Fans of the Winnipeg Jets have been stocking up on merch to better represent their team as this year’s playoff run continues.
True North Sports and Entertainment says sales at their merchandise stores are blowing up as the team’s playoff run heats up. That’s as thousands of Jets fan wearing the team’s signature white show off their drip at the traditional whiteout street parties in downtown Winnipeg.
“The atmosphere in our stores has been phenomenal. It’s been busy all day from when we open to close here at the Canada Life Centre,” said Rishi Chandar, manager of retail operations at True North Sports.
“We’re keeping the printers going. We got stuff coming in continuously on a daily basis.”
Hoodies are a big item, Chandar said, and so are items like T-shirts, long-sleeves and bucket hats. Adam Lowry, Josh Morrissey, Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck and Nikolaj Ehlers jerseys have been popular all season long.
Almost all fans who showed up to the whiteout party Tuesday ahead Game 2 in the series against Colorado came in dressed up. But the boldest outfits you couldn’t buy at a store.
Terry Dowling and his crew came out to party wearing their Jets jerseys and a cowboy hats with jet planes glued on top. Dowling said his wife made them.
“It’s a Styrofoam plane, she adds light to it, buys these hats and just doctors them up quite well,” he said.
“She does a lot of crafts … I watch it, and support her.”
“I went for a snowy theme because it’s a whiteout blizzard party,” said Elishah Luptak, wearing a white ushanka, a cape, and what looked like two blue, Jet-themed Christmas baubles as earrings.
Bobby J. St. Laurent, a former wrestler, knows the value of dressing to impress. St. Laurent showed up brandishing a Jets logo on the breast pocket of his white suit, and another on his white fedora.
“I thought ahead. I knew the whiteout was coming, so I had a it done a few weeks ago,” he said.
“The playoffs is the best time of year and it’s so much better when the Jets have a chance to win. Not a ‘chance’ to win: They are going to win.”
