Why I'm rooting for Winnipeg-So I saw several of you on Saturday ask why I picked the Jets as my bandwagon team as opposed to anyone else. The GDT is now closed so I'll answer it here in points rather than an essay. Feel free to debate, question, comment:
1. I love their core of Laine, Ehlers, Connor, Hellybucyk and of course Big Buff. I know Chevyldayoff is a cheap skate but that doesn't make me despise the guy or hate the team over his philosophy.
2. Paul Maurice is a swell fellow
3. I love the passion of their fans and don't find them obnoxious at all: they had a Statler and Waldorf in the crowd for years which to me is comedic gold, they keep the building lively, and it was the ultimate middle finger/message to Bettman in 2011 when they were "temporarily" given the Thrashers as a caretaker city and I remember Bettman saying we'll see how this goes, nothing is definitive and they sell the building out for five years.
4. I don't get the whole "Keep The Cup Out Of Canada" angle. I can go on a rant about the Regional Draft and all of Montreal's Cups prior to the 70s, but that has nothing to do with the Peg, Vancouver, etc.
5. That team should have never left the city in the first place. They've done so well in Arizona.
6. And this has to go with point 5, I think part of the reason they left was lack of playoff success once becoming an NHL franchise. The 1982-1993 playoff format killed, absolutely killed certain franchises. For the Jets, it was go against Gretzky's Oilers, or Loobs Flames every year and we all know back in those days, it took teams 4-5 years to rebuild instead of 2-3. I always felt bad that they never had a run to the WCF or Stanley Cup Finals.
