2 weeks Ago By By Connor McDowell
An estimated 2,000 people lined up Friday outside the Shoppers Mall in Brandon for the Winnipeg Jets Hype Tour ahead of the team’s first NHL playoff game. Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support.
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An estimated 2,000 people lined up Friday outside the Shoppers Mall in Brandon for the Winnipeg Jets Hype Tour ahead of the team’s first NHL playoff game. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? An estimated 2,000 people lined up Friday outside the Shoppers Mall in Brandon for the Winnipeg Jets Hype Tour ahead of the team’s first NHL playoff game. Jets outreach staff came to the Wheat City to rally the fans as the team’s playoff run begins, with the first game scheduled for this evening.
A sales booth with Jets towels, hats, flags and shirts opened in the parking lot, attracting fans in the area despite chilling wind that led the outreach team and fans to wear mittens and doubled-up jackets. The team also hosted giveaways on Friday, including player yearbooks and T-shirts, as well as tickets to the whiteout party in Winnipeg. The Brandon event ran from 11:30 a.
m. to 1:30 p.m.
Brandon little league hockey player Felix Hornby was one of the lucky fans on Friday to receive a puck signed by a player on the Winnipeg Jets. Hornby was chosen while waiting in line at the Winnipeg Jets Hype Tour visiting Brandon to promote the team before the playoffs begin. He is seen with Benny, the mascot of the original Jets team.
(Connor McDowell/The Brandon Sun) Pleasantly surprised yesterday was Felix Hornby, a 10-year-old from Brandon who plays as a winger in his little league. Hornby received a puck signed by alternate captain Josh Morrissey, a defenceman for the Jets. Hornby’s parents, sister and grandparents were also waiting in line.
“We’re a big hockey family, that’s for sure,” said his mother, Melissa. She said the family sits down to watch games together, and Felix’s older sister won gold at provincials this year. The outreach team picked Felix for the giveaway “because he was decked out in Jets gear,” a staff member told the Sun.
Waiting in line, Hornby wore a jersey signed by forward Ray Neufeld, who played on the original Jets team in the 1980s, and a matching ballcap. When asked who is his favourite player, Hornby told the Sun with no hesitation that it was goalie Connor Hellebuyck. Jets mascot Mick E.
Moose and former mascot Benny paid the family a visit in the lineup. Jets outreach staff told the Sun they reckoned more people in Brandon came to their event than three locations in Winnipeg combined. The Jets hype tour visited Brandon as its only stop outside the capital city.
The whiteout watch-party takes place outdoors in the streets of Winnipeg’s downtown. A 5,000-capacity crowd can watch the game on a big-screen television, with beer vendors and food trucks in the area. Game 1 starts today at 5 p.
m. against the St. Louis Blues.
The hype tour came to Brandon as the Jets finished an amazing season. They ended the regular season with the most points in the league, with 56 wins, 22 losses and four overtime losses. » cmcdowell@brandonsun.
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