Hey, isn’t that Bono over yonder?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/05/2011 (5599 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hopefully you haven’t been holding your breath waiting for an announcement on the return of the NHL to Winnipeg but if so, relax and let it out.

News isn’t coming this weekend and if you need to stretch your legs a bit let me suggest Bono and his U2 mates might be a good place to start.

If you’ve been stalking hotel lobbies and airstrips in hopes of a Gary Bettman sighting — keep the trenchcoat on and focus on snapping a shot of Bono.

Word is the boys are in town already and might even hole up at the Burt for some rehearsal time.

So there’s some paparazzi type stuff to do while waiting on the big day, which all indications would suggest is coming sooner or later.

While we’d all like it to be sooner, there is a possibility it will take a little more time. So be patient and enjoy the weather. At least it’s not snowing.

The past week has been a doozy on the Winnipeg sports scene and while we’ve all been arguing over what constitutes a done deal and whether or not it absolutely, positively has to be Jets — there have been some lighter moments.

My personal favourite came last weekend when I phoned my radio partner Andrew (Hustler) Paterson to ask a question about a scheduling issue and was greeted by a decidedly groggy voice at the other end of the line.

Hustler had clearly pulled a Fedor Fedorov the night before and was not ready for action.

Evil and petty man that I can be, I decided to get his blood flowing.

“This is it, Hus. I just talked to True North. The deal’s done and they’ve called a presser for noon. Get over to 1290 (studio) and I’ll see you there. We gotta go live now,” I said.

“Huh, what, uh, really, well, yeah, I guess, ummmmm, OK, I’ll see you there,” groaned Hustler as he peeled himself off the floor. “When will you be there?”

Cruelty is one of the clubs in my bag but not my best, so I let him off the hook right away.

“I’m just kidding, sucka. But I thought we agreed to be at our best at all times until this red alert was over?” I giggled.

Hustler’s response was utterly unprintable and he has sworn to return the favour someday soon.

In the height of the panic to get a story of this magnitude first, there is a vigilance required when it comes to news tips that sometimes result in great scoops — or turn out to be non-stories.

Early Monday afternoon during the holiday weekend a Free Press staffer stumbled upon a Tweet stating that Dancing Gabe had posted a message on his Facebook page regarding a new team jersey and a press conference.

Some quick digging by the newsroom revealed the Tweet to be a fake. But for a while there, hearts were racing.

Same goes for a tip about a private jet landing from Atlanta. Photographers and reporters were dispatched but the fellows in question said they were bankers from Houston and not here to sell a hockey team.

The next tip, of course, could be the big one.

So stay tuned. It’s find Bono for a day or two but then it’s back to spot the Commish.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca