Keewatin Tribal Council hockey fans did their best to put Thompson in the NHL playoff spirit with a festive Winnipeg Jets whiteout rally in front of their office ahead of game two of their favourite team’s series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Clad in Jets gear, armed with signs and accompanied by a mascot, the crew got honks from hockey lovers in passing vehicles and barbecued hot dogs on the afternoon of April 20.
Clad in a Jets blazer, Steve Carnegie said that his original favourite team was the Chicago Blackhawks but that he is cheering for Winnipeg since Chicago is already golfing.
“Let’s hope it goes to 2-0 tonight,” said Carnegie, whose wife is a huge Jets fan. “Her little woman cave is just nothing but Jets.”
The parties also had a sign with a QR code, encouraging fans to enter the Show Your 2023 Stanley Cup Playoff Colors contest by going to the website, picking their team and entering their postal code. A map of all the entries shows where they came from from and participants are eligible to win a trip to the NHL awards ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee in June.
“It marks you as being in Thompson, Manitoba,’ said Catherine Nazzie. “Our circle wasn’t even showing this morning. Now we’re being seen all across North America.”
Christine Duke was clad in a mascot costume for the whiteout rally, a job she says she earned by drawing the short straw, though at least it was keeping her warm.
“I wish my face was covered,” she said laughing, not because it was cold but so she could act like a goofy mascot without anyone knowing who was in the costume.
Duke said she would definitely watch the game on Thursday night, set to get underway at 9 p.m.., later than when the Jets play at home.
"With the late game, I might call in sick a little bit tomorrow,” she joked.
Playoff hockey is more exciting than the regular season, Duke said, putting her on the edge of her seat or even jumping around with excitement. She predicts that it will be a tough series but that the Winnipeg fans will help their team in games three and four.
“I’m hoping they’re going to take Vegas out,” she said. “Tonight might be a little rough for them.Hopefully not.”
Once they come back to Winnipeg, though, the whiteout party will give them a boost, she said.
Carnegie said he’d like to see the Jets continue to make the playoffs year after year.
“This is the first [rally] of its kind in Thompson and we hope to carry on that tradition over time,” he said.
