The Fans still love ya, Jets.

Sunday went down as a great day in history for Winnipeg.

No the Jets didn't win their home opener but the atmosphere was unreal to say the least.

The MTS Centre was packed to the roof. Literally. I would say about 80% of the fans in there were in white, which was a good thing because that means when the Jets request a white-out, fans will know what to do.

The game started off with a ceremonial puck drop; Rick Rypien's mom had the honour.

Along with Rypien's mom in attendance were a few other known names.
Our Prime Minister Stephen Harper was there. He sat behind the Jets bench at ice-level. Pretty good seats if you ask me.

Gary Bettman, NHL's Commissioner was also there, as well as Premier Greg Selinger and Canada's Ambassador to the United States Gary Doer.

Selinger had a personalized Jets jersey with his last name on the back for a custom namebar and sported it with pride throughout the game.

As important as those names are to many people, the most important names in attendance were the last ones that belonged to each and every fan.

The loyal Jets fans that will come to every home game are who will make this team and franchise so successful this year and in the years to come.

You gotta give these people credit. They stay happy when our home team is losing, and they stay strong and loud when our home team is winning.

Tons of excitement filled the air and even though the Jets lost, the majority of the fans still had a happy attitude as they left the building.

HOWEVER;
I saw this poor little boy absolutely heartbroken and crying because the Jets lost. He was literally like 8 years old maybe. Die-Hard fans, gotta start em off young I guess.

It would take pages and pages to explain everything that happened during the day of the home opener, and the night for that matter, so maybe instead of me having to explain it; you should just try and get your hands on some tickets of your own so you can have the experience!

I'm no David Carr, but I hope to be one day.

On Tuesday, October 4 I was a journalist.
Or at least I was pretending to be. For school we were sent out to a candidates office or headquarters to report on the provincial election.
I went to Judy Eastman's headquarters in Southdale and at first I didn't know what to do.
I walked in, clipboard in hand, and everyone in there just stared at me.
One guy, (turned out to be a CreComm grad), took one look at me and said, "CreComm?"
How did he know!? Was I that obvious? Apparently the worried look on my face and Red River College clipboard gave me away.
He pointed me in the direction of Judy's office and told me, "go quick before it gets too hectic in here."
I was so glad he was there because he really helped me out and kinda told me what to do and where to sit.
I got a few minutes in with each family member that was there which was kinda cool because it gave me a little more background information on the situation.
In the end, Judy didn't win enough votes to become the incumbent but she wasn't gonna let the loss ruin the party. I wish I coulda stayed because she was such a nice lady!
She made a beautiful, tear-jerking, brave speech and encouraged everyone present to take part in the festivities. Champagne and beers were offered to me by like eight different people and I had to kindly decline. (UNWILLINGLY MIGHT I ADD, CRECOMM IS PURE STRESS!)
After I'd interviewed Judy and got what I needed I drove home and typed on Microsoft Word until my fingers bled. 
I felt pretty accomplished after my paper was done, as a result bloodshot eyeballs and an empty stomach told me to call it a night.
Naturally I figured I'd just auto-failed, but guess what guys!
We got our marks back today and Ally-Pat got her first 7.5 !
Life is looking up, I guess I shouldn't give up on this whole CreComm thing entirely.


Next blog post will be about our beloved Jets home opener this Sunday. If you're coming to the game, BRING THE NOISE! And for the love of hockey and Winnipeg, do not boo Bettman, I know there are tons of mixed emotions about this guy but we don't wanna look like them Canuck fans. Winnipeggers are not a "classless bunch" so lets prove it to the people in the arena and the people watching our team on tv.

Is it hockey season yet?

For some people and players, yes it is.
Although some people may not consider pre-season games as "the season" for me, it really is. Exie's are being played throughout many of the junior hockey leagues already, giving coaches the chance to bring some last minute assets to their teams as well as fine-tune them until they are at their best. Exhibition games means for some first-time players that its time to kick off their flip flops in exchange for skates and hopes of a permanent spot on the team they're trying out for.

If you're an intense Winnipeg Jets fan like I am, you've been avidly following the team's every move since the announcement of their return home.

If you're not as intense as me, but still a fan nonetheless, you'll be happy to know 3 things:

1. We have a new logo!
Yes, the retro look is still available in store, but the jerseys that our boys will be playing on the ice with are "new and improved." Designers have added a little military feel in there by putting a fighter jet over top of our beloved maple leaf, as well as a few different shades of blue.

This is what the new logos look like.






2. The logo has been placed in centre ice!
I seriously hope I don't have to elaborate on that one. If you don't know what that means then stop fooling others and mainly yourself by trying to convince people that you're an avid hockey fan. If you're not an avid hockey fan and have no idea what I'm talking about, it simply means this;
There is now a big, pretty, oversized version of the Jets logo beneath the ice surface in the MTS Centre. Best thing ever.

legitimate logo in centre ice

3. Our Jets have landed!
For the most part, the team has arrived in Winnipeg, bringing their off-season to a halt. The boys in blue had their first skate this morning at the MTS Ice-plex. The sooner they are on the ice practicing means the sooner they will be playing games which means THE SOONER WE GET TO WATCH THE JETS PLAY! (Yes, I'm a season ticket holder, nananana poopoo)













Even though I cried like a baby when I found out the Jets were coming back home, and cried even harder when we achieved our goal of attaining season tickets, I will say one thing:

Don't forget about the other kids playing hockey around here. They may not get paid to play, but they still play, and its because they love it. Boys and girls play all different divisions of hockey. Minor hockey, rec hockey, and even some get the chance to play in the Junior Hockey Leagues and Western Hockey Leagues. They may not make it all the way to the Show, but still give them your support!

In upcoming blog posts I will be interviewing boys and girls that play this loved sport and we'll get their point of view on some of the on-going issues, so stay tuned!