Jets season ticket members ready for 24-25 season

With the 2024-25 season quickly approaching, WinnipegJets.com took some time to speak with season ticket members about their excitement for the upcoming season, some of the benefits they receive, and more. We got some great answers, especially on why each of them decided to purchase season tickets.

Greg Burnett, a long-time Jets fan was always adamant the Jets would return, owing to the always dedicated Jets fans.

“There was never a doubt that when the Jets came back, I was going to get tickets, and my wife knew that”. Burnett joked. As far as diehard fans go, Burnett is close to the top. “This may sound goofy, but I only have Jets clothes. Like all my shirts, golf shirts, all my hoodies, my sweater, everything has a Jets logo on it. I’m a very proud Winnipegger.”

As for Lindsay Oster, her husband was the big reason for her family to become a season ticket member.

“It was before my time, I’m not from Winnipeg so I didn’t understand the whole craze let’s say. But once the Jets came back, it was a very exciting thing and he was kind of on a list with a bunch of friends trying to get tickets, that was a big part of it,” said Oster.

“But then rather than us just having the tickets on our own, they became company tickets. So that was it and we’re all just crazy hockey fans, so it was just a natural fit."

When the Jets left Winnipeg back in 1996, Kim Parr, her mom and dad made sure to stick around for the Moose, and then naturally snatched up season tickets when the Jets returned in 2011.

“When the Jets became the Moose, we kept our tickets with the Moose and had season tickets the whole time and just love going. And so, it's a family outing and we still have the three seats now (one for Kim, one for her mom and the third), it rotates between my brother-in-law, my sister and my two nieces,” said Parr.

“So, it's like a family bonding experience to go. So, we just go and have a nice night out with as a family type of thing. And my mom loves going, she has missed a grand total of three games since 1996 and I’ve missed maybe seven or eight during 2.0.”

For those of you counting, that’s a total of over 500 games attended for Parr’s mother, Gayle.

On February 12, 2024, season ticket members were given a chance to visit Canada Life Centre to participate in the first ever team photo day, a new ticket member benefit added last season. Theywere given tours of the press box, the Matt Frost Media Centre, the Jets player bench and the dressing room. On top of that, there was an opportunity to meet the players and get photos taken.

Oster was extremely excited and loved the idea.

“I think that was a pivotal change that the Jets did. That was an extraordinary event. Very well organized, my husband couldn’t come (she went with her daughters Ruby and Adeline), and he was devastated. What an unbelievable experience to take pictures” said Oster.

“So, my younger daughter (Ruby) is a goalie and for her to meet (Connor) Hellebuyck and actually ask him questions about how he handles things if he lets in a goal and how do you shake it off was really cool. I was so enthralled to see her interaction with her absolute idol. Every single player (the) smiles were genuine, conversation was real, very down to earth. It was really well done.”

There are not many people out there that have as an impressive collection of Jets jerseys than Burnett. He used the photo day as an opportunity to get some of that memorabilia signed.

“Well, honestly, for me personally, I, I love getting all my jerseys signed because I have almost every jersey of all the players, so I was able to get a good chunk of them signed. I just love being around the rink. I just love everything about it,” said Burnett.

Burnett had the chance to meet Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele at the event.

“They were all very nice and gracious. It was very nice, and my mom was kind of funny because she was a bit of a fan girl which I, I always like seeing like that.”

Photo day wasn’t just for jersey signings either, Parr’s mom, Gayle, still talks about the event to this day.

“To get to meet and have that personal interaction with them and be able to talk to them,” said Parr.

“And we sit in row two so we kind of know what the players look like, but to be able to talk to them and say, because I think at the time a couple players had just got traded. ‘Well, welcome to Winnipeg, glad to have you here, that kind of thing.’ It was awesome, and I think the players seem to appreciate having everybody there.”

The Jets are coming off a season in which they finished fourth overall, Connor Hellebuyck won both the Vezina Trophy (his second) and William M. Jennings Trophy, helping the Jets allow just 199 goals. Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli, Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt have moved on to play with other teams opening the door of opportunity for Brad Lambert, Ville Heinola and Logan Stanley. We asked the trio about their optimism heading into this season and even gave them the opportunity to play armchair GM.

“I’m always optimistic,” said Oster.

“It’s tough when you hear a lot of the negativity, nobody ever gets somewhere by being negative.”

Burnett would like to see Cole Perfetti or Brad Lambert get a shot at filling the second centre spot when training camp begins next month.

“Especially Lambert because he started as a center last year with the Moose,” said Burnett.

“Because the Jets are good enough with what they've lost to still make the playoffs and with a year of development, you never know you get into the playoffs, then what can happen.”

Parr agrees with Burnett.

“I think some of the young guys should be given a chance. I think some of them will do quite well. But you just also don't want to go and look at it and have everybody saying, ‘are they rebuilding?’ I'm just like, ‘No, they're not rebuilding just because they're, you know, bringing up the younger talent that doesn't mean a rebuild.’,” said Parr.

“We still have a good core of players that I think will help the young guys out. So, I still think that we have the capabilities of doing it.”

So with the new season around the corner, we look forward to more opportunities to create memorable moments for our dedicated season ticket members.