Tuesday was a day that thousands of Manitobans had waited for with anticipation for many years. In a media room at the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg, Mark Chipman and David Thomson, with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman looking on, announced that they had purchased the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers with the intention of moving them to Winnipeg.

For NHL fans and fans of the former Winnipeg Jets, it was a very special day. At The Forks in Winnipeg, thousands of Manitobans welcomed the announcement with a daylong celebration.

While there will be countless stories written of how the NHL found its way back to Winnipeg, it’s clear that the credit rests with Mr. Chipman and Mr. Thomson (who are partners in True North Sports and Entertainment) and with the Manitoba hockey fans who never lost hope the NHL could return. True North has worked quietly and patiently with the NHL for years, setting the stage for its return. They have invested their own private money in both the hockey team and the building that the team will play in. They successfully operated the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League, preparing for a day that the NHL would come knocking.

When the Winnipeg Jets left, they left primarily because there wasn’t any individual or group of individuals who were willing to own the team and keep it in Manitoba. With True North, not only is that ownership issue solved, Manitoba now has arguably one of the best ownership groups in the NHL.

For Manitoba, the combination of solid ownership and a better economic structure in the NHL than when the Jets left for Phoenix, gives hope that the return of the NHL can be a success in our province. It’s up to the fans to show their support through the purchase of tickets and there is every reason to believe they will.

The return of the NHL is a good news story for our province and it confirms what members of the P.C. Party have long believed. Manitoba and Manitobans can achieve anything when there is a collective will. We shouldn’t be afraid to dream big. In fact, we should keep dreaming big!

While the NHL’s return will be celebrated by hockey fans of all ages, it was especially gratifying to see the young people, those almost too young to remember the Winnipeg Jets, celebrating the return of the NHL on Tuesday. For those of us who were fortunate to grow up following the Jets, watching Lukowich, Hawerchuk, Steen, Selanne and many others, we know the value of those memories.

I now look forward to watching a Manitoba NHL team with my own son as he comes to know a new generation of hockey heroes and am glad that parents and young people across the province will share similar experiences.

Thank you to Mark Chipman and David Thomson and congratulations to all NHL hockey fans in Manitoba. Let’s keep on dreaming big!