“You know what, you’re never going to forget that, it’s unbelievable, The Whiteout, I always wanted to come in (for a) playoff game since I retired and now I’m here, so very excited.” – Teemu Selanne

Arena: Bell MTS Place (2004)
Location: Downtown Winnipeg
Game Attended: March 14, 2019 vs. Boston
Seat Location: Upstairs Center Ice
Game Result: 4-3 Jets Victory
Overall Impression: Somewhat Plain, but Lively

I arrived in Winnipeg with a curious uncertainty about the city. What is it known for? What kind of people live here? How will the Jets fans live up to their loud and passionate reputation? And of course, what is Bell MTS Place really like?

And I think I got some answers. Winnipeg is a smaller city with a distinct Midwestern feel, a city of great diversity, and overall, perhaps a somewhat plain city with lively people. And a lively hockey community, of course.

Bell MTS Place (“MTS”) is one of the NHL’s smaller arenas, seating just over 15,000, but it was still lively on this Thursday night. Jets fans are well-known and praised for their fervor and their “white-out” playoff games that help MTS generate an intimidating atmosphere to play in. Though it wasn’t a “white-out” or a playoff game, the fans were still engaged and much more vocal than their counterparts in Calgary and Edmonton.

The arena itself also feels a bit plain and you can tell it’s a smaller building, but the atriums were well designed with floor-to-ceiling glass windows to let light in and allow fans to see the surroundings of Downtown Winnipeg. The abundant blue mood lighting was also AWESOME! It gave the building a prevalent blue aura, which I really enjoyed.

Inside the rink itself, we found your standard arena. Some banners honoring original Jets greats such as Bobby Hull and Dale Hawerchuk, but not much recent history, owing to the “new” Jets’ limited history (the team moved from Atlanta in 2011). Decent lighting displays, scoreboards, and in-game music, but again, it just seemed pretty average to me.

A few unique points: like several other teams, the Jets feature the collection of hats fans have “contributed” after hat tricks, along with a video highlight screen.

And like several other teams, the Jets have a mascot: Mick E Moose. I even got to meet the local celebrity before the game, after he playfully pushed Boston fan Drew aside (hey, at least Drew didn’t get punched. Mick E Moose roams around the arena during the game, drum and mallet in hand, starting “Go Jets Go” chants. It was cool to meet him; hopefully the first of many mascot meetings to come!

So did Winnipeg live up to its hype? Perhaps. Fans were kind and nice to talk to, and celebrated loudly during the game, which was a treat to see. But I still think large American crowds and arenas are more energetic. And MTS is a nice arena, but lacks several of the unique features of other arenas I’ve been to, namely size and space. Nevertheless, a pretty good night in Winnipeg!

Building: 3 / 5

Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5

Neighborhood: 3.5 / 5

Overall: 3.5 / 5