Winnipeg Jets and the old Winnipeg Arena.

It has to be said. For any Manitoban to not talk about the Jets is a disgrace. So, I guess it's my turn.

The Winnipeg Jets were the major hockey team in Winnipeg, first being in the Western Hockey Association and later acquired by the NHL. The team stayed in the long demolished Winnipeg Arena. The real Winnipeg Arena, not the MTS corporate shill center. The team owned a few great players like Dale Hawerchuk, Bobby Hull and Teemu Selanne. The old barn even hosted Game 3 of the Canada/Russia '72 summit series.

It was built in 1955, by Winnipeg Enterprises Corp. a community owned organization. It was one of the smallest NHL arenas in the league with around 15,565 seats. In playoff games the whole crowd would wear white in support of the team. The Jets were loved by the city and shown wonderful patronage from 1972 to 1976. This was a working class arena. No box seats, hard plastic, and very small. It was also renowned for it's unique urinal trough in the men's room, where men would pee in a giant urinal with little privacy.















Sadly, the Jets left Winnipeg after being purchased by the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996. There was a public outcry, citizens organized a "Save our Jets" fundraiser/concert (Fred Penner on the roster) and raised 10 million to keep the Jets in Winnipeg. But the NHL had made up it's mind, they wanted a larger arena with box seats and they wanted another team in the United States.

Winnipeg was without a major hockey team and the old arena was falling into disrepair. In 2003 After years of citizens begging for a new arena with hopes of getting the Jets back, the city finally built one the MTS Center. It was a purely corporate motivated buy after the city decided to demolish the site of the former Eatons department store on Portage Ave. This architectural lie of an arena was built just under the minimum required seats for an NHL franchise. The city had no intention of bringing the jets back, because they already had an American Hockey League team in town, The Manitoba Moose. Possibly the lamest and biggest deception of a hockey team Winnipeg has ever seen. With no use left for the old arena, the city started demolishing it in 2004.

The MTS lie.















Demolition:





























Seats:
















Bare bones:















I remember passing the old arena while it stood, I would have liked to gone inside. My dad apparently caught a Jets game back in the 80's sometime. Even though the Jets are long gone people still buy reproduction jerseys and hats in large
quantity. I guess Winnipeg hasn't given up yet.

Bring them back!

Jarrett