Music: {allcanada} JETS GEAR STILL POPULAR FOR CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 3, 2012

{allcanada} JETS GEAR STILL POPULAR FOR CHRISTMAS

Jets fans are not punishing their favourite team with their wallets during the lockout, according to The Winnipeg Sun.

The racks and racks of Jets stuff still on the walls of the River City Sports store near Polo Park are proof of that.

"Winnipeg fans are OK with it for some strange reason, because they were without hockey for so long that this is just a shorter sabbatical, so to speak," River City manager Joe Wendt said Saturday.

Jets merchandise makes up about 70% of Wendt's stock, even though sales these days are nothing compared to what happened last year when the NHL returned to the Manitoba capital for the first time in 15 years. He even had to advertise this winter.

However, Wendt noted his store experienced a "huge spike" in Jets-related sales over the last week as people start buying their Christmas presents.

He hears plenty of grumbling from fans about the lockout, but those same people are at his counter buying Jets T-shirts and hats when they do it. That's why he knows everything will be hunky dory when the labour stoppage comes to an end.

"These Jets fans will come back even hungrier again next year," Wendt said. "That's the sense I'm getting."

Jets fan Declan Vallely said his kids still want Jets gear.

"They do," he said. "They know there's no hockey on. They're not watching the Jets. But when they walk by Jets stuff they still know that it's there. They still want me to spend my money for it.

"You wish it was discounted, seeing as there's no hockey being played right now, but I don't think you're going to see that very quickly," Vallely added with a laugh.