by Shannon Penfound, Staff Writer and Event Coordinator, All Habs Hockey Magazine
“Living in Manitoba as a Habs fan, and for the majority of my life without Winnipeg having an NHL team, I have only been able to imagine what an NHL playoff city ‘feels’ like.” – Andrew, @giesbrechta
WINNIPEG, MB. — Hockey fans, we aren’t so different, you and I. We all spend hundreds of dollars on tickets and the jerseys of our favourite players, we boo the refs and the opposition, and we feel the same sense of defeat when our team fails to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I admit that I have been relatively spoiled as a Habs fan, and I have watched this team make it to the post-season 10 times in the 14 years that I have cheered them on. What Winnipeg Jets fans taught me this season, however, is to never take my team, or its history, for granted.
“The overall consensus from experts, insiders, and bloggers (myself included) was that this team was destined for the basement of the Central. Boy, were we all wrong.” – Travis, Arctic Ice Hockey SB Nation, @thrubeniuk
I moved to Winnipeg a few months into the 2013-2014 season. I have faced my share of rival fans, having lived on the Detroit-Windsor border and in the city of Toronto in my earlier days. While Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs fans are (typically) a good bunch of people, I have to tip my hat to the fans here in Winnipeg. For one, they don’t shy away from a solid chirp when I am in my Habs gear, but more importantly, they may just love their team as much as we all love the Canadiens.
“Being in attendance at the MTS Centre was one of the most enjoyable experiences in my life. Jets fans are some of the most passionate fans in the league.” – Steve, @ACLSteve
Devout Habs fans are known for being a very passionate bunch and they stand behind their team through thick and thin. I feel that after two seasons in Winnipeg, and having witnessed the Jets’ first playoff run since their return in 2011, that Winnipeg Jets fans have plenty to be excited about. First and foremost, much like the Montreal Canadiens, the Jets have some amazing talent coming up in the ranks, including three youngsters who played on Canada’s IIHF World Junior team this past December: Josh Morrissey (D), Nic Petan (C), and Eric Comrie (G). I also had the pleasure of seeing another top prospect, Nik Ehlers (LW), drafted in Philadelphia last year. The prospect pool for this club is reason enough to believe that they will be a force to reckon with for years to come, but they also made some excellent moves this season. As a fellow ‘Hab fan in Winnipeg’ pointed out, the trades made this season really “strengthened the team,” and added much-needed scoring depth that the Jets seemed to struggle with in the past – Dale, @sid4747.
Today, as I was roaming the city following the Jets’ series loss to the Anaheim Ducks, I noticed that the majority of fans were simply proud of what their team accomplished this season and were still basking in the post-season excitement. I even noticed a few Jets jerseys walking along Portage Avenue – white ones, of course.
“Winnipeg fully embraced the short playoff run. Hearing the roar of the crowd with every Jets goal, or ‘True North’ chant during the anthem in Anaheim, you could tell that Jets fans had been waiting a long time for the playoffs to come back to our city. “ – Andrew, @giesbrechta
I feel as though, on many levels, we all relate to one another when it comes to the passion we have for this sport and our respective teams. That passion erupts during playoff season, when tensions are high and it’s ‘do or die’ each night when those skates hit the ice. We sometimes forget just how lucky we are to have a team like the Montreal Canadiens to cheer for, with their 105 year history and outstanding organization. But spending today chatting with a few of the locals really helped put things into perspective. While the Jets may not have my heart like the Canadiens do, I can’t help but find myself feeling a little more excitement and pride for the bleu-blanc-rouge because of them.
“While the history books will show that the Jets were swept in the first round, the response of the fan base and the return of the Whiteout will go down as one of the NHL’s greatest comeback stories.” – Travis, Arctic Ice Hockey SB Nation, @thrubeniuk
So the next time you find yourself watching your beloved Montreal Canadiens, remember what it took to get to where they are, and don’t take a second of it for granted.
