The Winnipeg Jets’ historical records have sparked an ongoing debate. The question arises: should we honor the Atlanta Thrashers era as part of the Jets’ organizational history? Or should we only acknowledge the records from the Jets’ previous NHL stints from 1979-96, and 2011 till now?

This conundrum becomes particularly problematic when these two timelines intersect, a scenario that has been happening quite frequently. A case in point was when Mark Scheifele recently scored his career 329th goal.

Scheifele, who has been with the Jets since the team relocated, has now surpassed Ilya Kovalchuk to become the all-time leading goal scorer in the combined history of the Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets franchises. Interestingly, Kovalchuk never played for Winnipeg and is only known to the city’s fans by name.

However, as it stands, the official account of the Jets’ history recognizes the Atlanta Thrashers era, making Scheifele’s record the current standard. The organization is working to reclaim its historical records, which moved to Arizona and are in a holding pattern with that team’s new start in Utah. But until then, the Atlanta Thrashers are included in the Jets’ milestones.

The Winnipeg Jets are lobbying the NHL to regain their old records. Until this happens, the NHL will continue to use the team’s records from their time in Georgia. However, this doesn’t prevent Scheifele from setting his sights on breaking former Jets’ star Dale Hawerchuk’s record of 379 goals. He is eagerly looking forward to achieving this feat, possibly as early as next season.

By then, the old and new Jets records might be officially merged, and Atlanta’s contribution to the franchise’s history will no longer be mentioned. But regardless of this, when Scheifele scores his 380th goal, surpassing Hawerchuk, he will indisputably be the franchise’s leading goal scorer, ending any debate about the matter.