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Post by bigchris on Jun 23, 2005 20:18:53 GMT -5
- Jets vs. Devils, the Rememberance Day weekend, 1986: This is the night of the great blizzard of 1986 that shut the entire city down, almost. Almost because dispite the streets being under over a meter of snow the Jets and Devils played anyway. I was working there that night and it was easily the strangest night I ever worked due to less than 3500 of the 11000 ticket buyers for that game being able to get into the building. This game was villified by Curtis Walker on his site but the bottom line was that the blizzard didn't really hit until about 90 minutes before gametime and everyone on both teams and the officials were there anyway. However, it was so bizarre seeing the Jets play in front of what looked like nobody in the crowd. Hell, the game felt like a moose game. Why did Curtis Walker villify the game? Not that it suprises me, as he is more "looney tunes" than Bugs Bunny! ;D Well, it is on his "Good Fergie, Bad Fergie" section of his site. To paraphrase, he trashed it because A) The entire city was snowed in and it was insensetive towards the fans, (although both NHL teams in Denver have had to contend with much worse snowstorms more regularly and played on through as well,) and B) the Devils had to eat at McDonalds before the game. (Although at least 2 Devils players and the broadcast team of Mike Emrick and Fred Shero, both whom I was lucky enough to meet that day, claimed that the players probably would have eaten there anyway...) Frankly, if Curtis was at the game, he would have understood why it got played dispite the blizzard outside and the fans who had tickets and couldn't get in could have their tickets redeemed for a future game, or a Bombers preseason game. (The Jets struck a deal with Select A Seat to get that done, which was a better deal really because Bomber tickets to the preseason game meant free admission to the Red River Ex back then.)
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Post by bigchris on Jun 23, 2005 20:27:10 GMT -5
This is the current shortened version of Walker's tirade. It appears that he has dropped it from the "Good Fergie, Bad Fergie" section but has kept the abriviated version on the Jets Timeline. While the game is a comic footnote of sorts due to how empty the arena was, it was hardly the monumental slap in the face to the city and league that Walker paints it as.
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Post by joelzillmanwpg on Jun 23, 2005 20:45:28 GMT -5
This is the current shortened version of Walker's tirade. It appears that he has dropped it from the "Good Fergie, Bad Fergie" section but has kept the abriviated version on the Jets Timeline. While the game is a comic footnote of sorts due to how empty the arena was, it was hardly the monumental slap in the face to the city and league that Walker paints it as. BC, you're talking about a guy who puts maybe one or two clips of Bobby Hull's WHA days on his site. The rest of the Bobby Hull clips are non-hockey related garbage, with audio clips of his ex-wife telling all site visittors of what a "monstor" Hull was, and how he used to beat and terrorize her. This Curtis Walker guy, even though he does have a cool Jets memorial site, has a screw or two loose, at the least. There are plenty of things that puzzle me about the site. Like why does he let his own political views get in the way of NHL history? example: - He creates a section about what if Michel Goulet was drafted by the Jets, even though his hatred of all French people is fairly obvious to all
- When creating a table that shows the origins of Jet players by country, he lists Quebec as a "country", and calls the Canadiens the "Quebecers" and the Nordiques, the "Seperatists"
- For 2 whole weeks, the main page wasn't about the Jets. it was about the defeat of Glen Murray in the 2004 Federal Election, whom he referred to as "satan", until visitors complained.
- He gives every indication he is AGAINST an NHL return to Winnipeg. Perhaps one of the only citizens of the city (besides Kevin Donnelly), who is....
- When Darren first put this site up, he innocently linked his site to Walkers, referring to it as "Jets History". While most people would be flattered, Walker intercepted the link, had a few not-so-nice things to say about Ford, and made it clear he was 100% against this campaign..
- Threatened to sue the Moose organization for "copywrite infringement", for supposedly using one of his images for their website.
Curtis Walker should never be taken seriously. He is a nutball with too much time on his hands. ;D
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Post by bigchris on Jun 23, 2005 20:54:36 GMT -5
I mentioned Walker's tirade because a lot of people get their views of the Jets past, (especially those too young to remember the era in which he blasts,) and get the wrong idea. I wanted to give the Blizzard Game a perspective from someone who was actually there as opposed to Walker's rather nasty shots at it.
I agree whole heartedly about the hatred he shows almost all things Jets. The Hull stuff is inexcusable and I refuse to go anywhere near that section of the site.
The Goulet thing would be a cool "what if?" but only if A. he didn't act like such a racist towards Francaphones and B. if he added other players.
I would be okay with the Quebec thing if it was done lightheartedly but the guy MEANS IT when he talks like that. (Since people have jokingly called Quebec a country in the past.)
The Glen Murray thing was uncalled for as well and this is coming from someone who wanted him out of office until the last year or so that he was there and saw some of the good he actually did. (Murray wasn't a great mayor but he was better than Norrie or Suzie Creamcheeze.) The fact that Murray fought hard to run the Jets out of town would get solid mention on the site if I was running it but I would emphasize that he atoned for this years later and wouldn't have crossed the line the way Walker did.
The war of words he pulled with Darren was beyond sad, nuff said.
However, all things considered, he does have a lot of articles, pics and other multimedia to steal, hehehe...
