Winnipeg Jets Fans Put On A Petty Clinic With This "Where Is Rutger" Chant After Former Draft Pick Gets Sent To AHL By Pittsburgh
With the 14th pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Winnipeg Jets selected Rutger McGroarty. Forward from the United States National Team Development Program.
Now I don't know what's going on over at the National Program right now, but someone is in these kids' ears telling them that they can act like entitled little shit heads before they even step foot into an NHL locker room. Someone is telling them that they can go full Eric Lindros without any of the Lindros talent to back it up. Everybody remembers when Cutter Gauthier demanded a trade out of Philadelphia after the Flyers didn't call him up once his freshman year at Boston College wrapped up. He refused to sign with the Flyers, was eventually traded to Anaheim, and is now getting benched by the Ducks on a nightly basis.
Rutger McGroarty pulled the same move in Winnipeg. He received the highest honor that any hockey fan could dream of by getting drafted in the 1st round. And instead of being grateful to Winnipeg for giving him the opportunity, he decided to slap them in the face and refused to sign with the Jets. So they traded him to Pittsburgh over the summer in a prospect swap. Let's see how things are working out in Pittsburgh so far for McGroarty...
Not great!
Now here's the thing--a 20-year-old kid getting sent down from the NHL isn't anything out of the ordinary. The NHL is the greatest hockey league on the planet. It's nearly impossible to break into, especially when you're still young and developing. But if you're going to flex your muscle and force your way out of a city before even stepping into the NHL, you're going to put a target on your back. One that you better damn well be able to backup, especially when you make your return to the city that you slapped in the face. But after just 3 games in the NHL, Rutger McGroarty was already sent down to the AHL and couldn't make the trip with the Penguins to Winnipeg.
So Jets fans just had to get a little creative with how they chirped the kid who wasn't there. Credit to Canadian hockey fans. They're probably the closest thing we have to European soccer fans in North America.
Sidenote: Winnipeg is 5-0 to start the season. One of only 4 undefeated teams left in the year. I can understand not wanting to live the next 10 years of your life dealing with winters in Winnipeg, but sure seems like the Jets have a better thing going right now than Pittsburgh does.