'Told ya': Big Jets fan who bet on team's return predicts Game 7 win

Don't bet against the Winnipeg Jets fan whose jerseyreads "told ya."

Bearing his declaration onthename bar, Greg Burnett'sjersey hangs among dozens of uniforms from every era of the club in his basement shrine.The number on thejersey is 15,representing the years he waited for his beloved NHL team to return home.

Reached the morning ofa critical Game 7 in which his club must beat the Nashville Predators to advance to its first-ever conference final, Burnett was just as confident as his signed jersey.

The Jets will win 3-0, he told CBC News Network on Thursday.

"And I'll up it a bit;we will beat Vegas in five," he added, referring already to the possible series against the Vegas Golden Knights, the team-in-waiting in the Western Conference final.

Burnett, an Oakvilleschool teacher living in Winnipeg, is one of the club's biggest fans, a statementbacked up by his 600-square-footbasement, which looks like a knockoffJets dressing room. He outfitted playerstalls in his basement and was sure to have the "Hot Line"Bobby Hull, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson sitting besideeach other.

He even keeps an "A" salvaged from the old Winnipeg Arena sign. His wife inquired about the memento when the old barn was being torn down.

"She's an enabler as far as my Jets-ness" goes,he said.

For the game at hand, Burnett predicts starperformances from Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Nikolaj Ehlers, held off the scoresheet in 12 games, is bound to score, Burnett thinks. "He's due."

The father of four will watch the do-or-die game from home. He has attended two viewing parties for previous playoff games, but the Jets lost each one.

"I've got to change it up a bit," he said.

That doesn't mean he'll stayconfinedto his couch after the buzzer rings.

If the Jets win, Burnett plans to reach out to his pal who isn't much of a hockey fan but cheers forthe Toronto Maple Leafsto tick him off.

"I might give him a call to drive me downtown after to see what's going on at Portage and Main," he said.

Jets bring Winnipeg together

Scanning his basement teeming withframed photos,branded chairs and other keepsakes, you'd think Burnett's love of the Jets borders on an obsession.

He's obviously a big devotee, but his fandom is grounded inwhat this NHL teamdoes to the city's psyche.

"Tosee the way everyone gets together during the Jets run is awesome," he said."I'm a teacher, and when you see things like inclusionit doesn'tmatter how rich you are, how poor youare, what colour you are, what you look like. If you're wearing a Jetsjersey, you're good andyou belong; nothing brings that together more than a Winnipeg Jets whiteout."

Game 7 will air tonight at 7 p.m. CT on CBC TV.

Winnipeg Jets fan cave

6 years ago

Duration 5:59

Greg Burnett is a Winnipeg Jets superfan. He takes Heather Hiscox of CBC News Now for a walk through his fan cave.