The news broke late on twitter that Len ‘Kroppy’ Kropioski has passed away at the age of 98.
As many who have attended Winnipeg Jets games at the MTS Centre know, Kroppy as he was affectionately referenced, would often drive in from his home 2.5 hours away in Kenora to see his team play. When he was in attendance he would be featured on the Jumbotron belting out the Canadian anthem and would always get a great reaction from the crowd.
Fans noticed last season that Kroppy wasn’t being featured as often as he had in the past and it was learned that he had been dealing with some illness, which at his age isn’t difficult to comprehend.
But then it was on March 30th, 2016 in a Jets game against the Senators when none other than Kroppy was back in his familiar place on the Jumbotron as our Canadian national anthem came to a close. The crowd reaction was pretty special for the veteran:
Welcome home Kroppy. #NHLJets pic.twitter.com/sGnWcFZiAj
— Dave Minuk (@ICdave) March 30, 2016
He was also the winner of that night’s Fan vs. Fan:
He will be sadly missed at the MTS Centre this season.
