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Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) facts for kids

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Winnipeg Jets
Founded 1972
History Winnipeg Jets
1972–1979 (WHA)
19791996 (NHL)
Phoenix Coyotes
19962014
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)

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
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.

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

Notes:

  • 1 Bobby Hull's number was briefly unretired for his son Brett in the 2005–06 season.

Top Scorers in Jets History

These are the top ten players who scored the most points for the Winnipeg Jets, combining their WHA and NHL totals.

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

Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G
Dale Hawerchuk C 713 379 550 929 1.30
Thomas Steen RW 950 264 553 817 .86
Bobby Hull LW 429 307 341 648 1.51
Paul MacLean RW 527 248 270 518 .98
Ulf Nilsson C 300 140 344 484 1.61
Anders Hedberg RW 286 236 222 458 1.60
Willy Lindstrom RW 604 220 229 449 .74
Morris Lukowich LW 511 233 213 446 .87
Doug Smail LW 691 189 208 397 .58
Laurie Boschman LW 526 152 227 379 .72

Winnipeg Jets Individual Player Records

These are some of the best individual player records for the Winnipeg Jets in a single season:

  • Most goals in a season: Teemu Selanne, 76 (1992–93; an NHL rookie record!)
  • Most assists in a season: Phil Housley, 79 (1992–93)
  • Most points in a season: Teemu Selanne 132 (1992–93; also an NHL rookie record!)
  • Most penalty minutes in a season: Tie Domi, 347 (1993–94)
  • Most points in a season by a defenceman: Phil Housley, 97 (1992–93)
  • Most wins in a season by a goalie: Brian Hayward and Bob Essensa, 33 (1984–85 and 1992–93)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Winnipeg Jets (1972-1996) para niños

  • List of Winnipeg Jets (1972–96) head coaches
  • Avco World Trophy
  • List of defunct NHL teams
  • List of ice hockey teams in Manitoba
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