Winnipeg fans jet in to support team in Game 5 against St. Louis Blues
Mike Jameson didn't move to Winnipeg by choice.
'I lived here for four years. I was in the Air Force,' said Jameson, who now calls Vancouver Island home.
'I came here kicking and screaming as a B.C. boy, but I left missing Winnipeg.'
Jameson flew in to spend the week visiting friends and family — and also to catch the Winnipeg Jets play in game five against the St. Louis Blues.
'They came out flying, and I figured it was going to be a sweep. But now it's a series, and this game will be pivotal,' he said.
Support for the team is booming after a record-setting regular season, with fans scrambling to find tickets to the Jets' round one games and the ever-popular Winnipeg Whiteout Street Parties.
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That excitement is what brought Jennifer and Todd Corman to Winnipeg from Boise, Idaho, for Tuesday's game.
'I've been a Jets fan since they were in Atlanta,' Todd said, referring to the Atlanta Thrashers franchise, bought and rebranded by True North Sports & Entertainment in 2011.
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'We had the joy of watching them win in Vegas, so our hopes are so high,' said Jennifer, adding they also travelled to Winnipeg for a playoff game last year.
George Thompson decided to test his luck, driving to Winnipeg from northern Ontario despite not having tickets to the game or the street festival.
'Me and my wife came out here to try and get tickets,' he said. 'I haven't missed a game all season long, watching these guys on TV.'
Thompson is 'nervous' heading into game five. The Blues defeated the Jets 7-2 and 5-1 in St. Louis last week, after the Jets' initial momentum in the first two games.
Former WHA Jets goalie Joe Daley shares some of those nerves. He sees a surge of out-of-town fans at his store Joe Daley Sports & Framing on St. Mary's Road, often looking for signed memorabilia. He recently welcomed customers from Halifax and rural Manitoba.
'I think that tonight everybody will be anxiously awaiting the drop of the puck,' he said.
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A longer playoff run means better business for Daley — but the three-time Avco Cup winner also wants to see the Jets bring home their own trophy.
'I'm taking it one game at a time, one series at a time,' he said. 'I'm confident in our team for tonight's game.'
Daley still watches the Jets play, but not from 'the barn'.
'I watch them from home, enjoy them from there, yell at the TV,' he said. 'I know they can't hear me, but I still yell at it.'
University of Manitoba researchers are also cheering on the team from afar. The Winnipeg Jets shared a photo of scientist David Babb sporting a jersey and holding a Jets flag on the Müller Ice Cap in Nunavut, where researchers are drilling a 600-metre ice core.
The commitment to the team is what brings fans like Jameson back to Winnipeg again and again.
'This city just loves their Jets… they just embrace it so much,' he said. 'The people are amazing. I love Winipeggers. Go Jets go!'
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