The Gimli Recreation Centre will be hosting a free Jets Town Takeover viewing party this Thursday night and is inviting people of all ages to join in the fun and win some prizes.
Fans of the Winnipeg Jets hockey team voted overwhelmingly last year for Gimli in True North Sports + Entertainment’s annual Jets Town Takeover competition.
Gimli was vying for the trophy with two other finalists, Niverville and Oakbank, and scored a win with over 12,500 votes.
“It was truly overwhelming to see the support we received to win this season’s Jets Town Takeover,” said the RM’s recreation programmer Lenni Finnbogason in a Dec. 15 NHL press release. “The backbone of this community is the people, and to see us come together as one to make this happen was very heartwarming.”
The free event on March 19 will include the viewing of a Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins’ game, the Jets’ Mick E. Moose mascot, raffle prizes, a 50-50 draw, a stick and jersey giveaway, jet dogs and a Jets alumni signing session.
The Jets Town Takeover is an annual event that brings NHL-level programming, events and a viewing party to a Manitoba town that receives the highest number of fan votes. The event supports rural hockey fans and youth hockey through alumni visits and mental health workshops called Project 11 at local schools.
The Gimli Vikings got to have a practice with Jets alumni at the Recreation Centre on March 18.