The Stanley Cup – An almost impossible dream.

I have always been a staunch supporter of hockey, although I am not much of a player to speak of.  In fact, I can hardly get my wonky legs to carry me on skates these days.  However watching sports here in the north of North America one thing has always bugged me about my neighbors to the south and their precious NFL football claiming that the Superbowl is the hardest of all the trophies in pro-sports to kiss and hold high in victory.

Zdeno Chára lifts the Stanley Cup in Boston’s 2011 victory over The Vancouver Canucks

Yes, I will grant that Football is a man’s sport fraught with contact and danger. However I would wager my front teeth that hockey is really the sport that is that hardest on the body and hardest sport in which to win the top prize.  The NHL’s Stanley Cup.

Should it please the court I will present my evidence.

The Winnipeg Jets are finally starting to find their wings.

Last night Dar and I were lucky enough to take in our second Winnipeg Jets game of the year.  It is easily one of the hottest tickets in town now and any chance we can get to take in a game we obviously jump at.

Tickets to the Jets vs Devils game.

We joined 15,000 other rabid Jets fanatics for the chance to cheer for our team and jeer the antics of the struggling New Jersey Devils.  Looking at the stats for both squads before the game I noticed that both the Devils and Jets were sitting right around .500 on the year so it could be anyone’s game.

Being no strangers to the Winnipeg sports scene we knew to arrive early to beat the crowds and grab a bite to eat outside the arena where prices are needlessly inflated. Winnipeggers may be sports fans but we are also ruthless in our search of a bargain.

After a quick bite in a nearby mall food court we headed in to grab our seats, everywhere you looked the shiny new logo of the Jets was worn with pride.  Hats, sweaters (jerseys), and even scarves were on display.  A mix of the old logo and the new logo helped to give the crowded thorough fare some definition.

Winnipeg Jet's logos on the ice pregame.

Put your hands together as we welcome back our Winnipeg Jets!

Well kids it’s official, Winnipeg has our heart back and that heart beats to the chant of GO JETS GO! Last night from Minneapolis Mark Chipman and Keven Cheveldayoff stood at the NHL Draft podium and proudly declared. “The Winnipeg Jets are proud to select from the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League, Mark  Scheifele.”

With that one simple announcement a franchise was reborn.  The paddles came down and kick started the quivering heart of hockey fans in the Manitoba heartland.  It’s not as if we weren’t already going crazy but until the events of June 21 and the Board of Governors meeting our hockey club wasn’t official.  Now we have a team, a chant and our first player.

It may just be coincidence but Mark Scheifele is being coached by Winnipeg Jets legend Dale Hawerchuk.  According to the Winnipeg Free Press, Ducky says we picked well indeed. Scheifele scored 22 goals and had 53 assists in 66 games last year for the Barrie Colts.  Not too shabby, a young kid with talent, good size and great hands who loves to play the game.

Well hold on to your hat Mark, you’ve died and gone to hockey heaven, I doubt anything in your young career has prepared you for the onslaught of love and support that you are going to encounter when you lace up those skates at the MTS Centre.

Are the Jets flying back to Winnipeg?

It seems that the hushed talk normally found in coffee shops and around kitchen tables has finally made the mainstream.  The Winnipeg Jets may be flying home to the MTS Centre.  With the Phoenix Coyotes hemorrhaging cash at an alarming rate the fate of Glendale Arizona’s hockey team lays in the hands of its city fathers.