Whiteout gets rave reviews from near and far

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This article was published 22/04/2024 (510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Jets seem to have made a new superfan.

That would be Pat McAfee, the former NFL punter turned sports commentator who couldn’t stop raving about the atmosphere inside Canada Life Centre on his wildly successful YouTube show Monday.

“That was fantastic,” he said, admitting he wouldn’t be able to pick out Winnipeg on a map prior to Sunday.

“I could not guess for the life of me where the hell it is, but I do know it’s a place I’d like to be one time. That barn was fantastic.”

Viewers were then shown images of the raucous Whiteout scene as he continued to verbally wave the pom-poms.

“Look at this place going bananas,” he said.

The Jets social media team quickly pounced, inviting to help McAfee “with your Canadian geography if you wanna come out for a game.”

The playoff environment made a great first impression on some of Winnipeg’s newest players who got to experience it for the first time.

“That’s what hockey is all about. It was an awesome game to be a part of,” said forward Gabe Vilardi, the key return in last summer’s blockbuster Pierre-Luc Dubois blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Kings.

Tyler Toffoli, a pending unrestricted free agent who was added at the trade deadline, said the Whiteout came as advertised. And then some, including the chaotic scenes outside the rink at the downtown street party.

“I definitely notice all of it. You could tell that they’re super involved the entire night,” he said.

“It was just a great experience and with the planes flying over, I didn’t think it was actually real. I thought it was a video, you know? That was sweet. So, hopefully we can keep the energy up and get a couple more wins.”

You know it’s something special when the team that lost is tipping its collective hat.

“With the energy and the atmosphere overall, I don’t know if I’ve played in a game like that in my career, to be honest,” said Avalanche forward Casey Mittelstadt.

“I loved it, though, I loved every second of it. Definitely excited for more. Especially on the road, I think it’s fun to come into someone else’s barn and be the villains. The crowd was awesome, extremely loud.”

And here’s Colorado head coach Jared Bednar, whose words might as well get slapped on Jets promotional materials.

“I love our crowd and the way they get excited for games back at home, I hadn’t been in a playoff atmosphere here yet and that’s as good as it gets,” he began.

“It’s a Whiteout, the fans are chanting and going crazy and you can feel the energy on the bench. It gave me goosebumps as a coach and I think the players were all feeling the same thing and it just forces you to bring your best. You get two teams that are fully engaged, bringing their best. That’s why (you like) watching playoff hockey in this type of atmosphere.

“We were also laughing after we saw a replay on one of the shows of when we were playing in the bubble and there were no fans, just recalling that atmosphere and trying to get up for a playoff game.

“That’s what makes playoff hockey the best is the fans getting into it, the city’s getting into it and then playing in that type of atmosphere, there’s nothing better.”

There’s plenty of secrecy this time of year around injured players, so take everything with a grain of salt.

However, Jets coach Rick Bowness disclosed that forward Morgan Barron, who suffered a lower-body injury last Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken, is not expected back anytime soon.

“He’s not skating yet. So he’s probably still another week away,” he said.

Bowness was asked if he’s considering any lineup changes after Game 1.

“Not at this point. We’ll discuss it again later with the coaches. We’re going to take our time. We don’t want to panic to make any decisions,” he said.

The Avalanche remain encouraged they finally got to their game against the Jets for the first time since November, but they aren’t satisfied with keeping things close.

“We felt like we played a really good game other than a few mistakes and they capitalized on them,” said Avalanche defenceman Josh Manson. “At the end of the day, even if we played a good game, we still lost. It’s still one for them in the series.”

Any potential lineup changes for the Avalanche won’t be known until after the morning skate, since Justus Annunen is still dealing with an illness and defenceman Sam Girard remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury. We do know, however, that winger Jonathan Drouin is out for the series is out for the series with a lower-body injury suffered last week.

As for how Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev is feeling after giving up seven goals on 23 shots on net on Sunday?

“Yeah, I’m sure not great. It’s going to be about mental toughness,” said Bednar. “Not just for him, for our group. As positive as I’m going to be up here and sitting up here, we didn’t win the hockey game. But you have to be able to reset.

“If you’re dwelling on the past in the playoffs, then you’re not setting yourselves up for success the next night, and Georgie’s no different. He’s got to reset and go play better than he did last night.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca | X: @mikemcintyrewpg

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca | X: @WiebesWorld

Mike McIntyre
Reporter

Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.

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Ken Wiebe
Reporter

Raised in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were more adept at typing than scoring, he shifted his attention to cover his favourite sport as a writer.

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