It’s been floated since the seventh team left that we’d be trying to bring it back to Canada. We tried back in November, at which point Hamilton would have been the lucky one. Now, it’s being tossed about that Winnipeg might be getting its team back instead.
The last time Winnipeg had a hockey team, I only barely followed the game. I knew enough to know Felix Potvan was the guy who’d either make or break the team. I knew enough to know Clark plus Gilmour equals somebody on the opposite team, usually the goaltender, wasn’t going to be happy. Of course, I was also 12 or 13 and paid more attention to when my favourite player was on the ice than I did the score at the end of the game. Still, to me, that’s classic hockey. That’s Leafs hockey, to a science.
I barely remember most of those games from back then. And, in fact, often find myself watching reruns of those games–thanks, Leafs TV–and quite litterally having moments of “Wo, this person actually played in Toronto?”. So, for that reason alone, neverminding the fact it’d just be perfect to have another team on this side of the border again, I still hold out a little hope it happens. If it happens to somewhere like Winnipeg, that’d just make it all the more sweet. I don’t remember a lot about the old Toronto versus Winnipeg games. But, if this ends up actually happening, I already know I’ll watch each and every one of the new Toronto versus Winnipeg matches, much like we tried to do growing up.
I did some crawling of Youtube, and stumbled across a highlight real of sorts from one of the old, probably now classic, games. Looking at the team from 1995, when the game was played, and today, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Here’s one for Winnipeg, and the possible return of the Jets. Oh, nevermind. Here’s one just for old time’s sake, period. Have a video.