‘Frosty’ would have treasured this night

Opinion

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This article was published 20/10/2011 (5101 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Matt Frost would have loved this night and if there’s any justice he and John Ferguson and Howie Morenz and Bill Barilko and all the hockey gods shared a few cold ones and watched from up above.

And when public address man Andy Frost (no relation), good Winnipeg boy that he is, welcomed the Jets back to the NHL on behalf of the Leafs and the fans responded with a standing ovation, there would have been smiles and a few tears in hockey heaven.

The Leafs winning in a shootout, well, that’s almost a tie and it would have made everyone happy on this night.

Matt Frost was a Toronto kid who moved to Winnipeg in his teenage years and became a Jets fan and later went to work with the Manitoba Moose in the PR department.

He was diligent, funny, kind and competitive. And don’t let the glasses and freckles fool you — he had fire, too. One night in Kansas City after too many pops watching the Moose play, he got into a shouting match with Blades coach and former Jets forward Paul MacLean.

MacLean wanted Frost fired and Moose GM Randy Carlyle arranged a truce, with the caveat that Frost apologize. He eventually did, but it was less than contrite. Frosty didn’t think he was in the wrong and he could be stubborn, which was one of the traits that made Carlyle and Craig Heisinger love him.

Frost was great at his job and got the call many Canadian boys dream of when the Toronto Maple Leafs asked him to work for hockey’s most popular franchise.

Just after settling into Toronto and his new job with the Leafs, Frost was diagnosed with cancer and died in the summer of 2005 at the age of 33. Today, his picture hangs in the Leafs press box on their Wall of Honour and as I walked by Wednesday night and saw his smiling face I lost my breath for a moment.

This was a moment ‘Frosty’ would have enjoyed like few others, with deep connections to both True North and the Leafs.

The Jets jerseys scattered throughout the Air Canada Centre stands and owners Mark Chipman and David Thomson rolling into the press box just prior to game time and mob of media at the Jets morning skate, all made this a big night for Winnipeg and those that love the city.

There are opponents and then there are the Toronto Maple Leafs. There is no press box in the league like Foster Hewitt Gondola with media, scouts and league personnel buzzing around. Toronto, whether we like it or not, is the centre of the hockey universe and the Jets making their first visit in 15 years was a big event.

Frost was proud of his Winnipeg connections and this rebirth of the Jets would have had him smiling.

Like we said, Matt Frost would have loved this night.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @garylawless