MOORHEAD -- Dave Christian still remembers quite well the first time he took the ice at Winnipeg Arena as a member of the Winnipeg Jets. It was where he got his start in the National Hockey League.
But for the last 15 years, there has been no NHL team in Winnipeg. That appears to be changing, and Christian couldn't be more excited.
The Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto reported Thursday night that an agreement was in place for the Atlanta Thrashers to be purchased by a new ownership group and moved to Manitoba's capital. That report has been denied by all sides, but Winnipeg's mayor has acknowledged that the move is just "a matter of time."
"I think it's exciting," said Christian, who lives in Moorhead. "I got my start in Winnipeg. I enjoyed it there. I still got some good friends up in Winnipeg and that's, my gosh, 30 years ago."
Christian said he was in Winnipeg just a couple of weeks ago, and there was plenty of chatter on sports talk radio about the possibility of the NHL returning as soon as next season.
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At that time, it was just speculation. But now it appears to be inevitable.
Christian played the first four seasons of his 15-year NHL career with the Jets starting in the 1979-80 season after a two-year stint at UND and winning a gold medal in the 1980 Olympic Games.
"It was unique," Christian said of playing in Winnipeg. "Starting from when you drove up to (Winnipeg Arena), it had an appearance of a Lego building with the additions and everything they had in it.
"I ventured up to the upper deck one time, and I was amazed by how steep the steps were in the balconies they had hanging."
When the Jets moved to Phoenix in 1996, Christian admits he was surprised. But a lot has changed since then. The Canadian dollar is much stronger, and the NHL now has a salary cap to help small-market teams compete.
Plus, Winnipeg has a new arena. The MTS Centre opened in 2004 to replace Winnipeg Arena, which was demolished in 2006.
Christian believes hockey-crazed Winnipeg can support a team again, and he's looking forward to another NHL team playing in Manitoba.
"It'd be fun," Christian said, "if that were to happen to get back together with some of the guys I played with in Winnipeg."
