Hit the afterburners: The Winnipeg Jets logo takes flight.

Yes, yes I am a day late with this and I do apologize to everyone who swarmed my page last night looking for the latest on The Winnipeg Jets logo saga.  The wait is over my friends and the Jets are indeed  ready to fly high and proud with a new corporate identity.

The new logo borrows highly from the Royal Canadian Air Force insignia that has graced our fighter planes for over the last half century.  Wanting something brand new and not reliant on the Winnipeg Jets logos of old was critical Mark Chipman explained in the launch ceremony.  The new logo dates back to the 1948 RCAF Flyers Hockey Team, a team cobbled together to compete in the Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland.  Our air force players competed as amateurs and brought home the Gold Medal with a victory over home team Switzerland and an edge in goals over second place Czechoslovakia.

The new logo also works in the relationship the City of Winnipeg has with its armed forces here in Manitoba; home to 17 Wing. The Jets logo features a stylized CF-18 fighter jet over the bright red maple leaf, while the side patches call to mind a flight captain’s wings.  All sporting teams here incorporate an armed forces day into their game schedules and Chipman’s AHL Manitoba Moose were no different.  Their armed forces game day sweaters also paid tribute to the RCAF and the sacrifices they made.

This new logo brings all of those traditions together while also incorporating a nod to the True North Enterprises logo of a stylized compass pointing due north.

I must admit that I wasn’t personally too thrilled to see the new design, I thought that it borrowed from the military roundel too closely but after having a night to sleep on the new motif and the reasons for the design I think that the city is more than ready to get our boots polished up, our brass shined and welcome this new team and its new identity to the city and province.

Let’s get ready to hit those afterburners and go supersonic.  After all these are our Winnipeg Jets!

Next Stop: Swaggerville, Manitoba

Swagger:
Verb (usually disapproving) to walk in an extremely proud and confident way

Ville:
Noun and adjective combining form (slang) a place, condition, or quality with a character as specified

Swaggerville:
Noun and adjective combining form (Slang) a Winnipeg state of mind, referring to the crushing defensive squad of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers; a statement of fact, an attitude, way of life. Population: 29,533 fanatics.

Odell Willis Mayor of Swaggerville (Photo Brian Donogh/Winnipeg Sun)

Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to Swaggerville, the hottest professional sports city in Canada. The change from last year has been incredible to say the least. Last year when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were a dismal 4-14 on the season a person could pick up their choice of ticket in pretty much any section desired. Tumbleweeds blew through the upper west side seating deck on many an occasion. The fans that were in attendance were booing the boys in blue as often as they were cheering, sad to say the very least.

This year however, The Winnipeg Jets are back and The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are on a tear destroying opponents with a ferocity that is leaving Canadian football analysts slack jawed in disbelief. For the first time since 1987 The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are an astounding 5-1 on the season; a feat that has only been accomplished 5 times in the 80 year history of the football club.

But the season thus far has not been without its tragic moments. A few weeks ago on July 26th, defensive line coach Richard Harris was rushed to hospital after suffering a massive heart attack in his office. He would die that afternoon leaving a huge hole in the Blue and Gold fabric of the team he loved so much.

To most on the d-line he was more than just a coach he was a father figure; a trustworthy soul and moral compass to those in his charge.

Three days later The Bombers faced the BC Lions. Our defence looked shaky at the beginning but regained confidence in their form recording 6 sacks along the way to a defensive route of the Lions.

This week with the stands full to capacity the feeling was electric as the league’s top offensive squad, The Edmonton Eskimos, met our top rated defensive team The Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This game was to decide first place overall in the league. Edmonton coming into the game with an undefeated 5-0 record; if any team could snatch that title from Edmonton's hand it would be our boys in blue.

Although Edmonton jumped out to an early 10-1 lead, our defensive squad held firm to Harris' teaching. Near the half quarterback Buck Pierce highhandedly ran for an incredible 48 yards breaking two tackles to even the score at 11.


Now with the sell-out crowd almost 30,000 rabid fans firmly into the game the second half was dominated by our defence. Sacking Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray 4 times and leading the CFL in overall sacks with an astounding 30 in only 6 games.

At times when Edmonton was in possession of the football it was hard to think and impossible to hear with the noise coming out of the east side upper deck. It was as if a tornado, a freight train and AC/DC were converging on Canad Inn Stadium all at once. The noise levels were easily reaching into the 100+ db levels and easily drown out any hope of Eskimo communication on the field.

In the end our Swaggerville defence carried the day, soundly defeating the Edmonton Eskimos 28-16 and handing them their first loss of the season, putting Winnipeg firmly atop the pile as top team in the CFL.

Swaggerville, it's not just a saying this year. It's a belief in great things; it's an attitude that invades the whole body. From the way you walk to the way you hold your head up high. It's about pride, confidence and overwhelming crushing defensive power. Thanks boys it’s all about you this season, now go get that Grey Cup.

Authors Note: This amusing bit of information has just crossed my desk. Apparently Demi Moore of stage and silver screen fame is a fan of the Big Blue Machine! A touchdown celebration by Alex Suber and crew "planking" has caught Demi's eye.

The celebration "Plank" was caught on TSN and has gone semi viral. Demi liked it so much that she Tweeted it to her adoring fans.

Got Swag??