Meet the man behind the music: Winnipeg Jets organist ready to rock for the 2021-22 season

WINNIPEG -

The instantly recognizable and nostalgic opening notes of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ erupt on speakers throughout Canada Life Centre.

The 1984 arena rock hit is a staple in organist Chris Eccles’ repertoire: a blend of popular hits and fan favourites, along with crowd prompts like the three soaring chords that accompany the omnipresent “Go Jets Go!” chant.

Eccles, entering his fifth season playing at Jets games, has been part of the live game experience at hockey games in downtown Winnipeg for well over a decade.

Like many of the NHL players who skate on the ice below his booth, Eccles got his start on a backyard rink.

Years back, one of Eccles’ bandmates won a contest where Manitoba Moose would hold a practice at the winner’s outdoor rink. As a favour, Eccles agreed to play the organ during the scrimmage, catching the ear of Kyle Balharry, True North’s senior director of game presentation.

“[He] came up to me and said, ‘would you like to do this for real?’” Eccles told CTV News on Wednesday. “Yes. Yes, I would.”

Eccles started playing at Manitoba Moose home games before taking a hiatus to get his education degree. When offered the gig to play for the Jets, he jumped at the chance.

“It’s so gratifying to play for these fans,” Eccles said.

Eccles is a classically trained pianist but has played keyboard in several rock bands over the years. Since graduating from the University of Winnipeg in 2017, Eccles has been teaching at Champlain School in Winnipeg’s St. John’s neighbourhood.

On game nights, Eccles throws on his Winnipeg Jets home jersey with #88 stitched on the back – a nod to the number of keys on a piano – and climbs through a cubby hole into a booth situated above section 317.

Eccles, surrounded by four keyboards, plays sporadically throughout the pre-game warmup by alternating between rock and pop tunes and the aforementioned crowd prompts. He’ll play anywhere from a five second interlude to self-composed minute-long jams.

“Just something that’ll fire up the people. Get them ready for the hype.”

He calls his booth one of the best seats in Canada Life Centre and those sightlines end up playing an important role during stoppages.

“As soon as they drop that puck, I’ve got to wrap it up,” Eccles said. “You have to really be paying attention.”

Throughout the game, Eccles wears an earpiece connected to the rest of the production crew. When the director calls out ‘live organ,’ Eccles bursts into a crowd pleaser like the timeless melody building up to an emphatic “Charge!” roaring from the crowd.

Eccles said he loves hearing the energy rise in the arena, but that’s not always the case.

“When the Jets are losing, I still have to come up with something – it’s a full 60 minutes.”

Eccles, who’s played some big rock shows in his career, said nothing compares to playoff hockey in Winnipeg, most notably during the Jets run to the Western Conference Final in 2018.

“You could just feel it,” Eccles said. “The buzzing, the people… I wanted to play the whole time.”

The crowd energy hasn’t reached those levels during the Jets preseason games so far but Eccles said it’s incredible to have fans back in the building after a season of piped-in noise.

“The energy is gravitating. You can’t help but get pumped up.”

The Jets home opener is slated for Oct. 21 when they host the Anaheim Ducks – and Chris Eccles will be ready to lead the charge.

- With files from CTV's Ken Gabel