Big Jets faces and signs in all places: Winnipeggers get creative during team's playoff run

Winnipeggersare a colourful bunch these days.

Unaccustomed to having a Jets focus when temperatures hit double digits, fansare taking advantage of the warm weather to decorate businesses and homes to show off their support asthe Jets' Stanley Cup playoff run continues.

"It's an exciting time for the city. We're showing our true colours because we love this team," saidSamColosimo, owner of Teo'srestaurant and lounge on Corydon Avenue.

"The city's all pumped about it, they're all excited, so you gotta go with it."

Colosimocreated oversized depictions of the faces of some Jets players and strung them from a tree, like Christmas ornaments, on the boulevard in front of his business. They proved a little too popular, though, and were getting stolen.

"They took my Buff and my Copp and my Wheeler ones," he said, adding he plans to make new images of defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, forward Andrew Copp and winger Blake Wheeleragain, as well as bring out another half dozen in the next few days.

To keep any more from going missing,Colosimohasmoved theheads from the tree, attaching them instead to the outside wall aboveTeo'sentryway.

"You know what? Everyone wants to have a good time and maybe when they're done with them they'll bring them back," he said.

• More on the Winnipeg Jets playoff run

Colosimoused to haveBrooklynn'sBistro in the East Exchange andmet a lot of the players and partners at that time. When he opened Teo's, they becameregulars there.

"So I want to show my support back," he said about the decorations, adding the players and their spouses or girlfriends have had some good laughs about them.

On game days, he also puts out two 70-inch TVs to create "a little bit of downtown onCorydon," referring to the whiteoutstreet party beside the Jets' arena, where fanswatch the game on bigscreens.

Should the Jets make it through to Round 3 of the playoffs,Colosimoplans to add a Stanley Cup replica to the rooftop.

Caught in the hype

While you might expect bars and lounges to be flying the Jets colours, the buzz has gone beyond those traditional places to others that might be under the radar. Or, more specifically, under what you wear.

Gravity Lingerie on Stafford Street has "Go Jets Go"painted on the window. Just behind that is a whiteout display featuring a Jets jersey and a pearl-coloured set of lady skivvies.

"We're bigfans of the Jets, and we're really proud of our team and we want to support them," said Sherry Valentin, who co-owns the store with Judy Cheetham.

"We are in the business of support," chimed in Cheetham. "But yes, we are big fans and this is absolutely amazing for our city. People are really into it."

The city was without an NHLteam for so long that fans are now loving the chanceto cheer in the playoffs, she added.

"Everybody's back on the bandwagon. This is great."

Cheetham and Valentin say passing cars have honked for the store's display and people have asked if the jersey is for sale.

"It belongs to my pregnant daughter-in-law who isn't currently fitting it. That is the only reason it's not being worn right now," Cheetham said.

A short walk away, at afinancial services practice onCorydon,Sean Harrell also describes himself a big Jets fan "caught up in all the hype."

That led him to getting the windows painted atHowe, Harrell & Associates,the business where he is a partner.

"I wanted to show a little bit of community support," he said.

There are two full Jets logos, each on a large window of the business.One of the logos, however, is painted in green and yellow as a tribute to the Humboldt Broncos.

The Broncosteam bus crashed on April 6, leaving 16 people dead, including 10 players, two coaches, a statistician, a broadcaster, the bus driver, and an athletic therapist. Thirteenothers were injured.

Harrell said there has been positive feedback on both logos.

How they match up

The Jets polished off the Minnesota Wild during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, winning the best-of-seven series 4-1.

The last two games were shutouts for Winnipeg.

Nashville took six games to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in their series, 4-2. Like the Jets, the Predators won their series clincher by a score of 5-0, ending with a dominating performance.

Several hockey pundits have predictedthe Jets-Preds series will be the best of the post-season. Some have lamented the fact that this is only the second round, saying that matchup is the championship final arriving two series too soon.

Nashville finished the NHL regular season in first place with 117 points. Winnipeg finished second with 114.

The Jets' Connor Hellebuyck is a finalist for the NHL'sVezina Trophy for the league's best goalie. So is the Preds' PekkaRinne. They were teammates at the NHLall-star game in January.

The Jets finishedthe regular season with the NHL's best home record, at 32-7-2.The Predators were tied for third with 28 home wins (28-9-4).

Nashville was one of those teams that found a waytoscore in Winnipeg. In twovisits to Bell MTSPlace, theywon one and lost one in overtime.

They teams met five times in the regular season with the Predators winning the series 3-2 and outscoring the Jets 22-20.