Updated: Tue Sep. 20 2011 19:11:58

ctvwinnipeg.ca

Hockey fans in Winnipeg were jubilant Tuesday over the arrival of the Jets for a pre-season game, marking the first time in 15 years the city has had its own NHL team on the ice.

"It's a little surreal. It doesn't feel real yet to tell you the truth," said Edward Hucarewich, a Jets fan.

"It's been 15 years and it doesn't even matter how much time has gone. It's just incredible how much passion the city has for the team," he said.

That enthusiasm has been visible across the country.

Globe and Mail columnist Roy MacGregor has relocated temporarily to Winnipeg for a month to cover the Jets return.

"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," said MacGregor. "To me, it's Winnipeg's time in the sun."

Staff at 4PlaySports Bar, which is across the street from the MTS Centre where the Jets play, said they're counting on a bump in business.

"It's going to bring people back downtown…so having the Jets here, it's really a wonderful thing," said Oreanna Cheater, co-owner of 4PlaySports Bar.

The Sept. 20 Jets game is a split-squad match up between the Jets and the Columbus Blue Jackets.

While half of the Jets team plays in Winnipeg, the other half of the team plays in Columbus.

Tickets for the game in Winnipeg were going for around $200 each, while tickets in Columbus were selling for about $34.

With other upcoming developments in the city, such as the development of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the new airport terminal slated to open at Winnipeg's airport, some feel Winnipeg is poised to enjoy a renaissance.

"Not a lot of cities or regions have an opportunity like this where you just this sudden jolt of confidence," said Dave Angus from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

- with reports from CTV's Jon Hendricks on Shawn Churchill