from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

"He very much deserves the same level of acknowledgement as Teemu," Jets owner Mark Chipman told Sportsnet.ca in an interview.

That is a strong statement and Chipman knows it.

While Selanne could basically walk across the Red River in the eyes of locals after scoring 76 goals as a rookie with the Jets, Carlyle carved out his reputation with much less flash and dash. He simply gave everything he had for nearly two decades to both the city and whatever hockey team happened to call it home at the time.

It started during parts of 10 seasons as a defenceman with the original Jets and included a stint as an assistant coach before that team packed up for Phoenix in 1996.

Rather than move on himself, Carlyle stayed behind with Heisinger and helped transform the Manitoba Moose into a model minor-league operation. There were seven winning seasons split between two separate stints with Carlyle at the helm as coach and general manager.

"You have to remember it wasn't fashionable to be part of our organization at that time," said Chipman. "He gave us credibility. I owe him a great deal."

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