Jets fans bring playoff vibes, electric energy to Winnipeg's 1st whiteout street party since 2019
CBC
A tightly packed mosh pit of crazed Winnipeg Jets fans gathered near the Canada Life Centre Saturday afternoon for the first whiteout street party in the city since the team's playoff run in 2019.
Fans packed Donald Street, between Portage and Graham avenues, for the sold-out street party — with attendance capped at 5,000 — to watch Game 3 of the Jets' opening-round NHL playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights on two gigantic screens, and other spots outside the downtown arena.
With music pumping through the speakers at heightened levels, chants of "go Jets go," and beer flowing at the party, the number of fans grew and the raucous atmosphere rose throughout the early afternoon, leading up to the 3 p.m. CT puck drop.
The Jets erased a 4-1 deficit, rallying with three goals in the third period, only for Michael Amadio to score the game-winning goal 3:40 into double overtime to lift the Golden Knights to a 5-4 win and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.
Chris Barnes was admittedly bummed out after the loss.
He said the Jets gave a much better effort than their 5-2 loss in Game 2, and he expressed optimism ahead of Game 4 on Monday at 8:30 p.m.
"I'd say we've got at least a 90 per cent chance of winning on Monday," Barnes said.
The cooler-than-normal conditions — with the temperature just 3 C under sunny skies by game time — didn't put a damper on the electric energy in the streets from Jets fans who were clearly ready to party, including those from well out of town.
"Like we say in Australia, it's going to go off. It's going to go off," said Carole Evans, a first-time whiteout party attendee from the eastern Australian community of Noosa.
"People are going to be standing, cheering, going crazy for the Jets and supporting them either way."
Evans has been in Winnipeg for two months visiting her three sisters, and has become a staunch Jets fan. She went to seven regular-season games and was eager to get inside the arena for her first playoff contest.
She's also got a favourite player — one who was bloodied by a skate to the face in Game 1 of the series.
"I love the Jets and Morgan Barron is my favourite player," Evans said.
Fan Josh Berthelette was feeling every kind of playoff vibe walking around the Jets street party.
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