The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor The new Winnipeg Jets logo is coming under fire. On second thought, perhaps that is not the best way to describe Tyler Shipley's passionate opposition to the symbol. In a new column on Rabble.ca, Shipley complains about the Royal Canadian Air Force inspirations of the recently unveiled trademark. "If the CF-18 fighter draped in a red maple leaf wasn't obvious enough, the team's new owner made no secret of the fact that the logo was designed in consultation with the Department of National Defence," writes Shipley, a former Winnipegger who now teaches at York University. "In fact, Mark Chipman's comments in the unveiling of the new logo had more to do with the air force than the hockey team. He noted in the press conference that he only felt comfortable with the 'Jets' name when he determined that he could re-brand the team around the RCAF. "In other words, my beloved Winnipeg Jets are being twisted into another cheap marketing ploy for the new Canadian militarism." He goes on. "It wasn't so long ago that Canadians proudly believed ourselves to be citizens of peace," writes Shipley. "True or false, we took seriously the mythologies around Lester B. Pearson and our international role in peacekeeping and conflict resolution. These made us different, we thought, from our neighbours in the United States. Different and better." Shipley's piece brought a swift rebuke from Winnipeg Sun sports writer Kevin Engstrom. Engstrom takes offense to "the suggestion it is somehow offensive for the Jets to show support for Canada's air force." He writes that Shipley "makes it quite clear that in his world, the men and women who fight for our nation shouldn't be revered, much less respected." Protest Engstrom also takes aim at a video made to protest the new logo. In his words, it "mashed up video of Jets highlights from the past with bombs being dropped from planes and photos of people injured." Adds Engstrom: "It is quite easy to respect the work done by the people who serve in the military and air force Ð even if you don't personally agree with the war or skirmish our government has them fight." The original Jets logos depicted passenger jets, not fighter jets. The new Winnipeg Jets host their home opener on Oct. 9 when the Montreal Canadiens will be in the Manitoba capital.
