Jets' Patrik Laine praises Winnipeg in Players Tribune article ... maybe?

Patrick Laine wants everyone to know just how great the City of Winnipeg is, we think…

The Jets sophomore sniper professed his love for his Manitoba home in an article published Tuesday by The Players’ Tribune titled “Winnipeg Is Good.” Asked if he wrote the TPT piece himself (basically none of the stories in the Players’ Tribune are written solely by the subject), Laine had a curious response.

Laine went on to tell Scott Billeck of NHL.com that the only writing he does is when he’s “signing autographs.”

Some of the more notable excerpts from the article:

“Other than destroying Nik Ehlers in Call of Duty, I think the best thing to happen to me last year was falling in love with Winnipeg.”

“I mean, I heard some guys talking bad about the city and that Winnipeg was not a good place. What do they know? I love Winnipeg. This is my home. These are my people now. I play for them. It’s a great, great city. Everyone who lives here really cares about one another, that’s what stands out to me. We are one group, all of us. Everybody is your neighbour.”

In response to a viral video that surfaced last month of three Sharks players — Justin Braun, Tim Heed and Thomas Hertl — playfully ripping Winnipeg when asked their opinion on the worst NHL city to play in, Laine apparently credited the atmosphere in the arena created by fans in the city for making it a dreaded place to play for opponents.

“So why are people hating on Winnipeg? I think maybe I know why they don’t like coming here. Maybe guys are too cold? Maybe this is a hard place to play because of our fans? I’ve only been to each NHL building a few times, but I know for sure — our rink is the loudest. … Our fans give us so much confidence.”

Whether Laine said these exact words to the Players Tribune, was paraphrased, or this was straight up fabricated out of thin air, doesn’t change the fact that the loves everything about Winnipeg, and that’s the message he wants to get across.