Jets in position to become first NHL team in the city to reach a conference final

Jets on verge of history Josh Crabbe reports on how the Jets are in line to make history.

As a Winnipeg Jets fan Rick Brownlee has experienced both elation and frustration.

As a teenager, Brownlee was an arena usher in the Jets’ World Hockey Association era in the 1970s when the team captured three AVCO cup titles.

“It’s not certainly the same as it is nowadays where everybody’s dressed in the same outfits and everything like that,” said Brownlee. “I do recall from the seventies, when they were in the WHA era that similar to nowadays, the businesses have got signs out ‘Go Jets Go’ and are flying flags and advertisements and things like that.”

These days, Brownlee is the sports heritage manager for the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

He hasn’t started dusting off a spot in the hall for this year’s team quite yet but he said that doesn’t mean what the Jets have been able to accomplish so far isn’t significant.

“Thrashers/Jets history, Phoenix/Jets history, anything with a Jet logo on it, this would by far be the most successful NHL team in its existence either way,” said Brownlee. “I think certainly if they get to the Stanley Cup final they’d be talking about this team for a lot of years to come.”

“I think that’s the exciting part about it. The core of this team that’s doing all this right now is younger than the core was when Dale Hawerchuk and those guys were last time we had the chance to come this close.”

This year’s team still has a long way to go but the Jets right now are just one win away from accomplishing something no other NHL team in this city has ever done: advance to a conference final.

“I think for Winnipeg’s psyche, as a hockey fan, no lead is safe and we’ll believe it when we see it,” said Brownlee. “Really, in terms of NHL success, this city has not had a lot of NHL success.”

“Some of it is not due to not being able to build a good hockey team. I think Fergie built some good ones in the eighties and I think the nineties teams had some excellent players as well.”

“Unfortunately, the cycles that we’ve had have seen other teams rise up to greatness at the same time.”

The Jets will host the Nashville Predators in game six at Bell MTS Place Monday night at 8:30 central time.