Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the first NHL team known as the Winnipeg Jets. For the current NHL team with the same name, see Winnipeg Jets. For the former Western Hockey League team, see Winnipeg Monarchs (WHL).

Quick facts for kids Winnipeg Jets

Founded	1972
History	Winnipeg Jets 1972–1979 (WHA) 1979–1996 (NHL) Phoenix Coyotes 1996–2014 Arizona Coyotes 2014–present
Home arena	Winnipeg Arena
City	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Colours	Blue, red, white
Stanley Cups	0
Avco World Trophy	3 (1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79)
Conference championships	0
Presidents' Trophies	0
Division championships	3 (1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78)

The Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team from Winnipeg, Canada. They started playing in the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972. Later, in 1979, the team joined the National Hockey League (NHL) when the WHA merged with the NHL.

Sadly, the team faced money problems. In 1996, the Jets moved to Phoenix, Arizona. They changed their name to the Phoenix Coyotes, which are now called the Arizona Coyotes. The team played their home games at the Winnipeg Arena.

Team History: From WHA to NHL
- The WHA Years: A Winning Start (1972–1979)
- The NHL Years: New Challenges (1979–1996)
  - Team Move and End of an Era
Team Uniforms and Style
The Winnipeg White Out Tradition
Season Records: WHA and NHL Eras
- WHA Era Records
- NHL Era Records
Key Players and Achievements
Winnipeg Jets Individual Player Records
See also

Team History: From WHA to NHL

The WHA Years: A Winning Start (1972–1979)

Winnipeg got one of the first teams in the WHA on December 27, 1971. The team's first owner was Ben Hatskin. The name "Jets" came from another local hockey team, the Winnipeg Jets.

The first player to sign with the Jets was Norm Beaudin. A huge signing was Bobby Hull, a famous player. Getting Hull made the WHA more popular and helped other NHL stars join the new league.

The Jets were pioneers in finding hockey talent from Europe. They brought in Swedish players like Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. These two, along with Bobby Hull, formed a famous line called "the Hot Line." Lars-Erik Sjoberg, a great defenceman, also joined. Other European stars included Willy Lindstrom, Kent Nilsson, and Veli-Pekka Ketola.

With these players, the Jets became the best team in the WHA. They reached the finals in five of the league's seven seasons. They won the Avco World Trophy three times. Their last win was in the WHA's final season against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers. A special moment was their 5–3 win over the Soviet National team on January 5, 1978.

In the WHA's last season, Kent Nilsson scored 107 points. Morris Lukowich had 65 goals, and Peter Sullivan had 46 goals and 86 points.

The 1976, 1978, and 1979 Avco Cup winning Winnipeg Jets were honored in the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.

The NHL Years: New Challenges (1979–1996)

By 1978–79, most WHA teams had closed, but the Jets were still strong. After that season, the Jets joined the NHL. Other teams like the Nordiques, Oilers, and Hartford Whalers also joined. The Jets were a good team, but joining the NHL came at a high cost.

The Jets had to give up three of their best players in a special draft. They also had a low draft pick. They tried to protect defenceman Scott Campbell, but he had health issues and left the league early.

In the NHL, the Jets were in the Smythe Division. With a weaker team, they finished last in the league for their first two NHL seasons. The 1980–81 season was their worst, with only nine wins. This was very different from the Oilers, who became a top team in the 1980s.

However, these tough seasons gave the Jets high draft picks. In 1980, they picked Dave Babych second overall. In 1981, they drafted future Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk first overall. By the mid-1980s, the team built a strong group of players. This included Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Paul MacLean, Randy Carlyle, Laurie Boschman, Doug Smail, and David Ellett.

The Jets improved and made the playoffs 11 times in the next 15 years. But they struggled in the playoffs. This was because they often played against the Edmonton Oilers or Calgary Flames. These were two of the best teams in the league during the 1980s.

For example, in 1984–85, the Jets had the fourth-best record in the whole league. But they finished second in their division behind the Oilers. They beat the Flames in the first round. However, they were then swept by the Oilers, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Jets played the Oilers six times in the playoffs between 1983 and 1990. The Oilers won every series, and the Jets only won four games in total. Five times, the Oilers won the Stanley Cup after beating the Jets. The Jets only won one more playoff series, in 1987.

Team Move and End of an Era

As the NHL grew, team costs and player salaries increased. Canadian teams like the Jets faced challenges because they earned money in Canadian dollars but had to pay players in U.S. dollars. Winnipeg was one of the smallest markets in the league. Their home arena, Winnipeg Arena, was old and lacked modern features.

Efforts to find a local buyer for the team failed. The team owner, Barry Shenkarow, sold the team to American businessmen for $65 million. They planned to move the team to Minneapolis–Saint Paul. But they could not agree on sharing an arena. So, the team moved to Phoenix and became the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Jets played their last game on April 28, 1996. It was a playoff loss at home to the Detroit Red Wings. Norm Maciver scored the last goal in the original Jets' history.

Winnipeg did not stay without hockey for long. The Minnesota Moose team moved to Winnipeg and became the Manitoba Moose.

Dean Kennedy played with the Jets from 1991 to 1994

The original Jets retired two player numbers: Bobby Hull's #9 and Thomas Steen's #25. The Coyotes continued to honor these numbers. Dale Hawerchuk's No. 10 was added in 2006. Another tradition kept was the "whiteout." This is when fans wear all white to home playoff games.

The Jets/Coyotes team finally won a playoff series in 2011–12. They also won their first division title as an NHL team that season.

Shane Doan was drafted by the Jets in 1995. He played his first season in Winnipeg. He was the last original Jet to play in the NHL until he retired in 2017.

The current Winnipeg Jets team often honors the original Jets' history. The original team's championship banners hang in the Canada Life Centre. The numbers of original Jets in the Hall of Fame are also honored. The new team has also worn throwback uniforms and brought back the Whiteout tradition.

Team Uniforms and Style

The Jets first wore blue and white uniforms with red trim in the WHA. The white uniforms had a blue shoulder part and blue numbers. The blue uniforms were the opposite. In 1974, the Jets started using their famous round logo.

When they joined the NHL in 1979, the Jets got new uniforms. They had thick stripes on the shoulders and waist. The blue uniforms now had white numbers with red trim. In 1990, the Jets changed their uniform design one last time. They also switched back to red pants.

The current Winnipeg Jets team has different uniforms and a new logo. But sometimes, they wear the old Jets' uniform as a special jersey. For the 2021 season, they introduced a "Reverse Retro" jersey. It looked like the original Jets' 1979–90 uniform but used the colors of the current Jets.

The Winnipeg White Out Tradition

The Winnipeg White Out is a special hockey tradition. It started in 1987 during the playoffs. Fans were asked to wear white clothes to home games. This created an amazing and powerful atmosphere. It was a response to the "C of Red" created by fans of the Calgary Flames. The Jets beat the Flames in that series.

After that, fans wore white for every home playoff game. They called it the "White Out," like a big winter snow storm. Later, it was also called "White Noise."

Fans of other teams, like the Manitoba Moose, also continued this tradition. When the current Jets team moved to Winnipeg, they brought back the White Out for the 2015 and 2018 playoffs.

Season Records: WHA and NHL Eras

Here are the Winnipeg Jets' season-by-season records.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties minutes

WHA Era Records

Season	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1972–73	78	43	31	4	90	285	249	757	1st, Western	Won Quarterfinals (Fighting Saints) 4–1 Won Semifinals (Aeros) 4–0 Lost Finals (Whalers) 4–1
1973–74	78	34	39	5	73	264	296	673	4th, Western	Lost Quarterfinals (Aeros) 4–0
1974–75	78	38	35	5	81	322	293	869	3rd, Canadian	Did not qualify
1975–76	81	52	27	2	106	345	254	940	1st, Canadian	Won Quarterfinals (Oilers) 4–0 Won Semifinals (Cowboys) 4–1 Won Avco Cup Finals (Aeros) 4–0
1976–77	80	46	32	2	94	366	291	991	2nd, Western	Won Quarterfinals (Mariners) 4–3 Won Semifinals (Aeros) 4–2 Lost Finals (Nordiques) 4–3
1977–78	80	50	28	2	102	381	270	988	1st, WHA	Won Quarterfinals (Bulls) 4–1 Won Avco Cup Finals (Whalers) 4–0
1978–79	80	39	35	6	84	307	306	1342	3rd, WHA	Won Semifinals (Nordiques) 4–0 Won Avco Cup Finals (Oilers) 4–2
WHA totals	555	302	227	26	630	2,270	1,958	6,560

NHL Era Records

Season	GP	W	L	T	Pts	GF	GA	PIM	Finish	Playoffs
1979–80	80	20	49	11	51	214	314	1,251	5th, Smythe	Did not qualify
1980–81	80	9	57	14	32	246	400	1,191	5th, Smythe	Did not qualify
1981–82	80	33	33	14	80	319	332	1,314	2nd, Norris	Lost Division Semifinals (Blues) 3–1
1982–83	80	33	39	8	74	311	333	1,089	4th, Smythe	Lost Division Semifinals (Oilers) 3–0
1983–84	80	31	38	11	73	340	374	1,579	4th, Smythe	Lost Division Semifinals (Oilers) 3–0
1984–85	80	43	27	10	96	358	332	1,540	2nd, Smythe	Won Division Semifinals (Flames) 3–1 Lost Division Finals (Oilers) 4–0
1985–86	80	26	47	7	59	295	372	1,774	3rd, Smythe	Lost Division Semifinals (Flames) 3–0
1986–87	80	40	32	8	88	279	271	1,537	3rd, Smythe	Won Division Semifinals (Flames) 4–2 Lost Division Finals (Oilers) 4–0
1987–88	80	33	36	11	77	292	310	2,278	3rd, Smythe	Lost Division Semifinals (Oilers) 4–1
1988–89	80	26	42	12	64	300	355	1,843	5th, Smythe	Did not qualify
1989–90	80	37	32	11	85	298	290	1,639	3rd, Smythe	Lost Division Semifinals (Oilers) 4–3
1990–91	80	26	43	11	63	260	288	1,675	5th, Smythe	Did not qualify
1991–92	80	33	32	15	81	251	244	1,907	4th, Smythe	Lost Division Semifinals (Canucks) 4–3
1992–93	84	40	37	7	87	322	320	1,851	4th, Smythe	Lost Division Semifinals (Canucks) 4–2
1993–94	84	24	51	9	57	245	344	2,143	6th, Central	Did not qualify
1994–95¹	48	16	25	7	39	157	177	1,141	6th, Central	Did not qualify
1995–96	82	36	40	6	78	275	291	1,622	5th, Central	Lost Conference Quarterfinals (Red Wings) 4–2
Relocated to Phoenix
NHL totals	1338	506	660	172	1184	4762	5347	27374		11 playoff appearances

Notes:

¹ Season was shortened by the 1994–95 NHL lockout

Key Players and Achievements

Team Captains

These players were the captains for the Winnipeg Jets in both the NHL and WHA.

Ab McDonald, 1972–1974
Dan Johnson, 1974–1975
Lars-Erik Sjoberg, 1975–1978, 1979–1980
Barry Long, 1978–1979
Morris Lukowich, 1980–1981
Dave Christian, 1981–1982
Lucien DeBlois, 1982–1984
Dale Hawerchuk, 1984–1989
Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen and
Randy Carlyle, 1989–1990 (tri-captains)
Thomas Steen and Randy Carlyle, 1990–1991 (co-captains)
Troy Murray, 1991–1993
Dean Kennedy, 1993
Keith Tkachuk, 1993–1995
Kris King, 1995–1996

First Round Draft Picks

Here are the players the Jets picked in the first round of the WHA and NHL drafts.

1973: Ron Andruff (11th overall)
1974: Randy Andreachuk (7th overall)
1975: Brad Gassoff (8th overall)
1976: Thomas Gradin (9th overall)
1977: Ron Duguay (3rd overall)
1978: no WHA draft
1979: Jimmy Mann (19th overall)
1980: Dave Babych (2nd overall)
1981: Dale Hawerchuk (1st overall)
1982: Jim Kyte (12th overall)
1983: Andrew McBain (8th overall) and Bobby Dollas (14th overall)
1984: none
1985: Ryan Stewart (18th overall)
1986: Pat Elynuik (8th overall)
1987: Bryan Marchment (16th overall)
1988: Teemu Selanne (10th overall)
1989: Stu Barnes (4th overall)
1990: Keith Tkachuk (19th overall)
1991: Aaron Ward (5th overall)
1992: Sergei Bautin (17th overall)
1993: Mats Lindgren (15th overall)
1994: none
1995: Shane Doan (7th overall)

Hockey Hall of Famers

These players who played for the Jets are now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Dale Hawerchuk, C, 1981–1990, inducted 2001
Phil Housley, D, 1990–1993, inducted 2015
Bobby Hull, LW, 1972–1980, inducted 1983
Serge Savard, D, 1981–1983, inducted 1986
Teemu Selanne, RW, 1992–1996, inducted 2017

Retired Numbers

The original Winnipeg Jets retired two numbers to honor their players. When the team moved to Arizona, these numbers were still honored. The current Winnipeg Jets also honor these numbers.

No.	Player	Position	Career	No. retirement
Winnipeg Jets retired numbers
9¹	Bobby Hull	LW	1972–1980	February 19, 1989
25	Thomas Steen	RW	1981–1995	May 6, 1995