For those of you who are sports fans, you will be able to relate if I told you that I lost my favourite team once. It does not matter what sport you follow and franchise you love, but if your favourite team has ever moved, you will know what it feels like.  If this has not happened to you, you can imagine the horror of your athletic celebrities “packing up for greener pastures”.

Sports does not define me, and I would not categorize myself a sports junkie. But I certainly love hockey, and have followed closely since my parents took me to my first Winnipeg Jets hockey game in 1979.

The team left for financial reasons in 1996, and the loss ripped the heart out of the city. Over the last 15 years, Winnipeg has made great strides moving forward, and as an added bonus, another NHL hockey franchise relocated there last May! My wife teased me on a regular basis during the 13 years that we have been together, because I continued to wear my Jets stuff, and never stopped believing that the team would be back.

My son is so excited, and the prospects of us going to a game together this year is a dream come true.

Last September before the start of the regular season, I woke up in the middle of the night once. I had a dream that I should write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. I wanted to share my memories of the old team growing up in Winnipeg and express my gratitude to the new owners for bringing “version 2.0” back!

So I ran downstairs to the computer and came up with this in the middle of the night! I have attached the link to the newspaper article below. My letter is about half way down.

It starts with “I remember my first Jets game in 1979”

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You don’t have to know the people, places or references in this post, to know how much I love my team. When I need a break from reality, and the rigours of daily life, it makes me happy beyond belief that my team is back and I get to watch them again this time with my son!

I was stunned to see the paper the day after the first game last October 9th. My letter to the editor was dead centre of the page in a special inaugural season “Winnipeg Jets Edition”. What a thrill and honour that was!

If you put your mind to something, who knows what can happen. Now I have an incredible keepsake for the rest of my life!