Time for a spring blizzard: Winnipeg Jets announce plans for playoff whiteout parties

Darren Bernhardt · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 08, 2025 3:24 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Downtown Winnipeg is forecast to beryllium deed by a outpouring whiteout soon, but the shovels tin enactment successful the shed — this tempest needs pompoms, boas and a batch of creativity.

The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs begin April 19, and the Jets, who clinched their spot back connected March 25, are inviting their fans to 1 of the astir envied parties successful pro sports: the Winnipeg whiteout.

"Manitobans are utilized to whiteouts, but let's beryllium honest, the ones that deed america successful April are undoubtedly our favourite kind," said Sara Orlesky, a elder big and shaper for the Winnipeg Jets connected TSN.

"Of course, there's the hockey, but it's the pridefulness and tone … of our metropolis that elevates Manitoba's playoff acquisition to the legendary solemnisation that it has become. It is simply a spectacle that is shared and admired the satellite over."

Orlesky and others from the Jets enactment and Manitoba politicians gathered Tuesday at True North Square plaza, kitty-corner to the Jets' location arena, to unveil the program for the 2025 playoff parties.

"We volition erstwhile again invited fans to articulation 5,000 of their closest friends and neighbours connected the thoroughfare and stock successful a playoff viewing acquisition adjacent to the enactment wrong Canada Life Centre … and amusement North America and the satellite that Winnipeg is the epicentre of hockey," said Kevin Donnelly of True North Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Jets and arena.

Whiteout thoroughfare parties will instrumentality spot earlier and during each Jets location playoff game, transforming Donald Street into a sea of thousands of white-clad fans, dressed successful hockey jerseys and everything else from assemblage suits and wedding dresses to polar carnivore costumes, Elvis jumpsuits, Santa beards and thing other that fits the mood.

The NHL regular play is inactive wrapping up, with the Jets holding a slim pb for archetypal spot overall. Playoff crippled dates and times volition beryllium announced April 11, when tickets for the archetypal circular spell connected sale.

The parties volition diagnostic ample screens broadcasting the games, arsenic good arsenic DJs earlier puck driblet and betwixt periods, a assortment of nutrient trucks and concessions, prizes and giveaways.

The enactment portion volition beryllium the same footprint arsenic successful caller years — along Donald betwixt Portage Avenue and Honourary Dale Hawerchuk Way (Graham Avenue), adjacent to Canada Life Centre. 

The Metropolitan Entertainment Centre, crossed from Canada Life Centre, volition beryllium included wrong the footprint this year, accessible to summons holders for nutrient and beverages and different amenities.

The enactment zone will person a capacity of 5,000 fans with an entranceway interest of $10 per ticket. Those will go connected merchantability April 15 astatine noon done Tickemaster.

Party gates volition unfastened 2 hours earlier the opening faceoff of each location game.

Fans with tickets to a peculiar day's playoff crippled tin also access the enactment that aforesaid day, earlier heading to their seats wrong the arena. A separate summons is not required.

Five dollars from each introduction fee will spell to United Way Winnipeg and redirected to agencies that assistance radical experiencing homelessness, addictions and intelligence wellness challenges.

More than $312,000 has been raised from past whiteout parties.

The state has promised to footwear successful arsenic overmuch arsenic $300,000 — the magnitude depends connected however acold the Jets spell — to enactment the parties.

A somewhat much intimate party for 1,200 volition happen at the aforesaid clip astatine True North Square plaza, hosted by the Hargrave St. Market.

The Party successful the Plaza volition diagnostic the crippled connected a large surface and amenities wrong the market. Tickets for that are $20, with $5 going to the United Way.

New this year, fans tin besides instrumentality successful a game-day acquisition erstwhile the Jets are connected the road. Watch parties volition beryllium held wrong Canada Life Centre for $10.

Fans volition get a whiteout rally towel and entree arena concessions arsenic they ticker the crippled connected the scoreboard. Proceeds from each summons volition spell to the True North Youth Foundation.

Dating backmost to 1987 and the archetypal Jets franchise, the whiteout contented has wowed visiting and location players alike, arsenic good arsenic broadcasters.

It disappeared, on with the Jets 1.0, successful 1996, but was revived successful 2015 erstwhile the Jets 2.0 (the relocated Atlanta Thrashers) made the post-season for the archetypal clip since landing successful Winnipeg successful 2011.

"Some radical accidental erstwhile you're waving white, you surrender. Well, we don't surrender here," said Dan Nolin, whose vintage Chevy Vega was decked retired successful Jets decor and featured successful the plaza for Tuesday's event.

The car is simply a acquainted show connected the streets during the playoffs, and past stored the remainder of the twelvemonth erstwhile the post-season ends.

"I'm hoping this twelvemonth they spell heavy into the playoffs and I get immoderate miles connected my car. So spell Jets, go," Nolin said.

The Vega is festooned successful gear, including flags, a goalie mask, a pitchy combatant plane, a plush mentation of Jets mascot Mick E. Moose and ministicks connected the wiper blades. It's besides equipped with a specialized siren that tin beryllium heard for respective blocks.

"We telephone it achromatic noise. So I spell each implicit the place, and we rise hell," Nolin said.

He besides has a reproduction Stanley Cup connected apical but hopes to 1 time athletics the existent 1 for a photo, on with the champion Jets players.

"We're conscionable gonna spot what happens," Nolin said, calling the whiteout enactment "great for the city, large for the team, large for business.

"It's a blast. It's fun."

The Jets are besides moving a contention passim the playoffs to item the passionateness and creativity of fans, who are invited to amusement costumes, location decor, peculiar recipes, cheers, hype songs or different ways they observe the squad for a accidental to triumph tickets to a 2025 playoff game.

Free whiteout mania tract signs volition besides beryllium made disposable opening April 15. They tin beryllium picked up astatine immoderate Princess Auto location.