News briefs for Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Jets lose to Penguins 3-0

8:36 PM

The Winnipeg Jets lost 3-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night as both teams returned from an extended player and All-Star brake.

Kris Letang, Jeff Carter and Bryan Rust scored for the home team, while Tristan Jarry stopped all 24 shots he faced for the shutout.

Winnipeg falls to 30-13-5, while Pittsburgh improves to 23-17-7.

The turning point came when Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon was given a five-minute match penalty early in the second period for an illegal hit to the head of Pittsburgh forward Noel Acciari, who was injured and left the game.

The Penguins scored twice on the ensuing extended man advantage. Meanwhile, Winnipeg went 0-for-2 on the power play.

The Jets have now gone four games without a victory (0-3-1), which is their longest drought of the season.

They return to action on Thursday night in Philadelphia against the Flyers.

One person injured in Broadway fire

8:23 PM

Careless use of smoking material was blamed for a fire in a three-storey apartment on Broadway that sent one resident to hospital Tuesday.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said the person was in stable condition following a blaze on the 200 block of Broadway that began at 5:30 p.m.
Damage was contained to the suite where the blaze started.
The city’s emergency social services team was called in to help residents find temporary accommodation.

Bombers sign Schoen to one-year deal

3:10 PM

Just hours after reaching a two-year contract with running back Brady Oliveira, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers crossed off another major to-do item, inking all-star receiver Dalton Schoen to a one-year deal.

Schoen spent the last two seasons with the Bombers, earning rookie of the year honours in 2022 after leading the CFL in yards and touchdowns and was once again the league’s touchdown leader in 2023. He was earning a rookie contract, paying him around $70,000 per season and was set to make significantly more this year.

While the 27-year-old likely could have fetched much more on the open market — reports suggested upwards of $275,000 — he settled with the Bombers on a contract that will pay with around $230,000. Oliveira signed a two-year deal worth $230,000 in 2024 and $240,000 in 2025.

Bus driver charged in Trans-Canada collision

2:43 PM

A 65-year-old school bus driver has been charged by RCMP in connection with a two-vehicle crash in Headingley on Jan. 17.

Police said the Winnipeg man is charged with disobeying a red light, an offence under the provincial Highway Traffic Act.

RCMP had said the southbound bus was approaching the Trans-Canada Highway on Mantary Road, when the driver tried to stop at traffic lights.

The St. James-Assiniboia School Division bus slid into the intersection and was struck by a westbound tractor-trailer.

The bus was taking six students to Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate. Those involved were shaken up, but no one was seriously injured.

Jets put Jonsson-Fjallby on waivers, activate Scheifele from IR

12:35 PM

The Winnipeg Jets have activated Mark Scheifele from the injured reserve list and placed forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby on waivers in order to clear a spot on the roster.

Scheifele leads the team in scoring with 41 points and has missed the last six games. He will return to the lineup tonight in Pittsburgh as the Jets face the Penguins.

Jonsson-Fjallby, 25, has appeared in 26 games with the Jets this year, scoring two goals and adding three assists. He will report to the Manitoba Moose unless another NHL team picks him up by Wednesday afternoon.

Jonsson-Fjallby has five points (three goals, two assists) in 10 games with the Moose this year.

Man accused of attempted knife-point robberies arrested

12:32 PM

Winnipeg police arrested a man accused of two attempted knife-point robberies on Sunday.

City police were called about the first attempted robbery of a delivery driver at a restaurant on the 1600 block of Main Street at about 3:45 p.m. Sunday, after a man armed with a knife confronted the driver inside the store and demanded cash, police said on Tuesday.

Staff at the restaurant yelled at the armed man, who ran off without any money. No one was hurt.

At about 6:30 p.m. the same day, the victim of an attempted carjacking outside the casino on McPhillips Street called for police. The man, in his 40s, said that a suspect unexpectedly opened his driver’s-side door and pointed a knife at him, but he managed to slam the door while the suspect ran.

Patrol officers found a suspect on a Winnipeg Transit bus outside the casino and arrested him.

A 28-year-old Winnipeg man was charged with two counts of robbery, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a weapon and fail to comply with a probation order.

Bombers sign Oliveira to new two-year contract

11:41 AM

Brady Oliveira isn’t going anywhere.

The star running back has agreed to a new two-year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the CFL club announced this morning.

The league’s 2023 rushing leader (1,534 yards) was scheduled to become a free agent on Feb. 13.

Oliveira was named the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian Player for 2023 and was a runner-up for the Most Outstanding Player Award while also being selected as a CFL and West Division All-Star.

He also led the league in touchdowns (13).

Cyclist hospitalized after crash

9:06 AM

An 83-year-old man is in critical condition after he was hit by a car while cycling on Pembina Highway at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The crash happened on Pembina at Daly Street when the cyclist was crossing Pembina. A southbound Chevrolet Colorado hit him, and the driver of the vehicle remained on scene and spoke to police.

The Winnipeg Police Service traffic division is investigating and is asking anyone with dash camera footage of the incident to contact them at 204-986-7085 or contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 204-786-8477 or online at winnipegcrimestoppers.org.