'It's great to be a fan in Manitoba': Bombers, Jets success creating excitement throughout Winnipeg
Excitement can be felt throughout Winnipeg these days as both the Winnipeg Jets and Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been dominating.
The Jets are sitting atop the NHL with a record of 15-1 – the fastest a team has ever reached the 15-win mark in league history – and the Bombers are heading to their 5th straight Grey Cup this weekend in Vancouver.
"It's great to be a fan in Manitoba right now," said Bombers fan Sue Henderson.
Henderson has been a season ticket holder since 1985, and she's excited about this era of success for the team.
"They're my life. My emotions are up and down with the Bombers if they win or lose."
But her emotions haven't been down much lately, and the same can be said for Jets fans in the city.
"It's like nothing but good news for us here in Manitoba right now," said Jets fan Janet Stefaniuk. "We're really up there with the competitive sports in the NHL and CFL. So that's pretty awesome."
The success on the ice is creating a special feeling off of it.
"I worked the game on Saturday, and I have to say the atmosphere was electric," said Sean Kavanagh, the senior director of communications for True North Sports and Entertainment.
"The staff working the game that night, we were looking at each other in the eyes, and it was almost like you didn't have to say it. You knew it."
Ben Schellenberg, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba, is doing research about sports fans and how their passion can either be a force for good or bad in their lives.
"The better the team is doing, the more this topic is front of mind for people," said Schellenberg.
"You're almost cheering for yourself. You are on the ice because this team is kind of part of who you are. So that's why we see this strong connection to teams, even lifelong connections.
Hans Stasiuk is one of those lifelong blue and gold fans. He has been a season ticket holder since 1979, a multi-generational family of fans, and like many others, he believes Winnipeg is on the cusp of something special.
"I'm not going to call it a dynasty yet. Maybe after Sunday," said Stasiuk.
The Grey Cup can be seen on CTV on Sunday – the Blue Bombers do battle with the Toronto Argonauts.
The Jets will be back on the ice Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates Car security investigation: How W5 'stole' a car using a device we ordered online
In part two of a three-part series into how thieves are able to drive off with modern vehicles so easily, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward uses a device flagged by police to easily clone a car key.
Satire slinger The Onion buys Alex Jones' Infowars at auction with help from Sandy Hook families
The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones' Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax, the families announced Thursday.
South African government says it won't help 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine
South Africa's government says it will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country's North West province who have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.
Some Scotiabank users facing 'intermittent' access to banking days after scheduled maintenance
Scotiabank users say they are having issues using their bank’s services following a scheduled maintenance period that ended days ago.
2 B.C. Realtors fined $100K apiece for failing to disclose information to clients
Two B.C. real estate agents have been fined a combined total of more than $200,000 for professional misconduct they committed during the sale of a waterfront property on the Sunshine Coast in 2017.
Trump's defence secretary pick said women shouldn't be in combat roles. These female veterans fear what comes next
Female veterans fear the progress made for women in combat since then will be reversed after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump announced Pete Hegseth this week as his pick for secretary of defense – a Fox News host and Army veteran who has criticized efforts to allow women into combat roles.
'Only in Australia': Couple comes home to find koala in bed
Koalas are normally found in eucalyptus trees, but one couple came home in Australia on Wednesday and were shocked to find one in their bedroom.
B.C. midwives' college issues warnings about 4 unregistered women
The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives has issued nearly identical warnings about four women, each of whom it says 'may be offering midwifery services' without being permitted to do so.
opinion Why the new U.S. administration won't have much time for us
In a column for CTVNews.ca, former Conservative Party political advisor and strategist Rudy Husny says that when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau goes to the G-20 summit next week, it will look more like his goodbye tour.