Hockey fan Harper headed for Jets home opener?

Call it a perkof holding thehighest elected office in the land: if there's a big game in the life of his hockey-mad country, Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems ableto snag a ticket, even when an event is sold out and his attendance is arranged on short notice.

Little wonder then, thatmedia in Winnipegare speculatingHarper may attendthe newly-returned Winnipeg Jets home opener on October 9 against the Montreal Canadiens.

The prime minister's office won't confirm his appearance anywhere until the day before an event.

But spokesman Andrew MacDougall will say that well-known hockey fan Harper is "thrilled to see the return of the Jets (to Winnipeg), and is a fan of their new logo, which pays homage to the Canadian military."

The team's logo,unveiled in July, features an iconic CF-18 fighter jet and is reminiscent of the Royal Canadian Air Force roundel.

When the return of an NHL franchise to Winnipeg was finally confirmed in May, Harper issued an enthusiasticstatement welcoming the news.

"Hockey is Canadas great passion and Im excited that Winnipeg will reclaim its special role in our countrys national pastime," Harper's statement said.