How time flies. It's cliche to say it but it's really true because that 5 years went like the blink of an eye lid. That's exactly how long the team formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers has been the Winnipeg Jets now.
The news was out and the celebrations, unofficial of course, had already taken place at Portage and Main on May 19th.
By the time the draft had rolled around the team had announced Kevin Cheveldayoff as executive VP and General Manager and Claude Noel as head coach. But still there was no name.
On draft day it was revealed by Darren Dreger that the name would be the Winnipeg Jets but had you been following me on Twitter you would have know the day before (yes there will be more of these "Pete was right first" moments). That being said I was wrong about the GM.
The summer went on and the lucky people who had been able to get season tickets were assigned seats but no one knew what the colours or logo would be until an odd day in July when by chance a courier or store employee happened to open a box because he was unsure of what was in it and who it was going to. At least that's how the story goes. There it was, the logo leaked to the public via Twitter and social media and within an hour lineups at official Jets stores, only the MTS centre, formed and went on for blocks.
Finally though it was the official jersey unveiling happened at Wing 17, a division of the Canadian Air Force and iconic part of Winnipeg's history. I was lucky to be there and meet Ladd and Slater that day and see the beginnings of what would be a firm bond with our armed forces community.
As the camera zooms in to Beyak you can see my silver head of hair (I was a younger guy with grey hair, the term silver fox does not do me justice)
The first game, preseason came, and owner Mark Chipman could not be there as he was required to be at a BOG meeting and he missed this- the event that would immediately capture the hearts of Jets fans:
During the pre-game stuff Gary Bettman did a radio interview in the grand foyer of the MTS centre and as he left fans starting chanting 'Thank you Gary' to my disbelief.
The pre-game intro was emotional and brought out the full HNIC crew and the beginning of that white noise.
There was the first home win versus the Penguins. The streak stopper against the Bruins and the birth of one of the most controversial terms 'Pavelectricity'. The fan favourite line of GST, Glass Slater and Thorburn was a third, 3RD!!!! line on that team and fans developed a disdain for Hainsey and love for Stuart.
By the time the season had ended a character had developed for the Jets, a coach who gave hilarious post-game interviews and a fan base that was easily the most passionate and loudest in the league. Team around the league started to take notice and prepare for the loudness in the MTS centre. The chants were part of what became part of that character of the fans as they took ownership of the arena when games were on.
'Mario's Pool Boy' 'Crosby's Better' 'Silver Medal' 'Paros' Moustache'
All of these were some of the great ones that came from the upper level, there were misses too but in all the chants were part of what coming to a Jets game was about.
As the season ticked down the Jets could not crack the top 8 in the east and again like the Thrashers found themselves looking at the playoffs from the outside. The final game of the season saw the fans chanting 'Thank you True North' at the end still as passionate as ever.
In the final game trying to tie the Lightning in a season lost to the playoffs again the passion rang true as I shot this:
Now five years after it all began the Jets sit not where some fans wold like or thought they wold be. Media and fans alike debate whether there really was a 5-year plan or was that something concocted based on other conditions and events? Instead of being in the post-season as the Jets were last year they now hold the number 2 spot in the draft after 'winning' the draft lottery and moving up 4 spots.
Some fans question the moves of the GM by going to such a youth movement yet praise him for the amount of talent he has built up the system. Others wonder what direction the team is trying to go based on some of the veterans on the team and positions they hold. Now matter where you go or who you ask there are questions about the Jets and what's going on.
So after 5 years is the team in the right spot? Did it take management 5 years to position the organization to succeed into the future and build towards a championship?
Some fans and media would suggest the real plan starts now based on the roster, the prospects and now a franchise-altering draft pick to come soon. That might be the case but it's not automatic, just look at the Oiler or Blue Jackets, or any other team picking near the top of the draft. It's not as easy as picking the right player(s). The test now is what needs to be done with all this talent, those draft picks and future contracts to key players to build toward a consistently winning team that can content with the best in the NHL.
If you are an optimist it starts now but if you are pessimist you wonder why it has taken this long. The middle ground, the realist, sees a bit of both worlds and proceeds with caution knowng that the twosome critical contracts are due for renewal in two years, Kevin Cheveldayoff's and Paul Maurice's.