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A "frenzied, white-clad sellout crowd" of 15,321 attended the Jets' 4-2 win over the Golden Knights in Western Conference Finals Game 1 at Bell MTS Place Saturday night (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 5/12). The crowd noise was "deafening" (CP, 5/13). Hockey HOFer Bobby Hull, who "helped establish Winnipeg as a hockey town, was in the house" (GLOBE & MAIL, 5/14). Throughout Winnipeg, Jets merchandise is "flying off shelves, downtown offices are filled with workers wearing Jets jerseys and organizers are having to cap attendance at 20,000 for street parties on game nights" outside the arena. The "public display of passion surpasses the the glory days of the Jets 40 years ago." Stars of the three-time World Hockey Association teams are in town to "mark the 40th anniversary" of winning the '78 Avco Cup (CP, 5/11).
Meanwhile, about 3,700 fans "decked out in Knights jerseys, hats and T-shirts turned out Saturday afternoon at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center" for a Game 1 watch party (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/13). With the Predators out of the playoffs, singer Carrie Underwood has been tweeting her support for the Golden Knights: "If the @GoldenKnights need an anthem singer, I’m 2-0 in the playoffs...just saying" (TWITTER.com, 5/10).
