It has become synonymous with the Winnipeg Jets—the Whiteout.
When the Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway, Canada Life Centre is blanketed with fans decked out in white clothing and gear as the Jets take the ice.
It also spills out into the streets as thousands more can be seen in a variety of white getups showcasing their pride for the hometown team.
Fans have become accustomed to a yearly Whiteout Street Party that takes over Donald Street, which has grown with each passing playoff performance.
But when did the Whiteout first begin?
The year was 1987. The Winnipeg Jets opened the playoffs against the Calgary Flames.
“Calgary fired the first volley in terms of the fact that they had created awareness around the colour of their uniforms, which was red, and they encouraged their fans to wear red to games,” said Rod Palson, who was the creative director at Palmer Jarvis.
Palson was the account director for the Winnipeg Jets and helped with advertising and marketing for the team.
He said he was contacted by Madeline Hanson, the vice president of marketing for the Jets, to figure out a counterattack to what is now known as the ‘C of Red.’
“They were looking at how they could encourage fans to wear all or any of three different colours—red, white and blue, which were the colours of the uniforms.”
Palson thought about what could be done and suggested people should wear white. It was the main colour of home jerseys at the time, and he figured it was the easiest option for people.
“Everybody’s got a white T-shirt, sweatshirt, hat at home that they’d be able to throw on and get to the game and make the statement pretty easy. I don’t think it took Madeline very long to agree that this was the route to go, and within very short order, Winnipeg was making a huge statement that was never seen before on television.”
Seeing what happened, Palson said he was left in “shock and awe.”
“It was beyond our wildest expectations in terms of the uptake. Immediately, it just happened.”
Don MacDonald, the co-chair of the Board of Directors of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, has been a Jets season ticket holder since the 1980s and fondly remembers that first Whiteout.
“The old arena, where these games were played, was a smaller, tight arena. You really felt part of the action and just seeing everyone, and I mean literally everyone, wearing white, with the white pom-poms that you still see from time to time. It was just a fun experience,” said MacDonald.
The statement worked as it helped propel the Jets to a 4-2 series win over the Flames that year. They would end up losing in the second round to the eventual Stanley Cup winners—the Edmonton Oilers.
While MacDonald enjoyed the first rendition of the Whiteout, he said it was amazing to see it come to life again when the Jets returned to Winnipeg and then when the team made the playoffs for the first time in 2015.
“It’s bigger and better every year. What True North does with the events outside the arena and obviously inside the arena, it’s just an unbelievable thing. Something that Manitobans look forward to and cherish and really want to keep going, at least until June.”
Seeing what his original idea has morphed into over the years, Palson said it is an incredible feeling.
“To think that something like that, almost a silly little idea, could have such incredible staying power. It feels wonderful,” said Palson.
He also gives a lot of credit to Hanson, saying she knew when there was a good idea, and without her, it may never come to be.
MacDonald said it’s special witnessing something that has turned multigenerational.
“I look back on the influence that the Jets had in the 70s and 80s, when I was much younger, and how excited I was. I look now at the arena, the young kids who are there, who are experiencing the best hockey league in the world, the NHL, and right now, the best hockey team in the NHL, the Winnipeg Jets.
“Grandparents, parents, children. It’s just so much fun, and you have so much pride in seeing this tradition being passed on.”
MacDonald will be attending games in the playoffs this year, wearing his white Winnipeg Jets jersey. Palson said he will try to get his hands on some tickets, but wherever he is watching from, he is ready to cheer on the Jets through, hopefully, a deep playoff run.
“My heart is certainly there every minute. Whether it’s in the arena or watching on television, it’s a proud moment for everybody in my family.”
The city, province, and True North recently announced plans for this year’s Whiteout festivities, which will include big screens set up on Donald Street between Portage Avenue and Graham Avenue to watch the games.
Party in the Plaza will take over True North Square, and for the first time, Jets fans will be able to watch road games on the jumbotron in Canada Life Centre.
The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway on April 19. The date for the first home game for the Jets has yet to be set.
Tickets for the Whiteout Street Parties and Party in the Plaza go on sale at noon on April 15 through Ticketmaster.
