5623 Days

Impossible (im-pos-uh-buh) - not possible; unable to be, exist, happen, etc.

They said it couldn't be done. It would never happen. They said it was too big, too expensive. They said we might as well give up. They said.......it was impossible.

I never was one of “them”.

I remember running down a back alley as a boy. My legs pumped as fast as I could make them move. The school bell had just rung and I knew my mom was home making me lunch. I wasn't running home to eat though - for as good a cook as my mom was - my little stomach had no appetite for food. I tore through the back lane, turned the corner and ran down the street. There was a small wooded area with a winding, narrow trail that I cut through. It was perfectly safe and it shaved about a minute off my full-out sprint so I took it. My mind raced. Across a street, and crosswalk – which my Mother had lobbied the city for – and over a small hill. I was home. I threw the door open, out of breath, and looked at my Mom who was expectantly waiting in the living room. I looked at her with nervous anticipation with childlike, eternal enthusiasm radiating from my eyes.

“No word yet,” she said. “The decision was delayed.”

We didn't lose the Jets that day, though they did end up leaving at the end of that season. I think I cried, although I can't remember for certain, but I do recall being heartbroken. Barely a year had passed since my dad took me to the game that Teemu Selanne broke the rookie scoring record against the Quebec Nordiques. He scored a hat trick that game - in the old arena – when he beat the goalie on a breakaway. White streamers fell from the ceiling, Selanne threw up his glove at centre ice and shot it down with his stick. Today it's on all the highlight reels. You've probably seen it, or if you were lucky enough to actually be there, you'll never forget it. At any rate, the loss of the Jets was devastating.

Over time, the loss became less noticeable. I never fully embraced another hockey team again, ever. I cheered for the other Canadian teams (minus the Nordiques). They folded too, completely erasing the legacy of Selanne's memorable goal. The Canucks, Oilers, Flames, Sens, all had their run at the cup and I hopped on the bandwagon, only to be disappointed each time. The NHL had not been kind to us in Winnipeg.

Knowing this, you can imagine my excitement when the Jets announced they were coming back - for good. The only hockey team that I had ever really loved was back. I had to grow up without them, but I felt relieved that I wouldn’t be forced to grow old missing them too. A deep sense of wrong in my life was corrected.

Sitting there on Tuesday, a lot had changed. I have facial hair now, for one. I'm quite a bit taller than I was when I ran down the back alley years ago, and probably a little bit smarter too. Much however, hasn't changed. My dad still took me to the game, ending a 5623 day gap between father-son Jets games. My mom still made dinner in the kitchen and is still as good a cook as ever. My favourite hockey team was still the Winnipeg Jets, my only true hockey love. Oh yeah, and in case your wondering, I think I may have cried a little as I watched the 2011 Winnipeg Jets skate out on to the ice for the first time. I wish I could remember it but vindication overwhelmed me. After all, I was watching the “impossible” with my own two eyes.

GO JETS GO