Local Jets fans fired up to see team in playoffs

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This article was published 11/04/2018 (2978 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Coveted tickets for the first Winnipeg Jets playoff game in three years slipped through Joran Hedley’s grasp in an instant.

After repeatedly refreshing a ticket exchange website on Monday, the 29-year-old from Brandon stumbled upon a four-pack of tickets to tonight’s opening round game against the Minnesota Wild.

He texted his buddies right away and got a response from one pal in under 30 seconds. He was in.

“I clicked buy and they were already gone,” Hedley said.

If he purchased the tickets as soon as he saw them, they were his.

“I kind of regret not just buying them,” he said, explaining he found four tickets for $290 apiece.

“But I probably would have spent the next day or so looking for people to go, and it’s tax season right now, so there’s not a whole lot to spare.”

He added that his credit card is thanking him.

Playoff fever is gripping the province and Westman hockey fans are not immune, including the lucky few sharing season tickets with family and friends.

Hedley said his season ticket group was shut out of playoff seats this year, which prompted his anxious search.

He didn’t try again on Tuesday.

“I just decided that the couch with a couple buddies and a few beers doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Hedley said. “They’ve never won a playoff game, so I don’t know what kind of stress level I’ll be at during the game.”

He believes the Jets, surprise owners of the second-best record in the 31-team NHL, are bound to win their first playoff game since the team arrived in Winnipeg in 2012.

A playoff victory would be a long time coming for Hedley. His favourite team became the Atlanta Thrashers, the precursor to Jets 2.0, when the club drafted Ilya Kovalchuk in 2001. The franchise didn’t win a playoff game in those seasons, either.

Season-ticket holder Steve Dubois, 33, predicts the Jets will finish off the Wild in their best-of-seven series in five games.

That suits him just fine. He has a pair of seats for Game 5.

“Hopefully it’s not a sweep,” he said.

“I want to see a Jets playoff game. I think it’s great for the city, great for Manitoba.”

This is the first year the Brandonite has been part of a season ticket package, but he admits the tickets are more for his family than himself.

“My son is at an age now where he is really big into the Jets and going to the game is more of an excitement for him. It’s a big deal for an 11-year-old,” said Dubois, who owns PlumbWorks Plumbing and Heating.

“It’s something my dad did with me, and it’s something that I’d like to carry over with him.”

Shane Wilton of Wawanesa will join the 15,000-strong at Bell MTS Place for Game 1.

A random draw was held among his season ticket group and he and his brother Jamie won out for first choice on playoff games.

“I’m pretty excited. I’m really excited,” he said. “The only thing that’s stressing me out is the parking.”

Wilton will arrive at the game with a whiteout T-shirt and “Broncos” namebar stitched onto the back in tribute to the Humboldt junior hockey team involved in a tragic bus crash last week. The 51-year-old is following the lead of the Jets and Chicago Blackhawks, who wore “Broncos” on the back of their jerseys on Saturday.

“I just thought I’d do it, too,” he said. “It’s a pretty emotional time for the whole hockey world right now.”

Puck drop for Game 1 goes today at 6 p.m. at Bell MTS Place. The game will air on Sportsnet.

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