Winnipeg – Booming noise echoes throughout Canada Life Centre as fans dressed in all white ferociously wave their white towels in unison.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
The Winnipeg Whiteout is an atmosphere like none other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Take that sentiment from Callum, a Jets fan from Devon, England, who flew more than 15 hours to witness the spectacle in person.
“It [the whiteout] was quite special and very emotional,” Callum said. “You sort of get goosebumps. When Oh, Canada’s playing, and you see the whole crowd do the ‘True North’ chant… and then when the game gets going, it’s just a very special environment.”
Callum experienced the whiteout in full throttle during the Jets’ 5-3, Game 1 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, April 19, when Winnipeg scored three unanswered goals in the third period, including Kyle Connor’s game-winning tally with under two minutes remaining.
He said it was an experience of a lifetime.
Photo Credit: Colby Spence (Illegal Curve)
“I made myself dizzy, jumping up and down and screaming at the top of my lungs,” said Callum. “Everyone’s waving their towels, chanting ‘Go Jets Go,’ and then when they eventually scored the game winner, the eruption was unreal.”
During his 10-day trip in Winnipeg, Callum booked tickets to a regular season game and a playoff game so he could compare both experiences. He said both experiences were incredible.
“The regular season game was nuts, and then you sort of turn that up to 11 for the whiteout, it was like an atmosphere I’ve never experienced before.”
Callum’s journey to becoming a fan of Winnipeg’s hockey club is a long one that’s very different from others.
10 years ago, he came across the album Reconstruction Site from a rock band known as “The Weakerthans.” He fell in love with their music and said he would play the album on repeat for years.
One of the songs, One Great City!, describes the artist’s relationship with his hometown, which is Winnipeg. Callum said one of the lines in the song that always stood out to him was “The Guess Who suck, the Jets were lousy anyway.”
A few years ago, he decided to do some digging into what these lyrics actually meant, and that’s how he discovered the Winnipeg Jets.
“I just started googling, and at first, it showed the New York Jets,” he said. I figured that wasn’t right, so I kept looking and then found the Winnipeg Jets.”
The song was released in August 2003, during the years when the Jets were no longer a hockey team in the city. Callum said he began reading up on the history of the team, how the team left for a while, and then finally returned in 2011.
“It seemed like such an amazing story from the outside looking in,” he said. “It appeared as though a piece of the city left with the team when they left, and it came back when they came back.”
That one song became his “proper introduction” to hockey. After that, Callum began dipping in and out of watching hockey or listening on the radio. He said he became an invested fan of hockey and the Jets last February, meaning the drastic 6-hour time difference between Winnipeg and his hometown doesn’t stop him from watching every game.
Sometimes Callum will find himself watching hockey until around 3 a.m. if the game begins late on a western road trip.
“That’s what I’ve done, and I don’t plan on stopping for the playoffs,” he said. “I don’t mind being tired till the end of June, if that’s what it takes.”
Riskin plenty of sleep is a high level of fan dedication, and that’s exactly what Callum appreciates about Winnipeg and its Jets fans.
“It’s pretty clear that the city lives and breathes this team. You can really see how heavily integrated the Jets are within the city just by walking around and seeing the signs up and all that sort of stuff — it’s quite remarkable.”
Callum said he was wearing a Jets jersey on his flight to Winnipeg, and even the pilot greeted him with a “Go Jets Go” while boarding the plane. He knows the fans’ passion for their hockey club runs deep, and so do his feelings for the city of Winnipeg.
“I think the city is lovely,” said Callum. “I probably wouldn’t have come if there was no hockey, but I’d now come back when there’s no hockey — that wouldn’t need to be there for me to come back.”
He believes the people are what make the city so enjoyable.
“Winnipeg is probably made by its people.” “The place is nice, but the people are people I’ve never met before in my life — so kind, so welcoming. They go out of their way to do anything for you. It’s been difficult to say goodbye.”
