Jets T-shirt shutes... missez the nett
Honest spelling error or cheap knock off?
By: Bill Redekop / Free Press
She left her heart in... Winnepeg?
A hockey fan living in Kelowna, B.C., is bewildered and more than a little annoyed after buying a Jets T-shirt from the Paradies Lagardère gift shop at Richardson International Airport with the city’s name spelled incorrectly.
Heather Prevalnig, who was visiting family here, flew home Tuesday with the "Winnepeg" Jets T-shirt.
Prevalnig bought the souvenir, snapped a quick photo and posted it online just before boarding the plane Tuesday. During a stopover in Calgary, she received a message from her brother pointing out the error.
"I couldn’t believe it," said the former Winnipegger, who moved to Kelowna with her husband Brian in 2009.
Prevalnig played organized hockey as a kid and had the opportunity to suit up for some Timbits-style shinny before a Jets game at the Winnipeg Arena. She also sold 50/50 tickets at Jets games.
So, even though she moved away in 2009, two years before the Jets returned, she’s a big fan and wanted a shirt that said so.
A lot of former Manitobans wear Jets and Blue Bombers clothing in B.C., she said.
"Here in Kelowna, when you see someone wearing a Jets T-shirt, it’s an instant connection," she said. "It’s an instant bond."
The Winnipeg store’s manager, Heather Dilk, was shocked when told about the shirt.
Paradies marketing manager Nicole Linton said the shirt was "absolutely not" a cheap knock-off.
"All the vendors we work with have to be approved by the (National Hockey League)," she said from the company’s head office in Atlanta. "These are officially licensed products."
Perhaps it was it a case of hard feelings because since 2011 "Winnepeg" has been home to the Jets, formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers? Linton dismissed the coincidence.
The shirt’s Massachusetts manufacturer, Soft as a Grape, makes apparel featuring other pro-sports teams as well.
Soft as a Grape owner Allen Katzen said he has recalled all the shirts.
"It appears that one of our employees didn’t check the spelling, and it got through quality control. It is an embarrassment to me, and I have no excuses. I am sure this is an affront to all the loyal Jet fans and to the people of Winnipeg," he said.
