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SLAM! Sports Century in Review INTERACTIVE CONTESTS ALSO ON SLAM!  |
Thursday, December 30, 1999 Shenkarow guided Jets in 1980s, '90sIn the mid-1980s, he was the king of River City's ice castle. As president of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets, Barry Shenkarow was the head of the most popular pro franchise in town. He was also the figurehead for 8 Hockey Ventures, a partnership that some said once kept the beloved Jets from being sold to Hamilton. Shenkarow, who had been a Winnipeg lawyer, was the one who oversaw most of Jets' off-ice activities and bore those responsibilities. It was Shenkarow who hired NHL tough guy John Ferguson as his GM and it was Shenkarow who later fired him, which shocked the hockey world. And it was Shenkarow who hired Mike Smith to replace him. He later fired Smith, too. Ironically, it was Shenkarow who pushed for a new arena in the early '80s and it was Shenkarow who was still pushing for one as it became apparent that Winnipeg would lose the franchise in the late '90s. During Shenkarow's reign, Manitobans were able to enjoy such NHL stars as Dale Hawerchuk, Paul MacLean, Dave Babych, Thomas Steen, Randy Carlyle and Teemu Selanne. But it was also Shenkarow who actually turned a profit when last-minute efforts failed to save the Jets. And little has been seen or heard from him since. But, for almost two decades, Winnipeggers were able to enjoy first-hand the experience -- albeit a losing one -- of an NHL team under Shenkarow's tutelage. 
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