After a 20-year wait, Winnipeg hockey fans finally have something to celebrate -- and they're making the most of the opportunity.

The madness began on Thursday night when the team's playoff berth was clinched, and fans poured into the streets at Portage and Main in Winnipeg's downtown to celebrate, chanting "go Jets go" and waving Jets banners fixed to hockey sticks.

"Only 16 teams make it, 14 teams have to go home and the Jets are one of the best 16 teams in the world, that's a big statement for a little town in Manitoba," said Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Fans have certainly bided their time. The team last made the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1996 -- the final season before the team left Winnipeg to become the Phoenix Coyotes, resulting in a 15-year NHL hockey drought in the city.

That ended in 2011 when True North Sports and Entertainment made a successful bid for the Atlanta Thrashers and relocated the team to Winnipeg, reinstating the Jets brand and giving new hope to fans.

Now, for the first time since then, the team with the league's smallest but perhaps fiercest fan base has made the post-season and fans are guaranteed at least four playoff games to show their support.

And with the return of playoff hockey, fans are expected to also bring back the city's tradition of wearing white to playoff games, creating what is known in the city as a 'Whiteout.'

And Winnipeg isn't the only city with something to celebrate. In total, four of Canada's seven teams are in the post-season, including the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens. And the Ottawa Senators have a shot too, depending on how they do Saturday night.

If five Canadian teams make it, it will mark the first time in 11 years since that has occurred.

With Calgary's reputation for raucous celebrations along the legendary Red Mile, police issued an early warning that bad behaviour would not be tolerated.

"The Calgary Flames being in the playoffs isn't a free pass to commit crime and behave badly," said Kevin Brookwell of the Calgary Police Service.

It's also been 22 years since a Canadian team -- the Montreal Canadiens -- brought home the Stanley Cup. If any one of the five teams makes it to the final, their presence is likely to galvanize support from across the country

With a report from CTV’s Manitoba Bureau Chief Jill Macyshon in Winnipeg