Pierre-Luc Dubois booed by Jets fans, scores goal in return to Winnipeg

Winnipeg Jets fans welcomed Pierre-Luc Dubois back to Canada Life Center on Tuesday night with a reception as cold as its frigid winter weather. Then he got the last laugh.

Acquired in the Patrik Laine blockbuster at the start of the 2020-21 season, Dubois was public enemy number one in Winnipeg – with boos raining down from the Jets faithful, starting from the 25-year-old's first shift of the game.

Dubois’ three-year stint as a Jet was overshadowed by a constant barrage of rumors surrounding his future — which he was set on spending anywhere but in Winnipeg.

Despite the reception, it was Dubois himself who got the last laugh, as he cashed in midway through the second period to open the scoring and notch his first point in a Kings uniform.

Dubois informed the Jets after the 2021-22 season — his second year with the team — that he was going to test the free-agent market when his contract expired. Then, after the 2022-23 season, Dubois requested a trade out of Winnipeg after recording a career-high 63 points. Dubois’ camp and the Jets facilitated a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Kings that saw Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and a second-round pick head Winnipeg’s way.

“I talked to him an awful lot, spent a lot of time with him,” Jets coach Rick Bowness told reporters Monday. “I was trying to convince him to stay, but that wasn’t going to happen no matter what. I have no problem with Dubie at all. We had a very good rapport.”

Dubois arrived in Winnipeg after requesting a trade out of Columbus. He didn’t leave on the best terms with Columbus fans, either, with an infamous last shift that saw then-Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella bench Dubois for the remainder of the game after a lackadaisical first shift.

"I knew when I asked for my trade from Columbus, I'd get criticized," Dubois said in a recent interview. "I knew when this situation happened in Winnipeg, I'd get criticized. I had to look at it like, 'Do I not want to get criticized but not do what I want to do … or do I want to get criticized but be happy with my life?'"

Dubois was well prepared for what he had coming from Winnipeg fans.

“You guys will think it’s boos, like, b-o-o,” Dubois, whose nickname is ‘Dubie’ told reporters Tuesday morning. “But I’m going to go with d-u-b. So I’ll turn it into a positive.”

The Kings went on to win the game 5-1 in a laugher, grabbing their first win of the young campaign.