The Winnipeg "White Out"
The 1985 Stanley Cup playoffs saw the birth of a renowned Winnipeg Jets tradition. The NHL Jets didn't have much to crow about when it came to playoff time, but the 1984-1985 season saw the Jets post a 43-27-10 record, good for second place in the Smythe Division and a date with the Calgary Flames, a team that the Jets grew to hate immensely after tame beginnings. This turned out to be the Jets best season in the NHL, and thoughts of a possible Stanley Cup run were flowing through the minds of many Jets fans, not yet aware of the years of mediocrity which would follow. In response to a similar campaign in Calgary which saw the Saddledome crowd all dressed in red, Winnipeg fans were called upon to wear white, which they did, to put it mildly. The "White Out" was born. The debut came on April 10, 1985, as the Jets hosted the Flames in Game 1 of the best of five Smythe Division semi-final series. White hats with "Hose the Flames" were being sold in large quantities to supplement the white attire already very prevalent among the attendees. Those who did not wear white were standing out like sore thumbs among a loud sold out crowd at the ShenkArena.
The "White Out" brought the Jets two victories in as many games, before the series shifted to Calgary. The first game was arguably the most exciting in NHL Jets history, as the Jets won 5-4 in overtime on a Brian Mullen goal. The Jets went on to win that series 3-1, before moving on and playing dead for the Edmonton Oilers, a common occurrence in Winnipeg Jets NHL history. Since this time, the Jets lack of playoff success have prompted many to refer to the "White Out" as the "White Curse", but Jets fans still had fun with it, and never before did so many enjoy so little so much, even though it became more and more apparent as the years went on that the Jets would never really contend in the postseason.
Since the initial beginning, Winnipeg Jets fans continued to embrace wearing white to playoff games, a tradition which outlived the team itself. This has been copied in numerous other NHL cities, but nowhere with the enthusiasm that it had here in Winnipeg with the Jets. It is seemingly forgotten in these cities where this tradition started, but Winnipeggers can watch from afar with pride that they've at least left something positive behind in the NHL, even if only we know it. The "White Out" continued in Winnipeg with considerably less interest for the Mark Chipman Moose, until fans finally gave up on it in the 2002 playoffs, much like Winnipeggers have given up on his Moose themselves.
Unfortunately, much to the chagrin of many Jets fans to this day, one of the places where this tradition has been copied is Phoenix, home of the Arizona Screaming Weasels, the relocated franchise which was the Jets. Seeing the sea of white in Arizona is enough to get any true Jets fan's blood boiling. Yes, it's their team now, but they should be building their own traditions, not taking ours. Though some would argue that continuing this tradition in Arizona is honoring the past, it is not their past, it is ours. The Screaming Weasels can no more claim Winnipeg Jets traditions as their own no more than the Indianapolis Colts should claim the Baltimore Colts past, or the Baltimore Modells should claim Cleveland Browns history.
|