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Man calls 911 and demands immediate return of Winnipeg Jets

Hockey does funny things to people, especially in Canada. Take the case of a Winnipeg area man who had an emergency and dialed 911 to have the dispatchers address for him. Hilarity and an abuse of the system ensues.

A 33-year-old resident of Lundar, Manitoba is facing numerous charges after allegedly making a series of 911 calls which included demanding RCMP officers somehow bring the National Hockey League back to the province.

“He began the conversation by saying he wanted the Jets back. He was quite upset about it,” a justice source told the Free Press on Wednesday. The incident occurred last year but was never reported publicly by police. The Free Press uncovered details this week through court documents.

The potential return of the NHL has been a hot topic in recent years, with many believing it’s a matter of when, not if, Winnipeg gets a team back. And while the subject usually triggers passionate debate, this is believed to be the first time it has ever prompted police action.

The emergency dispatcher politely told the angry caller there was nothing she could do to help him and reminded him that he was tying up a valuable resource before hanging up. But the man continued to phone back, claiming he had a lot on his mind.

“He had apparently been drinking and told police he hadn’t slept in days. He started talking about world conglomerates, things like that. He was hallucinating, obviously,” said the source.

The final straw came when the man began insulting the 911 operator, eventually calling her a crude name. She warned him that his number had been traced and police were being sent out to arrest him.

“If you’re coming to get me, can you bring me some smokes,” was his reply.

Unsurprisingly, the poor sap was arrested and then released for the disturbance over the phone. I am shocked, SHOCKED, to learn that alcohol was the source of this man’s dismay as much as the Jets leaving town 14 years ago was.

Perhaps part of his community service through all this, should he have to do that, is to greet fans at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg before Manitoba Moose games. That or give him season tickets if the Jets ever end up resurrected from the ashes, he does seem to want them back more than most anyone else in Canada after all.

(A huge stick-tap to Paul Kukla at Kukla’s Korner for unearthing this beauty.)