By Grace Romund (Contributor) – Email
Date Posted: September 20, 2011
Print Edition: September 14, 2011
It was a sad day on April 28, 1996 when Winnipeg residents watched their NHL team, the Winnipeg Jets, play what they thought would be their last ever game as a Canadian team. Nearly fifteen years later there remained a small group of ever-faithful Jets fans who believed that one day the Jets would return to their friendly prairie home even though as the years wore on the chances of that happening grew more and more unlikely. And yet, that distant dream became a reality on May 31, 2011 when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that after a fifteen-year absence an NHL hockey team would be returning to Manitoba.
Last Tuesday, the Winnipeg Jets revealed their new jerseys for the 2011-12 NHL season. Most jersey unveilings, as many sports fans would know, entail several of the team’s players walking out on a stage in the new jersey and having their picture taken. The unveiling of the new Jets jerseys was far from orthodox as it took place on the tarmac of Winnipeg’s 17 Wing Canadian Forces base. Instead of the hockey players walking out on a stage in their new jerseys – they walked out of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules jet. Military jets flew overhead and their pictures were taken with uniformed members of the Canadian Forces at their sides.
The unveiling was intended to illustrate the relationship between the Royal Canadian Forces and the NHL team. This was further emphasized by the new jerseys which feature Royal Canadian Air Force colours and, of course, a military jet. Additionally, the franchise has committed to donating significant funds to various military charities.
The Jets return to Winnipeg can be seen as a success not only for Winnipeg but also for professional hockey in Canada. The last NHL team before the Jets to be restored to a Canadian city was the Ottawa Senators in 1992. In the two decades since, the future of NHL expansion in Canada, a country known for its all-consuming love for hockey, has been grim. The citizens of Quebec City still lament the day in 1995 when the Nordiques relocated to Colorado. The Winnipeg Jets relocation to Phoenix was the following year.
Arguably, the loss of those teams to the United States was not a reflection of Canadian fans losing interest in hockey, but rather, a reflection of which large corporations have the most money to spend on hockey teams. That said, a strong case can be made that the return of the Winnipeg Jets to Canada is, in fact, attributed to Canadians’ overwhelming and enduring love for the sport. The Winnipeg Jets official website confirms that their 2011-12 NHL season tickets sold out within seconds and they capped the waitlist for tickets at 8,000. Apparently, hockey in Canada makes financial sense.
This change within the NHL has forced changes within the AHL as well. Winnipeg, previously home to the AHL team the Manitoba Moose, the Vancouver Canucks farm team – hence ticket sales soar every game the Moose play our hometown Abbotsford Heat. The former Manitoba Moose are now the St. John’s IceCaps and will be the farm team to the Winnipeg Jets. The Canucks now have the AHL Chicago Wolves as their farm team for the 2011-12 NHL season.
The NHL will make its long awaited return to Winnipeg when the Jets play their season opener October 9 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg against the Montreal Canadiens.
