I would like you to meet Carter Jansen.

He was a 21 year old young man at the height of his excitement for the Jets. He loved to play Xbox with his friends, and watch Jets games on his TV in Beechy, Saskatchewan. He would hop on Xbox live, and chat with his buddies during the game, talking about the Jets, and the ups and downs that come with each season.

Ever since the Jets had come back to The Peg, Carter had been waiting for the stars to align to get the time/money to do the nine-hour drive from Beechey, Saskatchewan to Winnipeg and get to see his first ever Jets game. That time came in the form of him, and his buddy Graeme Fortlage (more on him later) planning to make the trek to the MTS Centre for the 2016/17 season opener this past year.

Unfortunately that game would never come.

 

In the early morning of May 19th 2016, Carter was travelling in his pickup truck when it collided with a semi-tractor trailer. He was killed on scene.

This is where his friend Graeme comes in. He has taken it upon himself to create a beautiful memorial for the Jansen family. He has created a plan to buy two of the new Adidas jerseys of the Jets variety. One for himself to take with him to games he goes to going forward. A second jersey to have attend one of all 31 teams games. Making sure that Carter gets to see all of the NHL, unlike he was ever able to.

At the end of the season, he will give this jersey, and the photos of it making its way through every NHL arena to Carter’s parents. A fitting tribute to a family who has seen more heartbreak than anyone should have to.

As of right now, Graeme will be handling the cost of the jerseys and the shipping to each fan who will graciously allow it to accompany him or her to the game they are attending. All Graeme needs is some kind souls (of which we know JetsNation, and indeed the whole NHL fan base is full of) to facilitate receiving the jersey, giving the jersey the respect it deserves, taking a photo with it on a seat in the arena, and then returning it to Graeme so that it can continue it’s tour of the NHL. Anything else you do include on top of the photo would be graciously accepted and given to the family such as programs, or other photos. But the photo is the main thing.

We need fans from these fanbases or who will be in these cities for a game;

Columbus
Detroit
San Jose
Arizona
Florida (Panthers)
Carolina
Boston
Chicago

Who are attending a game in that city.

We need them to give myself/Graeme an address that we can send the jersey to.

We ask that you take the jersey with you and take a photo of it on an empty seat in the arena.

And then finally, returning the jersey to Graeme.

When it comes down to it, hockey has the best fans in the world. Given the chance to show our true colours, let’s show the world how amazing the Jets fans, and indeed the NHL fans can be!

If you would like to participate, have someone you know from one of the cities listed, or have any suggestions or feedback, I would love to hear from you via email, via Twitter, @TheNationDan, or in the comments below.

Please take the time to share this article and try and get it spread around as best you can. Thank you all for your help and let’s give Carter one heck of a 2017-18 season!