Article content

NASHVILLE — It was in the minutes after the Winnipeg Jets had eliminated the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs when I came across Jets chairman Mark Chipman.

There was still bedlam in the stands, fans celebrating a victory that was a long time coming in Winnipeg, and, to a lesser extent, bedlam in the press box, as reporters rushed to do their post-game thing.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Growing up: Jets come of age Back to video

“It’s a start,” I casually said to Chipman, over the din of the crowd.

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s a start.”

But the start of what, exactly?

I’ve spent some time thinking about that as the Jets head into the series opener against Nashville in Round 2, Friday.

The analogy may sound a little corny, but this moment, this series, feels a bit like a passage, of sorts. A coming of age. Like a person moving into adulthood.

This franchise didn’t even have a personality when Chipman adopted it down in Atlanta and brought it home, to hockey country.