. I look at

's shot and I know that's just different than anything I've seen. I see Dustin Byfuglien at his size (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) do things, and I know that's just greatness. Blake Wheeler has a greatness that's awesome to watch. His ability to drive himself every single day at a really high level, almost in a lather, and still control it … he has been a textbook case of captaincy.
"The way he's been direct with a player when he's needed to be direct, and at the same time you've seen him put an arm around a guy who needed an arm around him, the word I would use is 'grace.' In a really alpha male, hard-driving, hard-playing, hyper-competitive guy who can still figure out in the heat of the moment when to bark and not to bark, I just have a great appreciation for him. There's not a lot of pure greatness like Blake, really brilliant people at different things, and I've been in awe of what he's done as a captain."
Late in the season, Wheeler suggested the Jets had been through a lot more angst during their maturation process than people suspected. He said in the case of veteran players such as himself, careers are finite and opportunities are not unlimited.
"To have years pass by seeing players and teams competing for something that you want is really tough," he said. "Obviously, there's been a plan in place here that's gotten us where we are today. We wouldn't be here without that philosophy and the work that's been done here. For some of the veteran guys, it can be tough to be patient. I think what got us through the last couple of years was seeing some of our young guys and just how talented they are and realizing that at the end of the day, it's going to be worthwhile.
"It doesn't make it easy when you're going through it, but I think we had enough faith in what was going on that we thought we'd get over the hump sooner or later."

He said last season convinced him that the youth movement the Jets invested in was the right play, even though it brought another difficult finish that saw them miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons since they relocated from Atlanta in 2011.
The Jets will play the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round at Bell MTS Place on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; CNBC, SN, TVAS2, FS-N).
"There were flashes from different guys," Wheeler said, mentioning forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Laine, Kyle Connor and defenseman Josh Morrissey by name. "I would say last year was when a lot of those guys showed brighter flashes than maybe you expected and then you thought, 'OK, maybe this might come together quicker than we may have thought.'
"In my head, I kind of had next year pegged as maybe the year. Coming into this year I was very hopeful, but you never know. With young players, everyone's different. Some guys have great rookie years and take a step back their second year. You just don't know what you're going to get. So, when we got about 10 games into it this year, I know we had a pretty special group."
Wheeler tries to wear that heart on his sleeve a little more calmly as captain, but it is fully unlocked at home. That balance in his life, he said, has been instrumental in his focus.
"My wife (Sam) has challenged me a lot to be … it's been quite a journey the last few years," he said. "We have three kids under 5, so my life is much more than what the score of the game was last night. I think you learn a lot about yourself and the relationships you have and that can be brought into the locker room.
"Your patience as a dad and a husband, you learn you're not always right, that there are different approaches. My three kids are all different ... there are different ways to put out some of the fires. This is something I love to do, but being at home with them and seeing them grow up, that's what it's all about."