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Post by joelzillmanwpg on Jun 23, 2005 21:05:03 GMT -5
I mentioned Walker's tirade because a lot of people get their views of the Jets past, (especially those too young to remember the era in which he blasts,) and get the wrong idea. I wanted to give the Blizzard Game a perspective from someone who was actually there as opposed to Walker's rather nasty shots at it. You were actually there? Wow. I remember listening to the game on radio. I believe it was the Rememberance Day weekend in 1986. We should give Hull that link. maybe we could get Hull to come and "visit" Walker someday... ;D exactly. Wouldn't it make more sense to choose Gretzky over Goulet. After all, Gretzky was originally going to board a flight from Indianapolis to Winnipeg, until his inner circle convinced him to goto the Oilers because of the Oil boom, and Pocklington's deep pockets... He used to have a political site that's sole purpose was Western Seperation, and the prospect of using military force to invade Quebec. It's off cyberspace now. I agree. I thin Murray could be the best mayor we have had since the Stephen Juba days. It's notable that Darren took the high road on taht dispute, by dropping Walker's link completely... Shhhhhhhh.... I'd rather look at it as "borrowing" it for a better cause.
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Post by USApegger on Jun 23, 2005 21:14:25 GMT -5
I thought that Gretzky coming to Winnipeg from Indianapolis was turned down by Michael Gobuty or one of the scouts, the thinking was he would never amount to anything.
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Post by bigchris on Jun 23, 2005 21:17:21 GMT -5
Yep, I worked for the Jets between 1984 and 1993 on and off, (my team was coached by Lyle Moffatt who was close with Fergie, who got us the jobs.) That game was one of my freakiest and fondest memories of my long tenure with the Jets. It was freaky because we were stuck there for most of the night because none of our parents could pick us up and the parents who were there couldn't get their cars out. The Jets and Enterprizes let us stay and left the backup lights in the building on so we wouldn't be scared. (We were like 10 years old.) Myself and my teammates went exploring around the arena and walked around the press box, watched tv in the private boxes, (saw Fergie's one way glass booth in the press box!!!) and met various players, coaches and the announcers for both the Jets and Devils. (Friar, Keilback, Emrick and Fred Shero.) We even bumped into Ferguson who delivered the news to Lyle that the game would go on. He assured us that the arena wasn't in any danger and the game would be able to get finished. He then proceeded to tell us not to worry about selling any programs and the team would still get our free food and stuff.
While exploring we found old WHA stuff, the Jets' trophy room, (not the lounge of the same name,) puttered around the Devils' dressing room, walked around on the ice before security shooed us away and sat on the benches, the penalty box and just marvelled at the empty arena. Moments like that make you better appreciate the NHL and the fact that it was right here in Winnipeg.
We finally got out of the arena at around 4-5am when bulldosers were finally able to clear out our cars and we were able to get home. Spooky, but if I could relive any night in my 9 years working for the Jets over and over, that one would be in my top 3!
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Post by joelzillmanwpg on Jun 24, 2005 11:58:57 GMT -5
I thought that Gretzky coming to Winnipeg from Indianapolis was turned down by Michael Gobuty or one of the scouts, the thinking was he would never amount to anything. Wayne Gretzky, at the time, was the most highly anticipated up-and-comer since Bobby Orr 13 years before. People knew Gretzky was going to be a star, but they didn't know how good he was. The thinking that Gretzky would not amount to anything is completely false...
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Post by Yar on Jun 24, 2005 12:02:36 GMT -5
Yep, I worked for the Jets between 1984 and 1993 on and off, (my team was coached by Lyle Moffatt who was close with Fergie, who got us the jobs.) That game was one of my freakiest and fondest memories of my long tenure with the Jets. It was freaky because we were stuck there for most of the night because none of our parents could pick us up and the parents who were there couldn't get their cars out. The Jets and Enterprizes let us stay and left the backup lights in the building on so we wouldn't be scared. (We were like 10 years old.) Myself and my teammates went exploring around the arena and walked around the press box, watched tv in the private boxes, (saw Fergie's one way glass booth in the press box!!!) and met various players, coaches and the announcers for both the Jets and Devils. (Friar, Keilback, Emrick and Fred Shero.) We even bumped into Ferguson who delivered the news to Lyle that the game would go on. He assured us that the arena wasn't in any danger and the game would be able to get finished. He then proceeded to tell us not to worry about selling any programs and the team would still get our free food and stuff. While exploring we found old WHA stuff, the Jets' trophy room, (not the lounge of the same name,) puttered around the Devils' dressing room, walked around on the ice before security shooed us away and sat on the benches, the penalty box and just marvelled at the empty arena. Moments like that make you better appreciate the NHL and the fact that it was right here in Winnipeg. We finally got out of the arena at around 4-5am when bulldosers were finally able to clear out our cars and we were able to get home. Spooky, but if I could relive any night in my 9 years working for the Jets over and over, that one would be in my top 3! man, that sounds like an awesome time. i would have killed for that job.
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Post by jets4ever on Jul 5, 2005 15:22:52 GMT -5
- Penut Butter Night, Jets vs. Senators, early in the 1993-94 season: The very first game I had to pay to get into since 1983 became a very nasty affair. The official game sponsor was Skippy Penut Butter and the fans all got free mini jars of the good stuff. Unfortunately the Jets were in freefall after a great start and the Sens slaughtered the Jets. Actually, you're right about the fans receiving peanut butter before the game. But, it was a game that the Jets were in complete control in up until the midway point of the third period. It was at this poit that the Jets led the then very woeful Ottawa Senators 6-3 when Vladimar Ruzidzcka walked through three Jets to make it a 6-4 game. Ottawa eventually tied the game and sent it to overtime at which point Stephane Beauregaurd let in a soft goal to give Ottawa a 7-6 OT win. It was at this point that the ice surface was showered with miniature jars of peanut butter. And, because of that, we now have what is known as "peanut butter night."
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