Librarians drop the gloves in bookish battles during Winnipeg Jets playoff run

It was the prolific writer Henry David Thoreau who once described the library as a "great wilderness of books," and this NHL playoff season Winnipeg librarianMonique Woroniak has plumbed the depths of thatwilderness for a way to say what's on all Jets' fans minds.

She and a colleague at the Winnipeg Public Library havechannelled a love for the written word into good-spirited off-ice chirping, trash-talking libraries in rival NHL cities on Twitter on the Jets' behalf.

"I think many, many, many people are already interested in libraries," saidWoroniak,a public information librarian. "Obviously we've seen the follows and the likes and everything go up on our social media."

Woroniakgot the idea from the Toronto Public Library, which flamed the Kansas City Public Library onTwitter during the 2015Major League Baseballplayoffs.

It started with some gentle,arguably more cerebral smack talkin the first-round series against the Wild.

Woroniakcalled out the St. Paul and HennepinCounty libraries in Minnesota with pictures of cleverly stacked book titles that played up Winnipeg.

Then things got real;barbs were exchanged.

The Jets went on to tame the Wild in five games, prompting this slight against Minnesota and children's authorMaurice Sendak's famous read,Where the Wild Things Are.

It marked the end of the season for Minnesota, but not forWoroniak.

She and colleagues next roastedthe Nashville Public Library in the hard-fought second round series against the Predators.

The Jets ousted the Predators in Game 7, and Woroniakturned her attention to Round 3.The Las Vegas Clark-Country Library is currently in her crosshairs as the Jets take on the Vegas Golden Knights.

Woroniak'sopening salvoin each of the threeseries so far has generally been lighter in tone: she tags the relevant library with an invitation to "some library Twitter face-offs."

Things usually escalate as the series unfolds, butLas Vegas Clark-Country Library's first tweet a picture of a book titledHockey: How it Workswas rather rude.

"We were happy that they went a little less polite right away because it'sactually easier," Woroniaklaughed, saying she prefers to drop the gloves and pleasantries right off the hop.

One of the latest shots at Vegas came Wednesday. One of Woroniak's colleagues issued a bilingual barb about how the Jets were going to take Game 3.

Winnipeglostand trails Vegas 2-1 heading into Game 4 Friday at T-Mobile Arena. Woroniak and others at the Winnipeg Public Library will be tuning in.

Though the final outcome of the Jets' playoff run is yet to be determined,Woroniak said she's happy people on Twitter seem to be taking notice of all the library activity.

"For some people who haven't engaged in libraries for some time, it probably goes a long way toward busting some stereotypes," she said. "Like, I do have a bun in my hair, but I like to think I wear it ironically."

The Jets are back in Winnipeg for Game 5 on Sunday.