WINNIPEG — Experiencing a playoff berth in Winnipeg was one of the best moments of my life so far.
I was reporting live inside a jam-packed downtown bar the moment Calgary scored their third goal against Los Angeles, winning and securing a spot in the post-season for the Jets.
When the crowd erupted inside, chills went down everyone’s spine and almost left me speechless.
Hundreds of Winnipeggers started running onto the streets, blowing horns, singing team spirit songs and dancing with each other on the way to Portage Avenue and Main Street.
The windy intersection is famous for the 1995-96 “Save the Jets” rallies. It is also the corner where fans gathered to celebrate the return of an NHL team in 2011 after the original Jets were moved to Pheonix in 1996.
I joined many fans who were screaming, “Whiteout! Whiteout!” at the top of their lungs, crowding in from every direction with the sounds of police cars honking in the background.
As a new Winnipegger, I quickly learned the whiteout was rooted deep in the city’s hockey history, starting in 1987. Fans were told to wear white to compete with Calgary’s Sea of Red and the playoff tradition stuck.
WATCH: Archival footage from the beginning of the Winnipeg Whiteout
Within minutes, the streets were flooded with blue and white jerseys, pom-poms, Jets flags, memorabilia and banners. I decided to experience the excitement to its fullest and made my way into the middle of the crowd.
Anyone living or working downtown could clearly hear the sounds of a city celebrating its first NHL playoff berth in almost two decades.
That passion would continue to fuel Winnipeggers for the next two weeks as white jerseys flew off the shelves at local stores and playoff tickets sold out in less than five minutes.
The Jets lost the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Anaheim but fans were still anxious for their team to play at home.
On April 20, the whiteout came back to life with snow lightly lining the streets the morning of the game.
I can still feel the rush of walking downtown and seeing so many fans decked out in white from head to toe, sparking conversation with anyone who passed by about the game that night.
No matter who you were or where you were from, if you were a Jets fan, you were part of the group that filled the city with huge smiles and relentlessly passionate chants of “Go Jets Go!”
From afternoon until puck drop that evening, fans of all ages packed downtown bars, restaurants, garages and living rooms, wearing white and cheering.
The Jets lost that game to the Ducks but many kept their spirits up heading into the fourth game of the series, where the team faced elimination.
On April 22, Winnipeg went into whiteout mode once again and this time, fans seemed even more pumped up for their team to win its first playoff game in the current franchise’s history.
No matter where you were downtown that night, you could hear non-stop cheering.
Even after losing Game 4 and becoming the first team to exit the 2015 NHL playoffs, fans throughout the city gave the Jets a standing ovation. I have never felt true team honour like that before.
Days after this experience, “Go Jets Go” chants are still ringing in my ears.
I now know my new city loves their team and its fans like family and I am proud to be part of it.
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