Day 11 - The Chinatown Jets
General Manager: David Le
Established: 2003-04
Years Active: 8 (2003-04 to 2010-11)
Lifetime Record: 424-425-96 (.499) 944pts
3rd overall in points, 8th overall in winning pct.
Best Finish: 3rd 2-times (2005-06 and 2006-07)
Worst Finish: 9th (2003-04)
Cups: 0
2009-2010 Results: 4th - 72-69-13 (.510) 157pts
League Records: None
Alternate Logos:
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David Le is an Original 7 founding member of the RHL. Mr. Le is of Vietnamese decent and wanted to have a team name that reflected his culture. There were a few names tossed around by the leagues commisioners such as, "Vietnam Jets", "Hanoi Jets", and the "Ho-Chi-Min Jets" However, GM Le settled on the Chinatown Jets. (Vietnam was under Chinese rule for thousands of years until the people of Vietnam regained independance and broke away from China in AD 938 after their victory at the battle of Bach Dang River.) Mark your calenders for RHL week 10 when the battle of Bach Dang is re-visited as GM Le's Jets will try to defeat the Mississauga Tigers, as his ancestors did against the Chinese over a thousand years ago.
The Jets had a tough start in this league and were not expected to do well as the GM's knowledge of hockey was doubted and criticized. The Jets finished the inaugural season in second last with just 128 points. Le would never let anyone doubt his knowledge of hockey again as he would storm back, proving to be the most dedicated GM in the league and one of the most successful RHL franchises in history.
2005-06 was the first of two big years for the Jets as they battled to 5th place finish in the regular season with 152 points. They handled the Mighty Perogies with ease 4-2 and were then eliminated by the Reptech Red Wings in a close 4-3 semi final. The Chinatown Jets would claim a very respectable 3rd place, a huge improvement from their previous campaign.
2006-07 saw an even stronger Jets team finish first overall in the regular with 188 points. Le would enjoy the first round bye before being upset by the 5th seeded Gougers 4-2 in the semis.
The Jets were in the playoffs again in 2007-08 seeded 5th with 158 points but were no match for the Lindsay Wazooz, who would be credited for bringing an end the the "Le Dynasty" as the Jets were eliminated 6-1. Le's Jets would finish 6th and would miss the playoffs the following year for the first time in 3 years.
The Chinatown Jets were back in 2009-10 as they were back into the playoffs grabbing the last seed by a very safe 7 point lead over the Gougers. They defeated the Mustache in round one 5-2 and were then defeated by the Burlington Firecats 4-1 in the semi finals. Could this be the beginning of another Dynasty? The Jets have only missed the playoffs twice and have had average playoff success, but i'm sure GM Le would tell you he would trade it all in if he could just have his name on the Cup.
GM David Le is a statistics guy and probably puts the most work into researching and scouting for the draft, next to Commissioner Filion. He is a very sly and clever GM with his ears always listening to the office chatter, his strategy is also knowing the other GM's strategies. Be careful when he talks hockey with you because you might be giving up more than you know. Excluding the 2003-04 season, Le has always drafted well and don't expect that to change this year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him jump deep early and pick someone like Nathan Horton in a higher round than he is ranked. The Jets are going to continue to build on their success and they should be in the playoffs again this year, but they are hard to predict.... I place them in the 3-5 slot.
INTERESTING FACTS: The Chinatown Jets have never been in a RHL final despite been to the playoffs 4 times and the semi-finals 3 times. Never has a team been so close to the finals so many times and never had a shot to challenge for the Cup. The Jets have a playoff record of 16-22 (.421) and are tied for third with the Brewers for most playoff games played.
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