In the words of the irreverent Jonah Hill: People don't forget.
The Winnipeg Jets are in San Jose for a road game against the Sharks on Tuesday, a matchup of two playoff teams in the Western Conference. But it's also the first time these two teams have gone head-to-head since they met Jan. 7, and the Sharks ruffled some feathers in Winnipeg. The Jets won the game handily, 4-1, but the Sharks got in hot water when they're affiliate, NBC Sports California, released a video in which a few Sharks players named Winnipeg their least-favorite road city in the NHL.
And while it was all in good fun, the remarks didn't sit well with some folks in Winnipeg, like head coach Paul Maurice, who clapped back at the video (even the Premier of Winnipeg chimed in).
So fast forward three weeks, and the teams are set for the first meeting since Shark Gate — Sharknado 2, if you will. That was the setup for a question asked to Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler after morning skate Tuesday — "What do you think of San Jose as a city?" — and Wheeler knocked the response out of the park.
A member Sharks media asked #NHLJets captain Blake Wheeler what he thinks of the city of San Jose as a city: "I think it’s a great fan base, this building is always full, the weather is typically pretty good and typically pretty good signal on your cell phone." #NHL
— Ted Wyman (@Ted_Wyman) January 23, 2018
Wheeler pretty much parroted much of the criticism of Winnipeg from the original video (which has since been deleted): It's a cold, grey city, and the hotel wifi doesn't work so well.
This isn't the first time Wheeler has made headlines for a quote this season. In December, Wheeler ripped the ice conditions at BB&T Center in Florida, saying, "We'd be better off going out to the parking lot and playing roller hockey."
In September, Wheeler became the first NHL player but latest athlete to take to social media to voice his disagreement after controversial comments made by President Donald Trump about national anthem protests in the NFL.
As much as the Jets-Sharks "West Side Story" beef has been contrived from blowing a harmless, satirical video out of proportion, Wheeler did his best in jest to keep the faux-rivalry alive. The Jets are currently in first place in the Central Division entering play Tuesday, while the Sharks sit three points ahead of the fourth-place Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division, meaning the potential for a first-round playoff matchup is still alive.