Heritage Classic alumni game wicked slapshot from the past

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/10/2016 (3260 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I started my attempt to find the right words to describe the Heritage Classic weekend while watching the Winnipeg Jets alumni players celebrate Saturday afternoon’s win over the Edmonton Oilers — and it wasn’t even half over.

It’s not often something you have such high hopes for exceeds your expectations — or blows them right out of the water — but my visit to Winnipeg for the games and the events surrounding them certainly did just that.

Universally applauded by the Oilers and Jets alumni alike, Jets owner Mark Chipman, the staff at True North Sports and Entertainment, volunteers and service people treated us all like royalty, going above and beyond what was needed or expected.

From the day I received my invitation to attend the festivities, we had every question answered quickly and were constantly kept updated as some of the events morphed as we got closer to them. For me, this also meant TNSE’s Andrea Burgoyne and Caitlin Giesbrecht basically taking my six days in Winnipeg and handling every detail and request so I had no worries whatsoever. Life was very good.

It was a whirlwind journey starting Wednesday with the Jets-Leafs game and Thursday’s Hall of Fame luncheon honouring Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. I really enjoyed watching the Friday alumni practices of both clubs — a fun trip down memory lane — and the huge crowd at the MTS Centre had a blast.

The Friday night gala dinner was a superb event hosted by Ron McLean. He was, as always, in top form. The Hot Stove concept was fun, where former greats from both teams were asked questions by McLean as they sat around in a relaxed environment and relived some great old stories of the many battles between the two clubs.

My guest at this event was Ted Foreman, known well by many of the WHA and NHL Jets alumni as an excellent financial adviser and great friend. We were taken by surprise when Ted was acknowledged by McLean as an important part of the strong connection he feels with Winnipeg, as it was Foreman who first brought McLean here for the fundraising dinners with his Winnipeg South Blues. There’s no shock factor in seeing McLean deliver another classy gesture — it’s just nice to see it hit close to home.

It was quite the scene Saturday at Investors Group Field as you could hardly move on the concourse before the game. With all the terrific care True North had given us to that point, I half expected a large bird to come down and pick me up and deliver me to any destination at my command. A Jets’ alumni win obviously made the day for everyone not wearing an Oilers jersey — I hate that thing, and there were far too many for my liking.

The VIP party Saturday night was another excellent adventure with great music and a chance to mingle with some nice people. On top of this, we were hosted at Hy’s Steakhouse on these nights — both Oilers and Jets alumni hanging out together. Late Jets general manager John Ferguson must have been sweating bullets watching this, as it was a big no-no back in the day. If we dared to even smile at an opposition player in the warmup, you could bet your last dollar he’d be waiting for you in the dressing room with a nod to join him in a quiet place where he explained how that move could be hazardous to your continued employment with the Jets.

Sunday’s game could have been dangerous, leaving a bunch of alumni in our pre-game party tent with the game-start delayed, but it all worked well, except for the game of course.

Sunday night was the final night together for a lot of players, and Oilers and Jets alumni were 100 per cent in agreement as to how fantastic the weekend was — it was repeated throughout the night.

While I had many great conversations with former teammates and foes alike, one constant for me from Wednesday on was getting together with Morris Lukowich (I was the “other skater” the Jets protected when they entered the NHL in 1979). He and I started out renting a condo together in Houston the year before we came to Winnipeg, my rookie year — his sophomore one.

Telling old stories isn’t always a good thing when you get together and I was reminded of an old tale…

Luke asked me (fresh off living with billets in junior — no experience at all in the real world) to get insurance on the place. So I got the insurance, and he had his nice, new Remington shotgun stolen. He had a problem though, because I had the insurance in my name only. While he was a little unhappy with me for a few decades, he got a call about 10 years ago from the Houston police and got his gun back in excellent condition. In a way, that gun making its way back was a precursor to what happened last weekend with former players, coaches, training staff, equipment managers, front office staff and owners getting back together.

Having looked good in the alumni game, Luke took exception to some who mentioned the game didn’t have the physicality of the rivalry in the old days as he sported a noticeable face-burn bump and a sore jaw, courtesy of Oiler Craig Muni’s elbow. With some urging from new friends, he took to Twitter for some fun and received a nice apology from Muni, who also mentioned the event was fantastic, pointing to the great Jets fans as a huge reason.

There were many relationships rekindled over this weekend, with many new friends made. Fan appreciation was out of this world. Winnipeg has always been a city known everywhere for its warm and inviting people. I hope you never get tired of hearing that.

Chosen ninth overall by the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and first overall by the WHA’s Houston Aeros in 1977, Scott Campbell has now been drafted by the Winnipeg Free Press to play a new style of game.

Twitter: @NHL_Campbell