Jets whiteout celebrations bring out emotions for longtime Winnipeg fans

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Amid a sea of ​​white sweaters, painted faces, overalls and even polar bear costumes, Michal Grajewski stood with his family in front of the Dale Hawerchuk statue in downtown Winnipeg and enjoyed a magical moment.

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“I feel everything at once,” Grajewski said as the Whiteout Street Party kicked off Sunday at the Canada Life Center.

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My father is no longer with us and I'm sad about that because I miss being with him and taking him to the game. But now I'm a dad and I'm taking my son to his first whiteout. It's weird having all of this at once and I'm so excited for him to experience it for the first time.

Michal, his wife Katherine and their son Lawrence, decked out in their Jets jerseys, were just some of the people who felt strong emotions and pride as their Winnipeg Jets prepared to take on the Colorado Avalanche in the first game of the play- offs from the Stanley Cup.

They expected more than 15,000 fans in the arena, and another 5,000 at the Party in the Plaza on True North Square and the Whiteout Street Party on Donald Street.

The whiteouts are really cool because everyone is proud to be from Winnipeg and it's a great opportunity for everyone to rally around our hockey team and show our pride for the team and for the city and the province, said Grajewski . The energy in the building right before the game starts, oh man, it's electric. You could reach out and almost grab it.

The tradition of the whiteout for playoff hockey games dates back to 1987, when the original Winnipeg Jets squared off in a series against the Calgary Flames.

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Since then, it has taken on a life of its own, with the Jets 2.0 making postseason appearances in 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024.

I've been going there since the Jets Whiteouts 1.0, the original one, Dean Speechley said. We commented on what a beautiful day it is for this and hopefully we'll have a big run here so we can have many more of them.

For some people the whole experience is almost overwhelming.

Charlene Turcotte, a season ticket holder dressed in a polar bear costume, said this is something she wouldn't miss for the world.

They had a good time, she said. It's very emotional. We get so excited. We want to support our team and Winnipeg and I just enjoy being here. I love everything.

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We live for this. All our children play hockey. Hockey is life in Winnipeg. It's better than anything you'll ever experience. Even if you don't have tickets to the game, it's still worth it to be here with people who all have the same passion as you and to just celebrate. It's part of being a Winnipegger.

Ben Bruinooge, who wore full overalls while sipping a cold one with friends at True North Square, said the whiteout connects Winnipeg's past hockey era to the current one.

It's an important Winnipeg tradition and I'm glad the new Jets have all these traditions, Bruinooge said.

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The whiteout, the team name, everything. Very well done.

Speechley wore one of the more interesting white shirts at the party. The words Spittin Chiclets were printed several times on the back, referencing the Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette podcast that has caused some controversy over the Jets in recent months.

Both hosts are former NHL players, and Whitney caused a stir when he said an anonymous current NHL player told him the Jets are the biggest cheats in the league.

However, (Bissonnette) will get the Jets through this round, so I'm good with that, Speechley said. The rest of the boys can go you know where.

After this series, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

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