Hockey fans in Winnipeg are giving thanks for the return of their beloved Jets this weekend, in advance of Sunday's home opener against the Montreal Canadiens.
It's been more than 15 years since Winnipeg has been able to cheer for a hometown NHL franchise, and the city is understandably pumped heading into the big game.
Tickets for the contest against the Habs at the downtown MTS Centre have been sold out for months, with even online re-sellers like Stubhub.com coming up dry.
"It's been hectic, it's been busy, but it's been exciting, that's for sure," said Scott Brown, the team's director of communications.
"The level of excitement is off the charts. It's really difficult to describe to a lot of people" who aren't in town, he told CTV News Channel Saturday.
Brown said the team and the fans are gearing up for Sunday's opener with the same level of emotion and intensity seen during an important playoff run.
"This is probably the equivalent, with a very rare set of circumstances," he said.
Brown was echoing the words of Jets coach Claude Noel, who said earlier Saturday that the emotions around the team have been running incredibly high.
"It's almost like 15 years of vented emotion," Noel said, referring to the exhibition opener at the MTS Centre last month.
"As soon as the anthem started, everybody sang. It just gave you goosebumps, like everybody was singing. It almost brought tears to your eyes. It was beautiful.
"I can't imagine what it's going to be like out there (on Sunday)."
For Noel, and many others in the Jets organization, Sunday's game also marks a step into the spotlight.
Noel coached the city's AHL franchise, the Manitoba Moose, last year. But this year, the former NHLer is back in the big leagues.
He also believes that the Jets can make the playoffs this year: something that has eluded stalwart Canadian teams like the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs in recent years.
While the current Jets franchise is new to the city, the team comes with an experienced roster.
Proven firepower
Dustin Byfuglien, who can play both defence and forward, was instrumental in helping his old team, the Chicago Blackhawks, clinch the Stanley Cup in 2010.
He's expected to put up big numbers this season wherever he plays, despite some legal issues in the U.S. for an impaired boating charge over the summer.
Forward Andrew Ladd, an admired leader who put up 59 points when the franchise was in Atlanta last year, is also expected to perform well.
But it's the young guns that could make the biggest splash with Jets fans.
Evander Kane, the hard-hitting 20-year-old, was a fan favourite in Atlanta during his rookie season last year. He netted 19 last year, and could score 30 goals this season.
Much is also expected of rookie Mark Scheifele, who at 18 is one of the league's youngest players.
Scheifele was drafted in the first round earlier this year, after winning praise from the likes of Dale Hawerchuk, the Hall of Famer who lead the earlier incarnation of the Jets in scoring throughout the 1980s.
With a report from The Canadian Press
