WINNIPEG—Nineteen years is a long time to wait.
Between 1996 and 2015, there were many painful spring days where Winnipeggers watched with envy while other cities had playoff games. Heck, some of them even did the “White Out” that became a staple of Winnipeg Jets playoff games in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
But on Monday night, the wait was over—a day that would never come according to the cynics. Playoff hockey finally returned to Winnipeg. The last game in 1996 felt like a funeral. The first game in 2015 was a celebration.
Tickets were extremely difficult to come by. They were snapped up by eager Jets fans in minutes once they went on sale.
Even the national sports media wanted a part of this. TSN sent their panel, led by James Duthie, Darren Dreger, and Bob McKenzie to Winnipeg even though they no longer had the national TV rights.
