Home. There’s no place like it.

It’s where the heart is. It’s where you go to roost. It can be your castle.

It’s also where the Winnipeg Jets will begin their pursuit of the Stanley Cup on Saturday evening in front of a raucous sold-out crowd inside Canada Life Centre and thousands more fans supporting them in the streets of downtown, in local bars and lounges and in living rooms and basements across the province.

“Never gets old. Best atmosphere in hockey,” Jets defenceman Neal Pionk said this week as his club prepared to face the St. Louis Blues in the best-of-seven series. “I always tell my friends I’ve played in a lot of places, played internationally, played in some gold medal games, whatever, state championships. And this is the best. The best it gets is the Whiteout.”

The Jets captured the Presidents’ Trophy this season by having the best overall record in the league, which means every playoff series would begin in their own backyard. Add it all up and that’s four potential home dates in each series for a maximum of 16 overall, including every winner-take-all Game 7 that would be necessary.

A packed building going bonkers over every goal, big hit or blocked shot on the biggest stage is what every hockey player dreams of. The Jets, by virtue of their historic regular season, have earned the opportunity to take advantage of that more than any of their rivals.

“Our crowd is insane. I think the second we step on the ice we’ve got it. We got that home ice advantage,” said goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. “I know our crowd’s going to bring it.”

JONATHAN KOZUB PHOTO FILE Winnipeg Jets defenceman Neal Pionk says the the club has the ‘best atmosphere in hockey.’

There are seemingly other practical benefits, too, from a couple extra nights in your own bed and additional home cooking every series to the familiarity of your own rink and reduced disruption to your daily routine. There can be strategic on-ice advantages as well.

Then there are the ancillary rewards such as the potential for increased gate revenue, which is a big deal for a small market like Winnipeg. Not to mention a boost for local businesses, particularly those downtown, in addition to the sense of community that develops when a large segment of the population are uniting together to root for the home team.

Add it all up and the Jets have put themselves in prime position.

There are no guarantees in life, and certainly not when it comes to playoff hockey which is as wild and unpredictable as you get in professional sports. It’s what makes the NHL so compelling during this chaotic, two-month stretch every spring where the thrill of victory and agony of defeat are magnified.

Although history shows the team that wins the Presidents’ Trophy has the best statistical chance of winning the Stanley Cup compared to any other individual slot in the final standings, only eight of 37 teams have done so and none in the last 11 seasons.

So much has to go right, so many factors must align, in order to get the ultimate payoff series two months from now.

The Free Press spoke this week to a number of people to get a true sense of what home-ice advantage could mean to the Jets.

EMOTIONAL:

Ask any Jets skater to explain playoff hockey and their eyes immediately light up. There’s a widespread belief that Canada Life Centre, especially when whipped into a frenzy, can truly be the equivalent of having an extra player (or two) on the ice once the stakes get high.

“The Stanley Cup playoffs are amazing. We know this city is going to be roaring and ready to go,” said Jets centre Mark Scheifele.

Added captain Adam Lowry: “There’s nothing like the Whiteout. We’ve got an incredible fan base, incredible community of supporters. Just seeing the outfits, seeing the passion and the excitement they have for us, and the support they have for us, it’s awesome. You wanna play well in front of them.”

With a 30-7-4 record in their own barn so far this year, the Jets have feasted on home cooking. There’s no statistical category to measure the impact, but Dr. Cal Botterill says there’s no question it can play a role in the outcome.

“The support of fans can often feel like a man-advantage and the data usually supports the home team,” said the local sports psychologist.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Jets fans watch the game at the Winnipeg Jets Whiteout Party on Donald Street last April.

“The home environment usually feels better. Feelings of support and familiar surroundings often reassure us and keep us wanting to play our best.”

Lowry said the partisan crowd can also help sway momentum back to the home team when some adversity inevitably hits.

“You’re able to have the crowd bring you back into the game,” he said.

“We’ve been a really good team playing at home and we’re looking for that to continue. Obviously, the playoffs are a different animal. There’s so much more importance on every little detail. Every goal could be the difference, so any time you can control the matchups, kind of control the environment you’re in, more often than not, I think it certainly helps.”

MENTAL:

So much of hockey is played between the ears and, being the favourite in a series — as the home team typically is — can potentially work against you.

“If things don’t go well, pressure can build,” said Botterill.

No doubt the Blues are counting on that. Head coach Jim Montgomery was at the helm of the Boston Bruins two years ago when they had the best regular season in NHL history, then crashed and burned in the opening round. Perhaps he’s playing some mind games, but Montgomery told reporters on Friday the Jets will be feeling the heat.

“You don’t sense it until you start playing the games,” he warned.

Former NHL bench boss Bruce Boudreau knows that all-too-well. His playoff teams experienced plenty of failures, including some epic ones on home ice which haunt him to this day. His career record in Game 7s is just 1-7.

“You’re expected to win. And you have to win or people won’t view it as a successful season,” said Boudreau, who was a head coach for four different teams over parts of 15 NHL seasons, making the playoffs 10 times but only winning five total series.

