32 NHL Cities in 32 Days: Winnipeg Jets

Alexis Bazydola
Jun 1, 2020
3 min read

The Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Bell MTS Place is the home of the Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Opened in 2004, it can seat just over 15,000 fans for a home hockey game. The arena is also home to the Manitoba Moose, the AHL affiliate of the Jets. Many entertainers have been known to host shows at the arena over the years including David Copperfield, Hillary Duff, Cher, Rod Stewart, George Jones, John Mayer, Justin Timberlake and many more.

Team History

There have been many iterations of the Winnipeg Jets. The one that is currently in play began in 1999 when the city of Atlanta was awarded an expansion franchise. This team was known as the Atlanta Thrashers. During their tenure in Atlanta, the team qualified for the playoffs only once and never won a playoff game. Due to this, the team had difficulty attracting fans to games.

In 2011, the Thrashers were bought by True North Sports & Entertainment and were relocated to Winnipeg. The team was set to have a new name as True North did not acquire the naming rights or logo to the Thrashers. The name Winnipeg Jets was announced at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Kevin Cheveldayoff was named the new general manager. Claude Noel was named the new head coach. Fans were incredibly excited for the team to play in Winnipeg with season tickets selling out in a matter of hours.

It wasn’t until 2015 that the Jets would clinch their first playoff berth since moving to Winnipeg. They were swept by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. The next season saw the Jets return to near the bottom of the standings and miss the playoffs. They were awarded the second overall draft pick and selected Patrick Laine in 2016.

During the 2017-18 season, the Jets returned to the playoffs yet again. They would win their first playoff game in their history as they defeated the Minnesota Wild. This also led to their first series win as they advanced to play the Nashville Predators. They would then advance to the Western Conference Finals after winning the series in seven games. During the Conference Finals, they faced the Vegas Golden Knights but were eliminated in five games.

While they were able to return to the playoffs for the 2018-19 season, they were eliminated in the first round by the St. Louis Blues. At the pause of the current season, the Jets sit at 15th in the league with 80 points. They will advance to the playoffs.

Fanbase & Traditions

The Jets share their mascot, Mick E. Moose with the Manitoba Moose since the start of the 2015-16 season. The team also has a secondary mascot, Benny that was resurrected in 2016 at the Heritage Classic. He was the original mascot of the team from 1986-96 named in honor of Ben Haskin, the first owner of the Jets, and Elton John’s song “Bennie and the Jets.”

Like many other franchises, the fans of the Jets are known to shout during the national anthem. They shout “true north!” in “O Canada.” Stacey Nattrass is the regular anthem performer at Winnipeg home games.

Another well-known tradition in Winnipeg is the White Out. Dating back to 1987, this tradition still holds true today when Winnipeg plays in the Stanley Cup playoffs.