I haven't been to a Jets game this year and have gone through the schedule to see if one game stood out above the rest. Yesterday, I turned fifty-five years old and noticed that today's Jets game against the Carolina Hurricanes is the 55th of the season. Then I looked in my closet and pulled out my Mark Scheifele jersey. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I think it was telling me this was the game to go see...
I've been a Jets fan ever since I was a little kid growing up in the shadow of the Winnipeg Arena. I remember my father used to bring home cardstock from his workplace that I would use to make things. I remember making a Jofa helmet, complete with a chin strap, just like the ones Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson wore in the WHA. I had my mini Jets stick and I would fly around the house scoring imaginary goals against the opposing teams...
I remember my father took me to see a game against the Birmingham Bulls one night. It was quite a blowout and afterwards he took me downstairs to see my heroes after the game. When it came time to meet them, I got scared and asked to go home. To this day, I regret not being able to meet Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg, and Ulf Nilsson, that certainly would have been an awesome memory...
I never did go to any of the Avco Cup parades, as I was a good kid and would never “skip” school. One of my friends did, and said it was awesome! That certainly would have been a great experience...
As stated earlier in a previous GDT, my father took me to my first NHL Jets game and I spent my time watching the antics of the Chicken Delight Chicken as my sister's boyfriend, at the time, was dressed in it. My dad was so mad at me as he got the tickets for me to watch the game and not some stupid chicken...
My friends and I used to get free tickets from school to see the Winnipeg Warriors play, since we lived so close, it was always fun to go (even though they were awful). I remember one game, I noticed a lineup forming behind the net with kids getting autographs from someone, so I ventured over there. It turned out to be Dale Hawerchuk and he was kindly signing autographs one by one, and I had my game program signed by him. By the time I got back to my friends to tell them who it was, he had left, so they were out of luck...
My parents loved going to garage sales, and I usually tagged along. One sale stood out as it was at Dale Hawerchuk's house the day he got traded. He wasn't outside when we were looking over his stuff, but when we went to the car, he popped out and I waved to him as we were driving away, but I don't think he saw me...
I remember going to Grant Park High School for a sports card show and two Jets were in attendance to sign autographs, Daniel “The Bandit” Berthiume and Tom Draper. I waited in line and when I asked for Berthiume's autograph, we was too busy playing “kissy kissy” with his girlfriend and pointed to a pile of pictures he had already signed. Real nice guy, eh? Anyway, Tom Draper was super nice and answered all of the questions that I asked and signed one of the cards that I had...
I also went to a signing at the old Marshall-Wells warehouse at the corner of Ellice and Empress. I remember waiting in line to get some of the Jets autographs, when it was my turn to get Phil Housley's autograph, as he had just been traded to Winnipeg. I gave him my card and he said he didn't sign Buffalo Sabres cards. I told him that he did not have any Winnipeg Jets cards yet, but Housley wouldn't sign my card. Finally, one of the other Jets told him, “Just sign the card for the kid already, Phil”. He bowed his head like he was defeated and reluctantly signed my card. I can't remember who it was (I am thinking Randy Carlyle) but I never cared for Phil Housley after that...
As an adult, I went to quite a few Jets 1.0 games, usually getting the University half price tickets after 4:00pm. I remember one game I stayed after to get some autographs and John Paddock tried to sign my cards with the pen I had. “You need to buy a sharpie, kid,” he said, “this pen is no good.” He was right, though, the pen was no good and all I have to show for it is and indentation on the card where he tried to sign...
I went to the final goodbye for the Jets at the arena. It was a very sad occasion, and I cried. I stopped watching NHL hockey after that and just wasn't interested in it at all. It was like a piece of me was missing and i just couldn't replace it with anything...
When it was announced that Mark Chipman had purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and was moving the team to Winnipeg. it was probably one of the most exhilarating days of my life. I could not believe that we were getting a team back! After work I headed to The Forks, but by then, the crowd had dissipated so I missed out on all the excitement...
I got my ticket to the draft party that year, and it was nice to see so many people in Jets jerseys show up. We still didn't know what the team was going to be called, but that didn't stop us from wishing. I remember when it was our turn to pick, everyone was chanting “Couturier” and then they announced the team name and everyone cheered, and then they announced we had selected Mark Scheifele, and everyone gasped “Who?” No one knew who that kid was and we all thought it was a mistake. Well, it turned out this Scheifele character wasn't half bad after all...
I was able to get a ticket to see the team in the first season, against the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a very good game, the Jets lead 4-0 before the 'Canes got two in the third. All I can remember is how loud it was in the arena, it was quite the experience, from start to finish, the noise was deafening! Subsequent games that I have been to have not had that feel, but then I haven't been to a playoff game, yet...
