Jets fans lift winnipeg to first round victory

By: Avery Donnellon

In the middle of southern Canada lies a small, often forgotten city. With a population of less than 800,000, most people can’t point it out on a map. Yet it is home to one of the most dedicated fan bases in professional sports.

That fan base was rewarded with a legendary game seven overtime victory as the Winnipeg Jets punched their ticket to round two of the NHL playoffs, defeating the St. Louis Blues 4-3 on Sunday, May 4. ​
But to recognize what made this moment so special, one must understand the pain that fans have endured after watching their team disappoint them year after-heartbreaking year. 

​For the first time in franchise history, the Winnipeg Jets won the president’s trophy as the best team in the regular season. Riding on the back of elite goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets cruised to their first division title in their short history. Hellebuyck was not the only star, however, with underrated sniper Kyle Connor, skilled playmaker Mark Scheifele, and rookie center Cole Perfetti leading the charge. Their talents combined left the league in the dust, leaving the Jets completely untouched at the close of the season.

However, regular season success was not Winnipeg’s concern. 

The Jets have failed to advance beyond the second round since 2018, where they made an unprecedented run to the conference final, falling against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Since then, the Jets have been embarrassed time and time again, at the hands of often lower seeded teams. Even the most faithful Jets fans had become disgruntled having to watch so many failures. The feeling in Winnipeg was clear: The Jets cannot lose in the first round again.

Enter the St. Louis Blues.

Sitting at a middling 40 points at the beginning of January, St. Louis had no illusions of playoff contention. Many fans and pundits alike called for them to rebuild, and no one had them being a contender, if they even made the playoffs.

Then they caught fire.

Following the winter break for the 4 nations faceoff, the St. Louis Blues won twelve straight games, rocketing them into the last wild card playoff spot in the central division, and bringing the league-leading Jets’ worst nightmare to life.

However, faithful Jets fans refused to lose hope. On game night, Canada Life Centre was filled to capacity.

Their energy propelled the Jets to a 2-0 series lead in their first 2 home games, both thrillers with tight endings decided in the third period. The Jets looked set to send the Blues home in 4 as they headed to St. Louis.

But every jet faces turbulence.

Game 3. 7-2 Blues.
Game 4. 5-1 Blues.

In a blur of terrible goaltending from Hellebuyck and no scoring from the Jets’ core players, the series was tied. Each team would net one more win, but the Blues held all of the momentum. 

Hellebuyck looked lost, the defense was abysmal, the offense couldn’t produce, the Jets looked dead in the water. With one last chance left to close out the series, they returned to Winnipeg for game 7.

The Blues would score on their first shot; disaster.

They would go on to score two more goals to the Jets’ one, and as the clock ticked down to five minutes left, the Blues held a 3-1 lead. The Jets would need a miracle to come back now.
The camera cuts to a crowd full of tense Jets fans. Even facing seemingly insurmountable odds, no one leaves. They will not give up on their squad. 

With 1:56 left on the clock, they break through. Vladislav Namestnikov brings the Jets within one. The building has never been louder, but they’re only half way there. 

The clock ticks down, time is running out. With the net empty, it’ll be one last gasp for Winnipeg. 
Fans grip their white rally towels tightly. As the game reaches the final 10 seconds, Winnipeg goes silent. You could hear a pin drop from a mile away. 

Perfetti’s tying goal came with three seconds left.

Canada Life Centre explodes. The arena that was all but silent 10 seconds before went ballistic. Fans filled the streets surrounding the arena, and the Jets came back to life. 
We’re going to overtime.

As heroic as this story is, it would mean nothing if the Blues scored. Coach Scott Arniel may have lost his job, players may have been traded, and riots would have filled the streets of Winnipeg for weeks.

In stepped captain Adam Lowry.
“To [win it] in Winnipeg, at home -- we have such tremendous fans, such tremendous support -- just really happy we get to continue playing in front of them. They’ve been such a blessing for us all year. It makes it a real tough building to play in. We feed off that energy.”

Every Jets player had nothing but praise for a fanbase that has stuck with them through the ugly times. Without such a loud arena, I guarantee the Jets would not have come back, and losing such a raucous and dedicated building in the first round would be a disservice to the hockey world.

There is no place like Winnipeg in the National Hockey League, and no place whose fans maintain hope even in the face of disappointment. I, for one, am glad to see them still in the playoffs, and I know they won’t disappoint. 

TRUE NORTH!