When I walked into Canada Life Centre in mid-January and saw thousands of supposed Winnipeggers wearing jerseys, toques and T-shirts of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I knew it was going to be a bad day.
It might have been the worst day of the year for me.
Sure, it was super annoying as a Winnipeg Jets fans to see your team surrender a two goal lead to Toronto for the second time in three weeks and lose. But the bigger issue is, what are so many of us doing supporting a team from Toronto, a city that has always looked down upon us, so enthusiastically and with such spite?
It’s one thing to hope for your team from 2,000 miles away to win, but do you have to be so damn obnoxious about it?
Every time the Leafs scored, so many “Winnipeggers” exploded from their seats and grabbed at the Leafs logo on their chests, pointed at Jets fans, mockingly asked for high-fives, and more. It made me ashamed to be from Winnipeg.
Prior to the game, as I stood in line to buy a craft beer made by a Manitoba microbrewery, I said to dozens of Leafs fans as they passed by, “Welcome to Winnipeg!” and “I hope you had a good flight in!” A few people replied, “Oh, we’re not from Toronto!” Yeah, I know, buddy.
I understand there is a certain affinity for Original Six teams — “My dad grew up cheering for Montreal!” — but I don’t really get it. I also don’t think it holds water any longer to say, “Winnipeg didn’t have a team for 15 years, so my loyalties changed.” Well, this version of the Jets have been back for 15 years. Time to update your loyalties.
When I go to a Jets game in another city, I wear a Jets jersey — old-school, of course, Hedberg, Nilsson, Hull, Sjoberg, Riihiranta or Ketola — and I do not jump up when the Jets score. If there happens to be another Jets fan near me or beside me, we’ll exchange a polite fist bump. We don’t chant “Go Jets Go!” We don’t point our fingers at anybody. We want people in other cities to think positively of Winnipeg and consider Jets fans to be, well, considerate.
And it’s obviously not just Leafs games.
Winnipeggers have an odd sense of fandom for the Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers — the team that beat the Jets 1.0 en route to all five of their Stanley Cups. Come on, people. Let’s learn how to hold a grudge against the self-proclaimed “City of Champions.”
I have a few acquaintances who wear other teams’ jerseys to Jets games and I always grudgingly acknowledge their right to do so. I’ve heard this practice drives many people at True North nuts. And while the owners can’t keep these people from getting into the rink, I tell them I hope the Jets adopt face recognition technology during their next playoff run.
“At the next White Out party, you’re not invited,” I say.
The Chipman and Thomson families put a ton of time, effort and money into bringing the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg in 2011. The hockey club has been the catalyst for billions of dollars of downtown development and the source of pride for so many Winnipeggers. How many of us have
mentioned we’re from Winnipeg on our travels and had somebody say, “Winnipeg? Dale Hawerchuk was my favourite player” or “I was there when Teemu Selanne shot his glove out of the air!”
Either you’re with us or you’re against us. No more of this fake Winnipegger stuff. Let’s get real. Take pride, Winnipeg!
Geoff Kirbyson
Publisher, Manitoba Inc.