Let's hope the Jets come out like gangbusters and beat the Hurricanes tonight...
Go Jets Go!
I've been a Jets fan ever since I was a little kid growing up in the shadow of the Winnipeg Arena. I remember my father used to bring home cardstock from his workplace that I would use to make things. I remember making a Jofa helmet, complete with a chin strap, just like the ones Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson wore in the WHA. I had my mini Jets stick and I would fly around the house scoring imaginary goals against the opposing teams...
I remember my father took me to see a game against the Birmingham Bulls one night. It was quite a blowout and afterwards he took me downstairs to see my heroes after the game. When it came time to meet them, I got scared and asked to go home. To this day, I regret not being able to meet Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg, and Ulf Nilsson, that certainly would have been an awesome memory...
I never did go to any of the Avco Cup parades, as I was a good kid and would never “skip” school. One of my friends did, and said it was awesome! That certainly would have been a great experience...
As stated earlier in a previous GDT, my father took me to my first NHL Jets game and I spent my time watching the antics of the Chicken Delight Chicken as my sister's boyfriend, at the time, was dressed in it. My dad was so mad at me as he got the tickets for me to watch the game and not some stupid chicken...
My friends and I used to get free tickets from school to see the Winnipeg Warriors play, since we lived so close, it was always fun to go (even though they were awful). I remember one game, I noticed a lineup forming behind the net with kids getting autographs from someone, so I ventured over there. It turned out to be Dale Hawerchuk and he was kindly signing autographs one by one, and I had my game program signed by him. By the time I got back to my friends to tell them who it was, he had left, so they were out of luck...
My parents loved going to garage sales, and I usually tagged along. One sale stood out as it was at Dale Hawerchuk's house the day he got traded. He wasn't outside when we were looking over his stuff, but when we went to the car, he popped out and I waved to him as we were driving away, but I don't think he saw me...
I remember going to Grant Park High School for a sports card show and two Jets were in attendance to sign autographs, Daniel “The Bandit” Berthiume and Tom Draper. I waited in line and when I asked for Berthiume's autograph, we was too busy playing “kissy kissy” with his girlfriend and pointed to a pile of pictures he had already signed. Real nice guy, eh? Anyway, Tom Draper was super nice and answered all of the questions that I asked and signed one of the cards that I had...
I also went to a signing at the old Marshall-Wells warehouse at the corner of Ellice and Empress. I remember waiting in line to get some of the Jets autographs, when it was my turn to get Phil Housley's autograph, as he had just been traded to Winnipeg. I gave him my card and he said he didn't sign Buffalo Sabres cards. I told him that he did not have any Winnipeg Jets cards yet, but Housley wouldn't sign my card. Finally, one of the other Jets told him, “Just sign the card for the kid already, Phil”. He bowed his head like he was defeated and reluctantly signed my card. I can't remember who it was (I am thinking Randy Carlyle) but I never cared for Phil Housley after that...
As an adult, I went to quite a few Jets 1.0 games, usually getting the University half price tickets after 4:00pm. I remember one game I stayed after to get some autographs and John Paddock tried to sign my cards with the pen I had. “You need to buy a sharpie, kid,” he said, “this pen is no good.” He was right, though, the pen was no good and all I have to show for it is and indentation on the card where he tried to sign...
I went to the final goodbye for the Jets at the arena. It was a very sad occasion, and I cried. I stopped watching NHL hockey after that and just wasn't interested in it at all. It was like a piece of me was missing and i just couldn't replace it with anything...
When it was announced that Mark Chipman had purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and was moving the team to Winnipeg. it was probably one of the most exhilarating days of my life. I could not believe that we were getting a team back! After work I headed to The Forks, but by then, the crowd had dissipated so I missed out on all the excitement...
I got my ticket to the draft party that year, and it was nice to see so many people in Jets jerseys show up. We still didn't know what the team was going to be called, but that didn't stop us from wishing. I remember when it was our turn to pick, everyone was chanting “Couturier” and then they announced the team name and everyone cheered, and then they announced we had selected Mark Scheifele, and everyone gasped “Who?” No one knew who that kid was and we all thought it was a mistake. Well, it turned out this Scheifele character wasn't half bad after all...
I was able to get a ticket to see the team in the first season, against the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a very good game, the Jets lead 4-0 before the 'Canes got two in the third. All I can remember is how loud it was in the arena, it was quite the experience, from start to finish, the noise was deafening! Subsequent games that I have been to have not had that feel, but then I haven't been to a playoff game, yet...
Let's hope the Jets come out like gangbusters and beat the Hurricanes tonight...
Go Jets Go!
GO!
