Before the Jets took time away from the rink for the 4 Nations challenge there seemed to be lots of folks making their way to Winnipeg to take in an NHL game in Manitoba during the first half of the 2024-25 season. This is not a new phenomenon but it’s still interesting to find out why folks from outside this province connect to this hockey team and come from near and far to see them live.
Which brings us to this past January with the Jets back in Winnipeg for a season long eight straight games at home in Manitoba. We were scheduled to do a special edition of Illegal Curve Hockey Live from Cityplace at noon before the game between the Jets and Canucks. Following morning skate I made my way over to our spot on the 2nd floor where our host Drew Mindell was waiting with producer Tim to get the show started. When I got there Drew introduced me to Kane O’Connor who he told me was visiting from Australia with his family to see some NHL and AHL games in Winnipeg. And it wasn’t just one of each. He was here to see five Jets games and two Moose games along with his wife Kate and two kids (Grace and Charlie).
They stayed and watched our show for the full hour. As Drew knew it would, my mind immediately got to thinking why would a family of four with no ties to Winnipeg be interested in coming to our fair province in January? So we chatted for a bit and exchanged contact info so I could get some insight into the why and then, more importantly, about how the experience was for them.
Our full Q&A is here.
Which brings us to this past January with the Jets back in Winnipeg for a season long eight straight games at home in Manitoba. We were scheduled to do a special edition of Illegal Curve Hockey Live from Cityplace at noon before the game between the Jets and Canucks. Following morning skate I made my way over to our spot on the 2nd floor where our host Drew Mindell was waiting with producer Tim to get the show started. When I got there Drew introduced me to Kane O’Connor who he told me was visiting from Australia with his family to see some NHL and AHL games in Winnipeg. And it wasn’t just one of each. He was here to see five Jets games and two Moose games along with his wife Kate and two kids (Grace and Charlie).
They stayed and watched our show for the full hour. As Drew knew it would, my mind immediately got to thinking why would a family of four with no ties to Winnipeg be interested in coming to our fair province in January? So we chatted for a bit and exchanged contact info so I could get some insight into the why and then, more importantly, about how the experience was for them.
Our full Q&A is here.
