‘It Was Very Special’: How NHL Hockey Coming Back To Winnipeg Shaped

May 31, 2011 will always hold a special place for those who hail from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Fifteen years earlier, the original Winnipeg Jets franchise played its final game in the city before its relocation to Arizona the following season. Fans were left heartbroken and devastated, but their love for hockey and quest to bring NHL hockey back to Winnipeg never really faded.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Cody Glass – who was born almost three years later – may not have been around for the heartbreak experienced by Jets fans when the team left. But he does remember that day in 2011, when, at 12 years old, he and the thousands of other fans attending a parade at The Forks in downtown Winnipeg were told by commissioner Gary Bettman that NHL hockey would be returning to the city.

“I skipped school for the parade downtown whenever the Jets came back. And then, I missed school again for the draft party when Mark Scheifele was getting drafted,” Glass said. “It was cool because I got to miss school, but at the same time, that’s just how dedicated I was to hockey, and how my family was as well. It was pretty cool being able to experience that stuff, and now I have the opportunity to play against the team and play against Mark Scheifele, which was a weird feeling, but it’s also something I’ve always strived for.”

Glass talked at length about how dedicated his entire family was to hockey and how much it meant to them that NHL hockey returned to revive a heartbroken city. He said they always new when the team was playing, and it always gave a reason for them to gather and share the experience with one another.

“It was very special just because, certain nights, you knew the Jets were going to be playing, and you could gather around the TV,” Glass said. “I was a huge fan of them – not anymore – but growing up, it was just something really cool to be able to have a bond with your family and either argue over Jets games or have fun over Jets games. It was always a good…