Congratulations Winnipeg. I never thought it would happen. When the Jets left I was 13. I emptied my piggy bank. I donated money to the Save the Jets campaign. I attended a rally. But the Jets left anyway, and then I left Winnipeg.
Even when it was announced that Winnipeg would get a team, I wasn’t sure if fans would buy in. The Jets always had lots of fans, just not enough to fill the seats. Winnipeg is a cheap city. I remember CBC blacking out local games so people wouldn’t just stay home and watch them on tv. I guess things have changed, because the season tickets sold out in 17 minutes. All 13,000 are gone. Impressive.
So, good luck Winnipeg. I hope the team does well and the fans stick with them. But I have a new team now. And they’re two wins away from the Stanley Cup. Go Canucks Go!
Canadian Veggie 
So you left after the Jets did…does this mean you’ll be making a return as well :p
I always thought the Jets main problem came from the lack of corporate sponsors, something that appears not to be an issue now.
I do hope that the return of the Jets doesn’t detract from the Blue Bombers. WPG has always been a great CFL city, especially since they haven’t won anything since the early 90’s.
Also, does CBC (or TSN) still blackout local hockey games? I don’t ever recall a hockey game being blacked out in southern Ontario.
Hopefully a few other Canadian cities get NHL franchises. I’ve always thought that having 13,000 at a game in a Canadian city is far better then 7 or 8,000 in an American one.
Good luck to your Canucks…I’m not so much rooting for them as much as I’m rooting against the Bruins! (I’m a Habs fan :p)
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I won’t rule out returning to Winnipeg – that is where most of my family live – but I’m happy in Vancouver right now. An NHL franchise isn’t Winnipeg’s problem, it’s a lack of vision. Winnipeg is still stuck in the car-dominated culture of the 80s.
I think I might have been mixing up the Bombers and the Jets when I remembered the blackouts, because the CBC doesn’t blackout hockey games and I can’t find any reference to them ever doing it. Sportsnet does blackout some hockey games and TSN does for CFL football games.
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I know Winnipeg was making some inroads in bicycle infrastructure, however like many cities across Canada it was met with opposition.
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