“You’re expected to win. And you have to win or people won’t view it as a successful season.”–Bruce Boudreau

Boudreau said Game 1 can be the biggest obstacle of all.

“Usually the underdog team comes in with nothing to lose and just throws everything at you but the kitchen sink,” he said. “And if you’re not ready for it, it can make it difficult.”

There’s also the fact that the majority of top teams don’t necessarily have another higher level to reach, as they’ve likely been at it for most of the season. The lower-seeded team, however, just needs to capture lightning in a bottle for a couple weeks to pull off the upset.

“I think you have to play at least 10 per cent better in the playoffs than you did in the regular season to have success. And that’s where the Presidents’ Trophy winner is sort of at a disadvantage. To win that, you’re usually playing as good as you can most of the season,” cautioned Boudreau.

His Washington Capitals were the No. 1 regular-season team in 2009-10, going 54-15-13. They lost their opening round series to the Montreal Canadiens, who barely snuck into the playoffs as the final wild card.

“We couldn’t get that 10 per cent better,” he said.

TACTICAL:

Hockey is a game of mistakes. Usually, the team that either makes the fewest and/or takes advantage of the ones made by their opponents prevails. And that’s where home ice can have an impact.

Jets head coach Scott Arniel will have the benefit of last change and want to get Lowry and his linemates (Mason Appleton and Brandon Tanev) out on the ice as much as possible whenever Montgomery has either of his top two lines on the ice.

Same goes with getting one of his two top defensive pairings — either Josh Morrissey and Dylan DeMelo, or Pionk and Dylan Samberg

On the flipside, Montgomery will have an easier time finding more favourable matchups for those players once the series shifts to Missouri. Of course, both clubs believe they are deep enough to hold their own against any matchups.

“Especially with the fans we have here in Winnipeg, they’re so fantastic. A blocked shot they react. A back check, they react. They react to all the good plays. The crowd is so knowledgeable, so energetic. That helps the players. You can feel it on the bench.”–Rick Bowness

“If you’re a top player and you’re going against the other team’s fifth and sixth defenceman, if you’re our fourth line and you’re out against (Robert) Thomas or (Brayden) Schenn’s line, that you have responsibility, and that’s where our group has been really good this year,” said Arniel.

The Jets had home ice advantage last season against Colorado, led by then head coach Rick Bowness. They coughed it up in Game 2 and never recovered, losing Games 3 and 4 in Denver and then Game 5 back in Winnipeg which was followed with Bowness retiring a few days later.

The previous season, they began on the road in Vegas, snatched home ice advantage with a Game 1 victory, then proceeded to drop the next four straight including Games 3 and 4 at Canada Life Centre.

Still, Bowness remains a believer.

“Every coach would much rather have home-ice advantage,” he said. “It’s far better to have it than to not have it. Especially with the fans we have here in Winnipeg, they’re so fantastic. A blocked shot they react. A back check, they react. They react to all the good plays. The crowd is so knowledgeable, so energetic. That helps the players. You can feel it on the bench.”

PRACTICAL:

The New York Rangers played 10 home playoff games last year, making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final. They reported overall revenue of US$50 million, which included ticket sales, concessions and merchandise. That gives you a sense of just how much is at stake with each home date.

According to the NHL, gross playoff ticket revenues alone accounted for more than US$200 million last season. They keep 35 per cent of the overall gate, while individual franchises pocket the other 65 per cent.

“For a small market like Winnipeg, every extra home game you can get helps. It’s a huge benefit to that bottom line,” said Bowness.

“I hope they go on a long run. Great ownership there. They deserve it for sure.”

It’s not just the team that benefits. Bram Strain, president and CEO of the Business Council of Winnipeg, said the local economy will reap the rewards from a lengthy Stanley Cup chase.

“I think there’s a tremendous social benefit to the city. It gets us all together for a common good, it gets people downtown and into areas where they might not go all the time.”–Bram Strain

“It brings people downtown. There’s an obvious spin-off. The deeper we go, the better it is,” said Strain, who is a Jets season-ticket holder. “It really energizes the city.”

The Jets have donated $312,000 to local charities from previous Whiteout street parties and this year has the potential to be bigger than ever. They will give $5 from every outdoor street party ticket that is sold to the United Way, which means every playoff game has the potential to bring $31,000 into their coffers. If the Jets go all the way to the Final and play the maximum number of home games the end result would be $496,000.

They are also holding watch parties for all road games inside Canada Life Centre, with up to 15,225 paying $10 each. All proceeds go towards the True North Youth Foundation.

“I think there’s a tremendous social benefit to the city. It gets us all together for a common good, it gets people downtown and into areas where they might not go all the time,” said Strain.

“And I think it’s a real opportunity to showcase our positives. Very often, when something comes out about the city, they tend to dwell on some sort of negative. There’s so much positive.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg

Mike McIntyre Reporter

Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.

Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.