Steen gave Jets fans all he could in 14 NHL seasons. Now, as a local politician, he is giving again to citizens of the city he loves.

Swedish center Thomas Steen spent his entire NHL career under the watchful eye of Queen Elizabeth, whose massive portrait hung from the north end of the Winnipeg Arena. Eighteen years after he left the Jets, Steen, the original team’s all-time leader in games played, is still a big name in the ‘Peg.’ Now 52, Steen serves as a city councillor for the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward, making the leap from legend to civil servant.

“I worked hard to stay here and not get traded,” Steen says. “The Jets knew I loved it in Winnipeg, my family loves it, so I stayed.”

The idea of getting into politics came when Steen was working closely with government officials through various charities and some in the federal government suggested he run in the 2008 federal election. He lost in that election, as a Conservative candidate, but ran again in the 2010 municipal election and won.

“It had never even crossed my mind before, but it was so crazy,” Steen says. “I thought if they think I’m good for it, they’re not dumb people. I trust their opinion.”

Though he works in the same building as mayor Sam Katz, Steen has no aspirations of running for the city’s top job. But he’s happy in the world of politics, because it keeps him right where he wants to be.

“I enjoy being home at night in Winnipeg,” he says. “That’s a big plus for me.”

Steen played 14 seasons in the NHL, amassing 817 points – second all-time behind Dale Hawerchuk in Jets/Coyotes franchise history – in 950 games. He retired from the NHL a season prior to the final home game at the Winnipeg Arena, in 1996. By then his No. 25 had been retired.

“The first shock was when they announced the team was going to move – you never thought it was going to happen until they announced it,” he says. “Then we had a whole year to watch the team when you knew they were moving.”

Steen was asked to come out of retirement for that final season, but declined. He played four seasons in Germany and later scouted for Phoenix, where his No. 25 now hangs from the rafters of the Jobing.com Arena, along with No. 9 of the ‘Golden Jet’ Bobby Hull, the only other player to receive the franchise’s highest honor.

Steen’s 29-year-old son Alexander, a left winger with the St. Louis Blues, now carries the family name in the league, mirroring the play of his father: a forward who excels in the defensive end with the ability to contribute offensively.

While the elder Steen was busy fixing city streets and building community centers for his constituents, the NHL returned to Winnipeg in 2011, when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to town. Steen was ecstatic to have his beloved Jets return.

“I was even happier when they named them the Winnipeg Jets,” he says. “That was huge for us.”

When Steen was first voted in as a councillor, he went “door-knocking,” making a list of things his constituents wanted done in the ward. After two and a half years on the job, he said he’s done everything on the list.

“These are very exciting times to be in Winnipeg,” he says. “We got the Jets back; we’ve got a human rights museum coming up; a new football stadium; and a new big shopping center where the old stadium was. We’ve done so much to the infrastructure and in this budget we’re doubling up on fixing streets in Winnipeg.

“I’ve heard complaints for the 32 years I’ve lived here, so now we are actually doing something about it.”