Mini Jets live out big league dreams

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Most of the Southdale Mini Jets players are still losing their baby teeth, yet Thursday they got to live out big league dreams, triumphing 2-1 after facing off at the MTS Centre.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/11/2011 (5076 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most of the Southdale Mini Jets players are still losing their baby teeth, yet Thursday they got to live out big league dreams, triumphing 2-1 after facing off at the MTS Centre.

The team of 4-to-6-year-old hockey players got the chance to drop the puck on the same ice carved up for them by the National Hockey League team they’re named after, on a night that saw the Winnipeg Jets fall 5-2 to the Florida Panthers.

“It was a pretty cool experience.” said Shane Adolph, Mini Jets coach and parent. “The kids were hyped up for the weeks that we knew about it.”

“I think the dads were a little more hyped up than the kids,” Adolph admits.

The 13 Timbits Hockey players were strangely quiet as they suited up in a dressing room at the MTS Centre, but did break into a chant of “Go Jets Go” before heading to the rink. Thousands of spectators watched as the team, along with their four coaches, split into two groups to skate and slip their way around the ice.

“This is the fun years,” said Dave Charney, another of the team’s coaches. “Not a lot of trouble coaching at this age, so this is when hockey is still a lot of fun.”

“I stole the puck from somebody, and I shot it through the legs of the goalie,” said Kaiden Adolph post game, sporting Hot Wheels long underwear.

This season, True North will offer the opportunity to play at the MTS Centre to 12 Timbits Hockey and four Timbits Ringette teams. Selected randomly, each team gets 26 seats in the sold-out arena, a visit from Mick E. Moose and, of course, free Timbits. They take the ice for four minutes during the first intermission of the Winnipeg Jets games.

Timbits Hockey has been a starting point for many of today’s hockey stars, such as poster boy Sidney Crosby. Timbits Minor Hockey started up more than 25 years ago and today aids more than 50,000 players a year by providing player jerseys and other assistance to teams.

The Southdale Mini Jets have been playing together for about a month, meeting for one practice and one game per week. With 2,000 Winnipeg children eligible for a turn on the ice, the coaches know this is a rare opportunity.

“This’ll never happen again,” said Charney. “We’re very, very fortunate.”

Tania.Kohut@Winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @taniakohut

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