From the CBC archives: The original Winnipeg Jets White-Out
CBC News | Posted: April 8, 2015 11:00 PM | Last Updated: April 8, 2015
Fans of Winnipeg's 1st NHL franchise donned white to show their support at home games
With the Winnipeg Jets potentially poised to make the NHL playoffs this week, a debate is brewing among some fans: White or blue?
The former, of course, refers to the Winnipeg White-Out, in which fans of the original Jets franchise wore all white and waved white pompoms to home games at the old Winnipeg Arena to intimidate the visiting team.
"White-hot is what happens inside this arena at playoff time. A tradition since the mid-'80s, fans dress in white, wave white pompoms — a mass of white deafening hockey fans, the most dramatic example of home-ice advantage," Mark Lee said in this CBC report from April 23, 1993.
A year earlier, Jets player Randy Carlyle told reporters, "You're 36 years old and played over 1,000 games, and fans give you shivers up your back when they're cheering for you — and I know everybody in the room got those — so it makes a difference."
Click on the videos above to watch both archival reports.
A Winnipeg NHL team has not made a postseason appearance since the original Jets lost in the first round to the Detroit Red Wings in 1996.
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A playoff showing this year would certainly bring some excitement to the city since the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg in 2011 and became the new Jets.
But should a new team bring about new traditions — namely, a Blue-Out (in reference to the team's other official colour) or something different altogether — or should the White-Out make a comeback?
The CBC's Marjorie Dowhos took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to ask fans if they want a #whiteout or #blueout should the Jets make the playoffs. Here are some of your responses:
So, what do you think? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments.