Winnipeg Jets facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Winnipeg Jets
Conference	Western
Division	Central
Founded	1999
History	Atlanta Thrashers 1999–2011 Winnipeg Jets 2011–present
Home arena	Canada Life Centre
City	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Colours	Navy blue, aviator blue, fighter grey, red, white
Media	TSN3 680 CJOB CJKR-FM (Power 97)
Owner(s)	True North Sports & Entertainment (Mark Chipman, executive chairman & governor)
General manager	Kevin Cheveldayoff
Head coach	Scott Arniel
Captain	Adam Lowry
Minor league affiliates	Manitoba Moose (AHL) Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
Stanley Cups	0
Conference championships	0
Presidents' Trophies	0
Division championships	0

The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team from Winnipeg, Canada. They play in the National Hockey League (NHL) as part of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment and plays its home games at Canada Life Centre.

The team started as the Atlanta Thrashers on June 25, 1997. They began playing in the 1999–2000 NHL season. In May 2011, True North Sports & Entertainment bought the team. They moved the team to Winnipeg before the 2011–12 NHL season. This made them the first NHL team to move since 1997. The team was renamed the Jets after Winnipeg's first WHA/NHL team. That original team moved in 1996 and became the Arizona Coyotes.

Team History

The First Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996)

Winnipeg got its first professional hockey team on December 27, 1971. This team was one of the founding members of the World Hockey Association (WHA). By 1979, many WHA teams had closed down. But the Jets, along with three other teams, joined the NHL. This was part of the NHL–WHA merger.

In 1996, the team's owner, Barry Shenkarow, sold the Jets. The new owners planned to move the team to Minnesota. However, they later agreed to move the team to Phoenix. The team became the Arizona Coyotes. The original Winnipeg Jets played their last game on April 28, 1996.

The Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2011)

The Thrashers playing against the St. Louis Blues in 2007.

The city of Atlanta received a new NHL team called the Atlanta Thrashers on June 25, 1997. This was Atlanta's second NHL team. Their first team, the Atlanta Flames, moved to Calgary in 1980. The Thrashers started playing in the 1999–2000 NHL season.

During their 12 years in Atlanta, the Thrashers only made it to the Stanley Cup playoffs once. This was in the 2006–07 Atlanta Thrashers season. They never won a playoff game. Because they didn't have much success, it was hard for the team to attract fans.

The Winnipeg Jets Return (2011–present)

The Thrashers faced many financial problems. The league took over the team before the 2009–10 season. Rumors started that True North Sports & Entertainment wanted to buy the team. True North owns Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre and the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Manitoba Moose.

Crowds at The Forks in Winnipeg on May 31, 2011. They gathered for the announcement that the Thrashers would move to Winnipeg.

On May 20, 2011, news spread that True North would buy the Thrashers. On May 31, 2011, the NHL officially announced the sale. The Atlanta Thrashers were sold to True North and would move to Winnipeg for the 2011–12 NHL season. The deal was approved on June 21, 2011. The purchase price was $170 million, including a $60 million relocation fee.

Season tickets went on sale on June 1, 2011. Manitoba Moose season ticket holders got first choice. The team aimed to sell 13,000 season tickets to show they could succeed. They sold 1,870 tickets to Moose holders in just over three hours. When tickets opened to the public on June 4, they sold out in 17 minutes! True North then started a waiting list, and 8,000 people signed up in two hours.

True North kept the new team's name a secret. Many people in Winnipeg wanted the team to be called the "Winnipeg Jets" again. Other names like "Manitoba Moose" and "Falcons" were also considered. The name was finally announced at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft on June 24. True North chairman Mark Chipman introduced the General Manager, Kevin Cheveldayoff, who then announced the team's name: the Winnipeg Jets.

Before the move was complete, True North hired Kevin Cheveldayoff as the new General Manager. He had been an assistant GM for the Chicago Blackhawks. On June 12, 2011, Cheveldayoff interviewed the Thrashers' Head Coach, Craig Ramsay. Eight days later, Ramsay was let go. Claude Noel, who coached the Manitoba Moose, became the new head coach.

The team celebrates their first win as the Jets at the MTS Centre on October 17, 2011.

The Jets played their first regular season game on October 9, 2011. A sold-out crowd at the MTS Centre watched the Montreal Canadiens beat the Jets 5–1. Nik Antropov scored the first-ever Jets goal. The opening ceremony featured the band Bachman–Turner Overdrive. They sang "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," changing the words to "we just got back the Jets."

The Jets were in the Southeast Division for the 2011–12 season. This led to talks about changing the league's divisions. Starting in the 2013–14 season, the Jets moved to the Western Conference. They now play in the new Central Division.

In January 2014, the Jets fired coach Claude Noel. Veteran coach Paul Maurice took over. On April 9, 2015, the Jets made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since moving to Winnipeg. They lost to the Anaheim Ducks in four games in the first round.

The next season was not as good. The Jets finished 25th overall and missed the playoffs. They signed Dustin Byfuglien to a new contract. They also traded team captain Andrew Ladd to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Jets won the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. They used it to pick Finnish player Patrik Laine. Later that summer, Blake Wheeler became the new captain.

Playoff Success (2017–present)

In the 2017–18 season, the Jets made the playoffs again. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck played a big role. On April 11, 2018, the Jets won their first playoff game in franchise history. They beat the Minnesota Wild 3–2. On April 20, 2018, the Jets won their first playoff series ever! They beat the Minnesota Wild 4–1.

Dustin Byfuglien playing for the Jets in the 2015–16 season.

On May 10, 2018, the Jets made it to the Western Conference finals for the first time. They defeated the Nashville Predators in a tough seven-game series. This was the first time any Winnipeg Jets team had gone past the second round. In the Western Conference finals, they faced the Vegas Golden Knights. The Jets won the first game 4–2. However, the Golden Knights won the next four games and eliminated the Jets.

In 2019, the Jets made the playoffs again. But they lost to the St. Louis Blues in six games in the first round. The Blues went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.

The Jets had a tough 2019–20 season. Many key defensemen left the team. Still, they were close to a playoff spot when the league stopped playing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Jets got a playoff spot in the new format. But injuries to star players Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine hurt the team. They were eliminated by the Calgary Flames. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie.

The Jets made the playoffs for the fourth time in a row in the 2020–21 season. They swept the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. But they were then swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.

In the 2021–22 season, the Jets missed the playoffs. At the start of the 2022–23 season, Blake Wheeler was no longer the team captain. The Jets made the 2023 playoffs. But they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights, who later won the Stanley Cup. Before the 2023–24 season, Adam Lowry became the new team captain. The Jets made the playoffs again but lost to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.

In February 2024, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the Jets were not at risk of moving.

Team Information

Jerseys

The main and initial secondary logos of the Winnipeg Jets. The main logo includes the RCAF roundel.

Patch worn during the team's first season in Winnipeg in 2011–12.

Patch worn during the team's 10th season in Winnipeg in 2021. It also honored Dale Hawerchuk.

When the team's name was announced, there were no new logos or colors. But True North said they were creating them. Mark Chipman, True North's chairman, said the old Jets' blue and red colors would be used. The new logos and colors were revealed on July 22, 2011.

The main colors are blue and silver. The logos are very different from the old Jets' logos. They honor the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), especially Winnipeg's 17 Wing. The main logo looks like the roundels used by the RCAF. It also shows a McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet jet. Red is a small part of the colors because of a maple leaf. The team's first uniforms were shown in September.

The Jets kept their uniforms when Adidas started making NHL uniforms in 2017. Before the 2018–19 season, the Jets added a new alternate uniform. It was aviator blue with a new "Jets" wordmark. The letters and numbers were block style, and the stripes were like the original Jets' uniforms from 1990–96.

The current Jets team is not directly linked to the original team. However, they have honored the original team many times. From 2016 to 2019, the Jets wore white throwback uniforms. These were based on the 1973–78 design of the original Jets. A blue version of these throwback uniforms was made for the 2019 Heritage Classic. For the 2020–21 season, the Jets wore "Reverse Retro" uniforms. These looked like the original Jets' 1979–90 uniforms but in the current Jets' colors.

The Jets' 10th-anniversary logo in 2021 also honored Dale Hawerchuk. His number 10 was added to the logo after he passed away in August 2020. Starting in the 2021–22 season, the blue "Heritage" uniforms became the main alternate uniforms. In the 2022–23 season, the Jets wore "Reverse Retro" uniforms based on the white uniforms of the original Jets from 1990 to 1996, but in the current Jets' colors.

In the 2023–24 season, the Jets wore special "Heritage" uniforms for three games. This was to celebrate the RCAF's 100th anniversary. These uniforms were light blue with red and navy blue stripes. They were called the "Forty-Eight" to honor the Ottawa RCAF Flyers team. That team won a gold medal for Team Canada in the 1948 Winter Olympics.

Mascot

True North brought back their old Moose mascot, Mick E. Moose. Mick E. had been the mascot for the Manitoba Moose for 15 seasons. He now wears a vintage leather aviator helmet. Since 2015–16, Mick E. Moose has been the mascot for both the Jets and the Manitoba Moose. He is very popular with fans. In the 2016 Heritage Classic, the current Jets also brought back their original mascot, Benny. Benny now serves as the team's second mascot.

Team Traditions

National Anthem

Since 2011, during the singing of "O Canada", fans often shout "True North!" This is to recognize True North Sports & Entertainment. Stacey Nattrass, known as "Your Winnipeg Jets' Own," sings the anthems at most home games.

Winnipeg Whiteout

The Winnipeg Whiteout is a hockey tradition that started in 1987. Fans of the original Jets were asked to wear white clothes to playoff home games. This was a response to the "C of Red" created by fans of the Calgary Flames. The Jets were playing the Flames in the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Jets won that series, and fans have worn white for every home playoff game since.

Fans of the former Jets AHL team, the St. John's IceCaps, also continued this tradition. The Whiteout was also used during the Canada vs. Russia Gold medal game at the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Jets brought back this tradition when they made the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Season-by-Season Results

For the full season-by-season history, see List of Winnipeg Jets seasons

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Players and Coaches

Current Roster

Updated December 29, 2022

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
22		Appleton, MasonMason Appleton	C	R	29	2022	Green Bay, Wisconsin
36		Barron, MorganMorgan Barron	C	L	26	2022	Halifax, Nova Scotia
77		Capobianco, KyleKyle Capobianco	D	L	27	2022	Mississauga, Ontario
81		Connor, KyleKyle Connor	LW	L	28	2015	Clinton Township, Michigan
2		DeMelo, DylanDylan DeMelo	D	R	32	2020	London, Ontario
5		Dillon, BrendenBrenden Dillon	D	L	34	2021	New Westminster, British Columbia
80		Dubois, Pierre-LucPierre-Luc Dubois	C	L	27	2021	Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
27		Ehlers, NikolajNikolaj Ehlers	LW	L	29	2014	Aalborg, Denmark
23		Eyssimont, MikeyMikey Eyssimont	LW	L	28	2021	Littleton, Colorado
89		Gagner, SamSam Gagner	C	R	35	2022	London, Ontario
19		Gustafsson, DavidDavid Gustafsson	C	L	25	2018	Tingsryd, Sweden
12		Harkins, JansenJansen Harkins	C	L	28	2015	Cleveland, Ohio
14		Heinola, VilleVille Heinola	D	L	24	2019	Honkajoki, Finland
37		Hellebuyck, ConnorConnor Hellebuyck	G	L	32	2012	Commerce, Michigan
71		Jonsson-Fjallby, AxelAxel Jonsson-Fjallby	LW	L	27	2022	Stockholm, Sweden
25		Kuhlman, KarsonKarson Kuhlman	C	R	29	2022	Esko, Minnesota
17		Lowry, AdamAdam Lowry (A)	C	L	32	2011	St. Louis, Missouri
8		Maenalanen, SakuSaku Maenalanen	LW	L	31	2022	Tornio, Finland
44		Morrissey, JoshJosh Morrissey (A)	D	L	30	2013	Calgary, Alberta
91		Perfetti, ColeCole Perfetti	C	L	23	2020	Whitby, Ontario
4		Pionk, NealNeal Pionk	D	R	29	2019	Omaha, Nebraska
87		Reichel, KristianKristian Reichel	C	R	27	2019	Most, Czech Republic
33		Rittich, DavidDavid Rittich	G	L	32	2022	Jihlava, Czechoslovakia
54		Samberg, DylanDylan Samberg	D	L	26	2017	Hermantown, Minnesota
55		Scheifele, MarkMark Scheifele (A)	C	R	32	2011	Kitchener, Ontario
88		Schmidt, NateNate Schmidt	D	L	33	2021	St. Cloud, Minnesota
64		Stanley, LoganLogan Stanley	D	L	27	2016	Kitchener, Ontario
28		Stenlund, KevinKevin Stenlund	C	R	28	2022	Stockholm, Sweden
26		Wheeler, BlakeBlake Wheeler	RW	R	38	2011	Robbinsdale, Minnesota

Team Captains

• Andrew Ladd, 2011–2016
• Blake Wheeler, 2016–2022
• Adam Lowry, 2023–present

Head Coaches

Team and League Awards

Retired Numbers

The original Winnipeg Jets team retired two jersey numbers. The current Jets team has not officially retired any numbers yet. However, they honor several players from the original team in their Hall of Fame.

The number 99 is retired across the entire NHL for Wayne Gretzky.

Numbers Honored by the Original Jets/Arizona Coyotes

• #9 Bobby Hull: When the team moved to Winnipeg in 2011, Evander Kane wore this number with Hull's permission.
• #10 Dale Hawerchuk: Bryan Little changed his number from 10 in 2011 to show respect for Hawerchuk. The team's 10th-anniversary logo in 2021 also honored Hawerchuk, who passed away in August 2020.
• #25 Thomas Steen: This number was worn by a few players. Paul Stastny chose this number partly because he was friends with Steen's son.

Numbers Honored by the Atlanta Thrashers/Current Winnipeg Jets

• #11 Rick Rypien: This number was not used for a while after former Manitoba Moose player Rypien passed away in 2011. Nate Thompson was allowed to wear it in the 2020–21 season. The Jets and Moose also wear stickers with #11 on their helmets to support mental health awareness.
• #37 Dan Snyder: This number was not used between 2003 and 2016 after Snyder's death in 2003. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has worn the number since 2016, with the Snyder family's approval.

Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame

The team created the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame in 2016. It honors the achievements of the original Winnipeg Jets and the history of hockey in the city. The first players inducted were the "HOT Line": Anders Hedberg, Bobby Hull, and Ulf Nilsson. They were inducted on October 19, 2016.

Dale Hawerchuk was honored on November 14, 2017. Lars-Erik Sjoberg and Ab McDonald were inducted after they passed away on February 26, 2019. Both were captains of the original team. Randy Carlyle and Thomas Steen were inducted on February 11, 2020. They were some of the longest-playing members of the original Jets. Teemu Selanne and Teppo Numminen were inducted on November 17, 2022.

Top Scorers in Team History

Blake Wheeler is the team's all-time points leader with 812 points.

These are the top ten players for points, goals, and assists in the team's history. The numbers are updated after each NHL season.

•  *  – current Jets player

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Single-Season Records

Broadcasters

The orange area shows where most Jets games are broadcast.

Bell Media first held the broadcasting rights for the Jets for 10 years.

TSN broadcasts the Jets' regional TV games. These are games not shown by Sportsnet or Amazon Prime Video. The games are on TSN3 in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and parts of Northwestern Ontario. The team renewed its TV rights with TSN3 on October 5, 2020.

Dan Robertson is the play-by-play announcer for Jets broadcasts on TSN3. Kevin Sawyer is the color commentator. John Lu reports from the rinkside.

Corus Entertainment has held the Jets radio rights since the 2020–21 season. This is part of a seven-year agreement. CJOB and CJKR-FM Power 97 are the main radio stations. They broadcast all games on both AM and FM radio. Paul Edmonds and Mitch Thomas are the on-air play-by-play team.

See also

In Spanish: Winnipeg Jets para niños

• List of Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets general managers
• List of Winnipeg Jets draft picks
• List of Winnipeg Jets players