Whiteout party moves indoors

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This article was published 27/04/2018 (2694 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The whiteout moved from the streets and into the arena Friday night, as Bell MTS Place opened for the first Winnipeg Jets whiteout viewing party.

Thousands of fans waved towels, wore Jets gear and sported faces painted white as they streamed into the arena to watch their team do battle in Game 1 against the Nashville Predators in Round 2 of the NHL’s Western Conference Stanley Cup playoffs.

The lower bowl of the arena, which has a capacity of 8,800, was hardly full. Even if the turnout was a low, the roughly 5,000 fans that showed up were loud and proud.

Fans whipped white towels back and forth in the air and reacted to the game with cheers and boos as loud as if it were unfolding in front of their eyes, rather than being broadcast in on the arena’s big screens from Nashville.

Joe Lesko, a lifelong Jets fan who came out to the game with his son, was asked why, in addition to being fully decked out in Jets gear, he felt the need to paint his face and goatee white.

“Because the whiteout doesn’t stop. Home or away, it doesn’t stop,” said Lesko, waiting in line at a concession stand.

“I thought the viewing party was a great idea, honestly. That’s why I’m here. It’s a great way for fans to be able to come together and support our Jets. And I think the team will see the support they’re getting on a continual basis, whether they’re at home or on the road.”

When asked to predict a winner, Lesko paused and then said the Jets would be victorious.

“Nashville is going to be tough, but I’m going to give this one to the Jets. I think we’re going to take it, even if it’ll be a tough battle. Maybe it’ll take overtime, but I think we’re going to take this one.”

After the doors opened at 6 p.m., fans streamed into the arena, some wearing costumes that looked more suited for Halloween than an NHL game.

A child walked down the corridor with his family dressed as a Star Wars stormtrooper, waving a blue Jets foam finger with each step.

A man stood in line for a beer dressed as the Pope, if only the religious leader’s outfit had the Jets logo. Others could be seen in Jets jerseys and shirts, tuques and hats, with white streamers, towels and wigs.

As shouts of “Get your 50-50 here” rang out, a boy dressed in an oversized Jets jersey trailed behind his father through the halls, a mini stick in his hands, shooting an imaginary puck as he walked.

Annette Aquin, who took her young son and his two friends to watch the game, said the viewing party — at $10 a ticket — offered an affordable night out for a family.

She said they’ll consider going again if True North Sports and Entertainment (which owns the Jets and the arena) considers making the viewing parties a regular fixture of the team’s away games for the rest of the playoffs.

“It’s definitely a good opportunity to take the kids out. It’s something fun for them to do, something for them to enjoy,” Aquin said, who’s also been attending the whiteout street parties with her family during home games.

Minutes before the puck dropped, as the last of the fans were trickling into their seats, the live broadcast from Nashville cut to a shot of Bell MTS Place.

As the crowd recognized itself on the jumbo screen, a massive cheer ripped through the rink and white towels were twirled in the air.

Another viewing party will take place at the Bell MTS Place for Game 2 of the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators’ best-of-seven series on Sunday.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe