Former Jets hope clincher is finally at hand against Wild in Game 5
City hasn't celebrated playoff series win since 1987
That could change Friday, when the Winnipeg Jets can close out the Western Conference First Round against the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 at Bell MTS Place (7:30 p.m. ET; USA, SN, TVAS2, FS-N).
The Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise, which began play in the 1999-2000 season, has never won a playoff series. The last series win for the original Jets came against the Calgary Flames in the 1987 Smythe Division Semifinals, with Winnipeg clinching in Game 6 on April 16.
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"I look at my hair and look at my belly, I know I'm getting older and it's definitely been 31 years," said Dale Hawerchuk, 55, who led the Jets that season with 100 points (47 goals, 53 assists) in 80 games, then led them in the playoffs with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 10 games. "But it doesn't seem like it because I remember it like yesterday.
"What's going on now, it's good, it's exciting and it's great for the team and province. Anytime you're playing this time of year it's a good thing and you're seeing the vibe of the people now."
The original Jets joined the NHL in 1979-80 and relocated to Phoenix in 1996, with the Thrashers moving to Winnipeg and becoming the Jets in 2011-12. The two versions of the Jets have combined to go 2-12 in playoff series. (The Thrashers lost their one series, a four-game sweep against the New York Rangers in the 2007 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.)
Each of the Winnipeg victories was against Calgary in the first round (the other came in 1985). No matter the results, the city had an extraordinary buzz, said former Jets forward Paul MacLean, who was there when fans started wearing all white to home games in the 1985 playoffs.
"I remember the original whiteout was a phenomenal, phenomenal thing," said MacLean, 60, who played seven seasons for the Jets (1981-88), scoring 248 of his 324 NHL goals. "Coming out of that locker room, the place was full and it was starkly white, almost like you were blinded. It was a fun experience visually to come out to. The fans in Winnipeg in the regular season were spectacular and this just went to another level in the playoffs.
"Everybody got involved. You couldn't pump gas or go anywhere and not run into it. Everyone got excited and the whole city had a lot of energy and the players got a lot of energy from the fans. It's a great thing if they continue to win."
In MacLean's seasons in Winnipeg, quality Jets teams ran into one roadblock five times: the Edmonton Oilers, who won the Stanley Cup five times between 1984 and 1990.
"We had a top-five team in the League for a few years but we had to play No. 1 and No. 3 (the Flames) to get out of our division all the time, which was difficult," he said. "Anytime you win in the playoffs is a great thing to happen. For us, every time we won one, the next team was Edmonton and we could never beat them. That wasn't even a rivalry for me."
The Jets lost six series to the Oilers between 1983 and 1990. It wasn't until the fifth of those series that Winnipeg got its first playoff win against Edmonton, 6-4 in Game 3 of the division semifinals April 9, 1988.
Forward Randy Gilhen, 54, played six seasons for the Jets (1986-89, 1993-96). He grew up in Winnipeg and still lives here.
"Thirty-one years ago since winning a round, that's a long time and the sad part is a bunch of us still remember it," said Gilhen, who won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991. "The neat part of Jets 2.0 and this group of guys is that personally for me, I can't tell you how proud I am of this team.
"They've really put this city back on the map again. I'm betting maybe half or three-quarters of the people at the street parties this year weren't even born the last time the Jets won a playoff series. This is the time in my mind that we look at our history but me, I'm embracing the new group for what they've done."
For home playoff games this season, the Jets and the city have closed Donald Street, which borders Bell MTS Place on the east side, for a street and viewing party.
Gilhen said the Jets have renewed and even improved on the fan energy of yesteryear.
"The similarities are that this is still a hockey town that gets excited about hockey and playoff hockey," he said. "To watch it now is just amazing to see how the whole city here is just going crazy embracing this."
Hawerchuk, the coach of Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001 and into the Jets Hall of Fame in 2017.
He has attended several games in Winnipeg this season and said he has felt the city's strong support for the Jets.
"The sooner they win a series the better," Hawerchuk said. "They have a good hockey club. The fans are behind them and there's going to be ups and downs, just like you tell your team every night. The game is a bit of a roller coaster and it's pretty much the same for the fans but you've got to buy in and stay with it, team and fans. It's the best formula you can have.
"I find that energy every time I come out for a game. It's been like that since the team has come back. Every game day, the energy is flying through the city. I'm not sure how much business is getting done right now."
