Is Winnipeg really that bad?
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Since the Winnipeg Jets emergence in the league, the city has faced a lot of scrutiny concerning players avoiding it like the plague.
Recently, the boys over at "The Hockey News.com" pulled out an article from their archives from 1991.
The article offers a nostalgic look at Ed Olczyk's time playing for the Jets and the challenges Winnipeg faced in retaining elite NHL players. However, it counters the common negative perception of the city by suggesting that Winnipeg isn't as bad as it's often portrayed.
"It was too cold, too snowy, too dreary, too taxing and just too dull. Teams couldn't get out of town fast enough. If you took a poll around the NHL, there's a stereotype about Winnipeg and Quebec—that it's cold and taxes are high and it's in the middle of nowhere,» said Olczyk.
But in a sudden turn of events, once Olczyk settled in to the team and the city, his perceptions rapidly changed as he opened is heart and is mind to the great city called Winnipeg.
Nothing in Olczyk's background suggested he would adapt to Winnipeg as well as he did. He grew up in Chicago. He played for the hometown Blackhawks. The Blackhawks traded him to Toronto, Canada's largest city. He was one of the Maple Leafs' biggest names.
Suddenly, he was headed for one of the NHL's least-appealing outposts. Olczyk came in with an open mind because, as he put it: If you come in with a negative attitude, the problems are just goin; to mount up.
«Nov. 10 was a year to the day that I was traded here and I've found it great,» Olczyk said. «The people are tremendous. We can get everywhere in 10 or 15 minutes. That's a big difference between here and Toronto and Chicago.
«Plus, there's a lot of family-oriented things that go on in this organization.»
«Plus, there's a lot of family-oriented things that go on in this organization.»
I think its safe to say that Winnipeg faces a lot of heat regarding the city as a whole. But once players get here, they soon realize the city has lots to offer and is a fantastic place to call home.
source: The Hockey Writers
From the Archives: "Winnipeg Really Isn't That Bad"
From the Archives: "Winnipeg Really Isn't That Bad"
| POLL | ||
25 JUILLET | 161 ANSWERS Is Winnipeg really that bad? Do you love Winnipeg? | ||
| Yes | 138 | 85.7 % |
| No | 23 | 14.3 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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