DETROIT – When Tyrell Bauer turned left from the Winnipeg Jets locker room tunnel and into the stands, he received a standing ovation from 25 friends and family members who had made the trip from across North America.
Bauer had just realized a childhood dream, and the significance of the moment was not lost on some of his biggest supporters.
“It was certainly a special ride. Special ride,” Bauer said Saturday afternoon before the Jets embark on a two-game road trip that begins Sunday against the Red Wings in Detroit. “The people who came and a lot of others who weren’t there cheering from afar, they’ve always been there.
Winnipeg Jet Tyrel Bauer (77) and Boston Bruin Mark Kastelic (47) square off in the first round on Friday in Winnipeg.
“I wanted it for my family, maybe even more than I wanted it for myself. They have been through hardships. I’ve stressed my mom out a lot over the years doing my job. It meant a lot to them and I’m really glad they could be there for it.”
Bauer received a flurry of text messages Friday, and he stressed he plans to return them shortly.
“I’m still sifting through them, so if anyone out there is listening, don’t take it personally, I’ll get to you,” Bauer said. “Just the amount of support from people, old coaches, mentors, old friends that I haven’t talked to in a long time. Family. The list goes on.”
Bauer’s debut would go down as an eventful one, and while the Jets lost 4-3 in overtime to the Boston Bruins in front of a packed Canada Life Centre, the gritty defenseman acquitted himself quite well with 13 shifts in just under six minutes of ice time, along with nine penalties.
Bauer got into a heated argument with Mark Kastelic in the first period, landing a couple of big right hands that allowed the Bruins forward to escape.
When the linesmen broke up the fight, Bauer had a few words with Kastelic to accept the invitation before letting out a shout before heading to the penalty box.
“I usually keep that stuff on ice. But everyone remembers their first one,” Bauer said. “I have work to do, he has work to do. I recognize and appreciate that he was willing to give me the first one.
“It just happened. There was no discussion or anything. I was focused on playing. My style of play is heavy, physical. It just happened organically around the corner.”
Bauer was still buzzing when he returned home after the game, still feeling the hangover of fulfilling a childhood dream while also realizing that staying in the NHL might be even more difficult than finally getting there.
“It took a while to hit the mat, that’s for sure,” Bauer said. “I don’t know if it has sunk in yet. We have a plane ride here and I’m sure it’s going to sink in a bit. But man, I was just smiling. I don’t know if I’ve smiled so much in my 24 years. There’s a lot of work to do, but it’s been fun.”
Fun is a good way to describe the Jets’ opener, as they played an up-tempo game that featured plenty of structure and strong special teams.
The power play looked strong and converted one of three chances, while the penalty was one-on-one.
Stuart Skinner gave up a long goal on a shot that was kicked, but he made 26 saves and was a big reason the Jets still got a point.
Otherwise, the Jets gave up a goal late in the third period when the Bruins’ net was empty in favor of an extra attacker with 1:38 to go, then lost the extra point on a three-on-three on an odd-man rush.
“It just happened. There was no discussion or anything. I was focused on playing. My style of play is heavy, physical. It just happened organically around the corner.”
“It was definitely a very winnable game for us. It’s a shame we couldn’t get the job done,” Jets forward Nino Niederreiter said. “We still have 83 to go. It’s a long season. You can’t have anything (decisive) from the first game, but like I said, we got one point out of two possible, so we have to take the good things with us.
“I thought it was a good game, but at the same time, we still have a lot of things to clean up. We know we have to be better, and that’s what we’re here for.”
Forward Gabriel Villardi missed Saturday’s practice as a precaution, but his status is not in question for Sunday’s game against the Red Wings, according to Jets coach Scott Arniel.
Based on the line rushes and D pairings used Saturday, the Jets are expected to play the same lineup in the Motor City, where former captain Dylan Larkin was wildly booed in the home opener by a fan base that also chanted “Sell the team” at various points.
One of the few questions about the two-game road trip, which also includes a tilt against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins, is when Stuart Skinner will return between the pipes and when Klay Stephenson will make his debut.
“He’s going to play one of the next two games. You knew it was coming,” Arniel said. “It’s obvious what I said last night. All these games, about five in eight days, so you get to see (Stevenson) more than once. So yeah, it’s a busy schedule to start the year, so both guys will be going.
Even with the short turnaround and high volume of shots he faced on Friday (74), Skinner is expected to go again on Sunday, with Stephenson starting in the same building where he made his NHL debut (April 17, 2025) on Monday.
With the Jets playing five games in eight days to open the campaign, Arnil will have to try to walk that fine line between ensuring continuity in his lineup while bringing in some fresh legs during this stretch.
“Yeah, I don’t think I want to do an in-and-out, in-and-out (thing). But yeah, we’ve got to get everybody in, so we’re going to work to do that,” Arniel said. “So you should see some different faces over the next eight days. I’d like to see a little bit of continuity, but I also have to look at the fact that guys come out of training camp and you’re running at a pretty high clip and then (if) you sit out for a while, it’s not great.”
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Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter Free presswith an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has been covering hockey and providing analysis in this market since 2000 Winnipeg Sun, The AthleticSportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern Free press in 1999 and returned in 1999 Free press in September or 2023 full time. Read more about Ken.
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