Big Jets faces and signs in all places: Winnipeggers get creative during team's playoff run
Whiteout displays made from paint, flowers and even women's underwear in store windows around Winnipeg
Winnipeggers are a colourful bunch these days.
Unaccustomed to having a Jets focus when temperatures hit double digits, fans are taking advantage of the warm weather to decorate businesses and homes to show off their support as the Jets' Stanley Cup playoff run continues.
"It's an exciting time for the city. We're showing our true colours because we love this team," said Sam Colosimo, owner of Teo's restaurant and lounge on Corydon Avenue.
"The city's all pumped about it, they're all excited, so you gotta go with it."
Colosimo created oversized depictions of the faces of some Jets players and strung them from a tree, like Christmas ornaments, on the boulevard in front of his business. They proved a little too popular, though, and were getting stolen.
"They took my Buff and my Copp and my Wheeler ones," he said, adding he plans to make new images of defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, forward Andrew Copp and winger Blake Wheeler again, as well as bring out another half dozen in the next few days.
To keep any more from going missing, Colosimo has moved the heads from the tree, attaching them instead to the outside wall above Teo's entryway.
"You know what? Everyone wants to have a good time and maybe when they're done with them they'll bring them back," he said.
Colosimo used to have Brooklynn's Bistro in the East Exchange and met a lot of the players and partners at that time. When he opened Teo's, they became regulars there.
"So I want to show my support back," he said about the decorations, adding the players and their spouses or girlfriends have had some good laughs about them.
On game days, he also puts out two 70-inch TVs to create "a little bit of downtown on Corydon," referring to the whiteout street party beside the Jets' arena, where fans watch the game on big screens.
Should the Jets make it through to Round 3 of the playoffs, Colosimo plans to add a Stanley Cup replica to the rooftop.
Caught in the hype
While you might expect bars and lounges to be flying the Jets colours, the buzz has gone beyond those traditional places to others that might be under the radar. Or, more specifically, under what you wear.
Gravity Lingerie on Stafford Street has "Go Jets Go" painted on the window. Just behind that is a whiteout display featuring a Jets jersey and a pearl-coloured set of lady skivvies.
"We're big fans of the Jets, and we're really proud of our team and we want to support them," said Sherry Valentin, who co-owns the store with Judy Cheetham.
"We are in the business of support," chimed in Cheetham. "But yes, we are big fans and this is absolutely amazing for our city. People are really into it."
The city was without an NHL team for so long that fans are now loving the chance to cheer in the playoffs, she added.
"Everybody's back on the bandwagon. This is great."
Cheetham and Valentin say passing cars have honked for the store's display and people have asked if the jersey is for sale.
"It belongs to my pregnant daughter-in-law who isn't currently fitting it. That is the only reason it's not being worn right now," Cheetham said.
A short walk away, at a financial services practice on Corydon, Sean Harrell also describes himself a big Jets fan "caught up in all the hype."
That led him to getting the windows painted at Howe, Harrell & Associates, the business where he is a partner.
"I wanted to show a little bit of community support," he said.
There are two full Jets logos, each on a large window of the business. One of the logos, however, is painted in green and yellow as a tribute to the Humboldt Broncos.
The Broncos team bus crashed on April 6, leaving 16 people dead, including 10 players, two coaches, a statistician, a broadcaster, the bus driver, and an athletic therapist. Thirteen others were injured.
Harrell said there has been positive feedback on both logos.
How they match up
The Jets polished off the Minnesota Wild during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, winning the best-of-seven series 4-1.
The last two games were shutouts for Winnipeg.
Nashville took six games to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in their series, 4-2. Like the Jets, the Predators won their series clincher by a score of 5-0, ending with a dominating performance.
Several hockey pundits have predicted the Jets-Preds series will be the best of the post-season. Some have lamented the fact that this is only the second round, saying that matchup is the championship final arriving two series too soon.
Nashville finished the NHL regular season in first place with 117 points. Winnipeg finished second with 114.
The Jets' Connor Hellebuyck is a finalist for the NHL's Vezina Trophy for the league's best goalie. So is the Preds' Pekka Rinne. They were teammates at the NHL all-star game in January.
The Jets finished the regular season with the NHL's best home record, at 32-7-2. The Predators were tied for third with 28 home wins (28-9-4).
Nashville was one of those teams that found a way to score in Winnipeg. In two visits to Bell MTS Place, they won one and lost one in overtime.
They teams met five times in the regular season with the Predators winning the series 3-2 and outscoring the Jets 22-20.
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