WINNIPEG – Three hours before puck drop, Greg Burnett awaited the fate of his beloved , on the brink of elimination. The 58-year-old high school teacher stood in a fenced-off courtyard, just beyond a statue of the late Jets legend Dale Hawerchuk, between the glittering reflection of newly developed office towers on what used to be a vast parking lot in Winnipeg’s age-worn downtown. Advertisement Burnett felt optimistic.
Maybe the fans just needed a reason to believe? If that hope was fleeting with the Jets trailing 3-1 in the series, you wouldn’t have noticed as the Jets took the ice for warmups in Game 5. The arena buzz rose to a crescendo. Just after warmups, Celia Burnett met her family at their seats, taking a quick break from her job working at the front gate of Canada Life Centre, ushering lively fans through the ticket line at Portage Avenue.