{"url":"https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/03/31/thats-colonel-connor-to-you","title":"Jets' Kyle Connor goes full KFC Colonel","domain":"winnipegfreepress.com","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/36366149/pexels-photo-36366149.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"Kyle Connor KFC","category":"Sports","language":"en","slug":"3fdf091f","id":"3fdf091f-9ca0-4d45-bad9-ec4aca61788a","description":"Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor shot a fun KFC commercial playing on his \"Kyle Freakin’ Connor\" nickname.","summary":"## TL;DR\n- Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor shot a fun KFC commercial playing on his \"Kyle Freakin’ Connor\" nickname.\n- He wore a white suit, arrived in a sports car, and featured in a new \"Kyle F#*@in’ Connor meal\" with chicken sandwich, wings, fries, and drink.\n- The lighthearted promo builds on last year's playoff bucket hat campaign and highlights Connor's rising off-ice appeal.\n\n## The story at a glance\nWinnipeg Jets left-winger **Kyle Connor** recently filmed a KFC ad in Chicago, fully embracing his \"Kyle Freakin’ Connor\" nickname with a Colonel Sanders look-alike and rink scenes. Teammate **Jonathan Toews** praised it during pre-game talks before facing the Blackhawks. It's reported now amid the late-season playoff push, following a 2025 KFC playoff tie-in with bucket hats for Jets-Blues games.\n\n## Key points\n- Connor arrived at the rink in a white sports car, dressed in a white suit and bow tie, then switched to his No. 81 jersey with \"KFC\" on the nameplate.\n- A Colonel Sanders impersonator called his suit \"finger lickin’ good\" while rink staff ate fried chicken; Connor had minimal lines in the simple 30-second spot.\n- Ties to 2025 playoffs when KFC ran a bucket hat promo during Jets' series against St. Louis Blues.\n- New \"Kyle F#*@in’ Connor meal\" includes a chicken sandwich, two wings, fries, and a drink in a custom box.\n- Full production crew involved, but Connor called it an easy, lighthearted experience and not a pivot to acting like Peyton Manning or Charles Barkley.\n- Toews joked some of Connor's lines got cut but said he's \"very deserving\" of such fun off-ice recognition.\n\n## Details and context\nThe piece comes from pre-game availability in Chicago on March 31, 2026, by Jets beat writer Ken Wiebe. Connor hinted he might wear the suit and bow tie to a game, adding to the playful vibe.\n\nIt notes Toews' separate team outing, throwing a ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field, and his tribute to late former Jet/Blackhawk Troy Murray.\n\nNo broader business details on the KFC deal, but it positions Connor as a star comfortable with fan-favourite nicknames without chasing endorsement overload.\n\n## Key quotes\n- Connor: “I don’t think I’m getting any (lead) roles anytime soon... But it’s fun to be able to do something like that.”[[1]](https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/03/31/thats-colonel-connor-to-you)[[2]](https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets)\n- Toews: “Pretty good. Apparently, he had a couple of lines and those got cut... Obviously, he’s very deserving.”[[1]](https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/03/31/thats-colonel-connor-to-you)\n\n## Why it matters\nThis fun endorsement cements Connor's status as a Jets fan icon, blending his on-ice prowess with off-ice personality in Winnipeg's hockey-mad market. Fans get a branded meal tie-in, while it boosts KFC's local visibility through NHL playoffs nostalgia. Watch if Connor suits up for a game or if the promo extends into postseason pushes.","hashtags":["#nhl","#jets","#kfc","#winnipeg","#connor","#hockey"],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/03/31/thats-colonel-connor-to-you","title":"Original article"},{"url":"https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets","title":""}],"viewCount":2,"publishedAt":"2026-04-06T19:23:08.390Z"}