Getting on the Winnipeg bandwagon? Vancouver has as Jets win again

A white out in Vancouver? While the weather event is pretty unlikely, the sporting kind involving the Winnipeg Jets is catching on.

Ben Wyllie, the owner The Coppertank on West Broadway, says his pub is the place for watching the team as it progresses through the NHL playoffs.

He says the further the Jets go, the busier he gets. It doesn't hurt that he offers a free beer to anyone wearing the team's jersey. Still he says there's a reason Vancouverites have a soft spot for the small market Jets.

"People just cheer for the smaller town," he said. "And they're a great team, like it's an amazing team."

Canadian Stanley Cup winner?

The Jets won again on Saturday, defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in the first game of their their round, best-of-seven series. If the Jets get past the Knights they will go to the Stanley Cup final.

• Desert glitz meets prairie blitz: Winnipeg tops Vegas in first clash between unfamiliar foes

The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup was the 1993 Montreal Canadiens.

From The Coppertank on Saturday, Jonathan McCauley said he'd just become a Jets fan based on their current success and that it would be special for a Canadian team to lift the trophy. He says the Jets can do it.

"It's been a good playoff series, they're fun to watch," said the Vancouver Canucks fan. His team did not make the playoffs after the 2017/2018.

Others at the pub, like Megan Watchorn are Winnipeg transplants. She moved to Vancouver seven years ago, but grew up in Manitoba in the 80s and 90s before Winnipeg lost its franchise in 1996.

"I remember all of that ride ... they were magical memories," she said.

She says people in Vancouver from Winnipeg are proud of where they are from and their enthusiasm for the team is catching on.

"We are friendly Manitoba," she said. "So I'm walking around in Vancouver in a jersey and people are saying 'Go Jets Go.'"