And then there was one.
With the Boston Bruins knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday night, the only team left representing the true north is the Winnipeg Jets.
But are they Canada’s team?
Former Winnipeg Jets goalie Joe Daley has been following the action on the ice closely and said it’s an exciting time to be a Jets’ fan, but he’s not so sure hockey fans across the country are jumping on the bandwagon.
“We’re Manitoba’s team for sure we know that, I’m not so sure about Toronto or Vancouver or Edmonton embracing Winnipeg right now but we as Manitobans are very, very, very proud of our group,” Daley said.
Daley credits the Jets’ success to buying into the program, as well as strong defense and as he calls it “the young stars” putting the puck in the net. The former goalie also gave a shout out to Vezina Trophy nominee Connor Hellebuyck.
“The goaltending has been outstanding,” Daley said. “You can’t win in any league without great goaltending and Connor has provided it in spades this year and I’m so happy for him. I’m hoping that even if he doesn’t win the Vezina Trophy that he can have the big one over his head at the end of the year.”
The former NHL player also weighed in on the White Out street parties, calling them the boost Winnipeg needs every once in a while.
“It’s bringing people together in harmony and having fun. We know there’s so many unfortunate disasters that have happened in the last while in Canada and we need things to rally around and be happy about and certainly the White Out is providing that here in Winnipeg.”
WATCH: Former Winnipeg Jets goalie Joe Daley said the run for the cup is a much needed boost to the community.
The Jets open up round two of the playoffs in Nashville, when they face off against the Predators Friday night.
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