'Long overdue': Winnipeg Jets preseason game sees thousands of fans in attendance
After 567 days, the Winnipeg Jets had their first home game with fans gathered by the thousands.
For the last year and a half, COVID-19 has kept doors closed to spectators, making last night’s highly anticipated preseason opener a memorable night for fans in attendance who've been longing for live hockey.
Fans were lined up around the block and could barely hold their anticipation ahead of the game against the Ottawa Senators.
"As soon as I found out we were going to have fans, I was so, so, so, so, pumped,” said one Jets fan before Sunday’s game.
“I can’t wait to get in there. All my favourite players are playing. I can’t wait.”
For the first time since March of 2020, Jets tickets were available to the general public with no capacity restrictions on attendance.
It was a moment that could not come soon enough for many fans, with some even travelling from around the province to be there.
While the fans got an overtime game with a former Wheat King scoring for the visiting team, the Jets eventually fell to Ottawa in overtime by a score of 3-2.
Nevertheless, it was all celebration and gratitude after the game.
"People were great, that's what Manitobans are all about…[it] just brings the best out in everyone. Long overdue," said a fan after the game.
Though safety measures are still in place to help fight the spread of COVID-19, it did not hinder the experience of those in attendance who are looking forward to sharing more moments like these with fellow fans.
CTV News Winnipeg previously reported that people need to be fully vaccinated to attend Winnipeg Jets games. Children who are under 12 can attend if they’re accompanied by a fully immunized person that they live with or are related to.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Swiss fans get ready to welcome Eurovision winner Nemo back home
Swiss Eurovision fans were getting ready Sunday to give a hero's welcome to singer Nemo, who won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with "The Code," an operatic pop-rap ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing a nongender identity.
Flash floods and cold lava flow hit Indonesia's Sumatra island. At least 37 people were killed
Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island triggered flash floods that killed at least 37 people and more than a dozen others were missing, officials said Sunday.
'I felt I wasn't alone': Ottawa's Mental Health Gala gets the conversation going
A personal experience has turned into one of Ottawa's biggest fund raisers to get the conversation going to remove the stigma of mental health in our community.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."