Hockey-crazed fans in Winnipeg are celebrating the return of their beloved team tonight, as the Jets play their first NHL game in more than 15 years.
Tuesday's home contest, which began at 6 p.m. local time against the Columbus Blue Jackets, is merely a pre-season exhibition game, but the faithful in Winnipeg were treating it like a Stanley Cup Final.
All 15,000 tickets at the city's MTS Centre had been sold for months, and hockey hungry fans were cramming into sports bars around town hours before the puck dropped.
CTV Winnipeg's Jon Hendricks said the difference was palatable in downtown spots like 4PlaySports Bar, where fans were chanting and shouting "Go Jets Go!"
"There were many Tuesdays when you could almost see a tumbleweed blowing by. Instead, it is packed, they are excited, and this is just the beginning," he said.
Tuesday's game is a split-squad contest with the Columbus Blue Jackets, meaning half of the Jets squad will also be playing south of the border.
Just to put things in perspective, a ticket for Tuesday night's contest was fetching $200 in Winnipeg, while a seat in Columbus was going for about $34.
While Winnipeg is celebrating, so are Canadians.
In fact, many fans across the country can recall the dark days of the 1990s, when a combination of economic factors first swept the Jets and the Quebec Nordiques to richer pastures in the United States.
The Jets went to Phoenix and became the Coyotes, while the Nordiques ended up in Denver, where they soon won the Stanley Cup.
Other Canadian franchises, like the five-time champion Oilers, were also nearly relocated due to a weak Canadian dollar and a dearth of big-time television contracts.
But these days, the tide has turned: Canada's dollar and economy are outpacing the competition in the U.S., and a gamble by the NHL nearly two decades ago that warm-weather states would embrace hockey is now largely seen as a mistake.
To catch the zeitgeist, Globe and Mail columnist Roy MacGregor, considered the paper's voice of Canadiana, has relocated to Winnipeg for a month to cover the momentous return of the Jets.
"I've noticed a profound difference. There's a confidence, a cockiness -- I mean, they talk swagger about the football team, but I sense it with the hockey team too," MacGregor told CTV Winnipeg.
"To me, it's Winnipeg's time in the sun."
What's good for the ego is also good for the pocketbook, too, as Winnipeg's quiet downtown will see a huge boost as fans stream into the core for games, drinks and food.
Across the street from the arena, staff at 4PlaySports Bar are already waiting to count their tips.
"It's going to bring people back downtown … so having the Jets here, it's really a wonderful thing," said Oreanna Cheater, the bar's co-owner.
There are other reasons for the city to celebrate, too, as residents prepare for the completion of the massive Canadian Museum for Human Rights nearby, and a new airport terminal.
But with the celebration comes a few lingering questions.
Will the team be able to put together a winning season? And what to make of star defender Dustin Byfuglien, who has been charged with boating while intoxicated in Minnesota?
While Byfuglien is set to appear in court next month, Jets talent like forwards Evander Kane and Andrew Ladd mean that there are hopes the team will make the playoffs this year – something that has eluded the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs for several consecutive seasons.
Regardless of what the season brings, on Tuesday night Winnipeggers were stoked.
"Not a lot of cities or regions have an opportunity like this where you just get this sudden jolt of confidence," said Dave Angus, from the city's chamber of commerce.
