Manitoba

Winnipeg Jets change time of Dec. 5 home game to avoid overlap with CFL West Division final

A local sports fan launched a petition calling for a change in the time for the Jets' Dec. 5 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was set for the same time as the CFL West Division final.

Petition called for time change; Jets will now play at 7 p.m. CT rather than 6 p.m.

A Winnipeg sports fan shows his support for both the Bombers and Jets at a recent NHL game in the city. The Jets changed the time of an upcoming game that coincided with the CFL West Division final. (Fred Greenslade/The Canadian Press)

The Winnipeg Jets have changed the time of their Dec. 5 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs to avoid conflict with the CFL's West Division final, following a petition from a Winnipeg sports fan.

Alon Weinberg started a petition on the website change.org, hoping to get enough signatures to convince either the Canadian Football League or the NHL to adjust the schedule.

The Jets' home game was originally slated to start at 6 p.m. CT on Dec. 5 — which would result in overlap with the 3:30 p.m. CT Western Division final, which is being played at Winnipeg's IG Field.

The Jets, in conjunction with the National Hockey League, announced Tuesday afternoon that the team's game will now start at 7 p.m. CT.

The team's home games also overlapped this past weekend, and are set to again on Nov. 6.

In his petition, Weinberg said he wants the teams to communicate better in the future.

"The lack of co-ordination between the teams, leagues and television networks is a gross misreading of the local Manitoban sports market," the petition states.

"We call on the Jets and Bombers to work together to make this change and to work together in the future to avoid conflicting home game start times."

With files from Darren Bernhardt and Janice Grant