Winnipeg Jets (1972 to 1996)

Founding and WHA Dominance

The Winnipeg Jets were established on December 27, 1971, when local businessman Ben Hatskin was granted one of the founding franchises of the World Hockey Association. The team took its name from Hatskin's junior hockey team, the Winnipeg Jets of the Western Canada Hockey League. The franchise's first player signing was Norm Beaudin, who earned the moniker "the Original Jet." The team's first major coup was signing Chicago Black Hawks superstar Bobby Hull on June 27, 1972, with a groundbreaking contract worth at least US$2.5 million, a move that lent the upstart WHA immediate credibility and paved the way for other NHL stars to join the new league. The Jets pioneered the recruitment of European talent to North American professional hockey, a strategy that became central to their success. Swedish forwards Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson joined Hull to form the legendary "Hot Line," one of the most potent forward units in WHA history. Swedish defenceman Lars-Erik Sjöberg served as team captain and was recognized as the league's top defenceman, anchoring a roster that blended European skill with North American experience.

This core, supplemented by other European stars like Willy Lindström, Kent Nilsson, and Veli-Pekka Ketola, along with Canadian players such as Peter Sullivan and goaltender Joe Daley, propelled the Jets to become the WHA's most successful franchise. The team made the Avco Cup Finals five times in the league's seven-year existence. The Jets' WHA achievements include three Avco Cup championships, won in 1976, 1978, and 1979. Their 1976 victory over the Houston Aeros marked the first championship for the city of Winnipeg since 1962 and was celebrated as a triumph for their innovative, European-influenced style of play.

The Winnipeg Jets won the Avco Cup in the World Hockey Association's final season by defeating the Edmonton Oilers, who were led by Wayne Gretzky. This victory marked the Jets' third Avco Cup championship. Another significant achievement was the team's 5 to 3 exhibition game victory over the Soviet Union national team on January 5, 1978. This win made the Jets the first club team to ever defeat the elite Soviet national squad. The championship teams from 1976, 1978, and 1979 were later inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. This induction honoured their success and their role in provincial sports history.

Transition to the NHL and Early Struggles

In 1979, the financially struggling WHA folded, and the Jets were one of four teams absorbed into the NHL, alongside the Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques, and Hartford Whalers. The terms of the merger were harsh for the incoming clubs. The Jets were stripped of much of their talent in a reclamation and expansion draft, losing three of their top six scorers from their final WHA champion squad. They were also forced to select 18th in a 21-team entry draft, putting them at a severe disadvantage in building a competitive roster for their new league.

The player they chose to protect, defenceman Scott Campbell, saw his career cut short by chronic asthma exacerbated by Winnipeg's climate, and he was out of the league by 1982. Placed in the Smythe Division, the decimated Jets endured two of the worst seasons in franchise history. Their combined record for the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons was 29 wins, 106 losses, and 25 ties. The 1980-81 campaign was particularly dismal, with only nine wins, a mark that remains the worst single-season record for the franchise and stands in stark contrast to the success of their WHA years.

The team's poor finishes in its first two NHL seasons resulted in high draft picks that were used for a rebuild. In the 1980 NHL draft, the Winnipeg Jets selected defenceman Dave Babych with the second overall pick. The following year, they drafted future Hall of Fame centre Dale Hawerchuk first overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. These players became part of a new core that helped the team return to respectability. This core guided the Jets to a period of consistent playoff appearances throughout the 1980s. The team still faced formidable divisional rivals during this time.

Era of Respectability and Playoff Hurdles

Led by Hawerchuk, along with core players like Thomas Steen, Paul MacLean, Randy Carlyle, and Dave Babych, the Jets quickly returned to competitiveness. The team made the Stanley Cup playoffs every season from 1981-82 to 1987-88. A league realignment in 1981 placed them in the Norris Division, but after one season they were moved back to the highly competitive Smythe Division, which featured the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. The playoff format of the era, which was strictly division-based, meant the Jets were almost always destined to face one of these two rivals if they advanced beyond the first round.

The team's best regular season performance came in 1984-85, when they finished with 96 points, the fourth-best record in the entire NHL. They defeated the Calgary Flames in the division semifinals for their first NHL playoff series victory. However, they were swept in the next round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers. This pattern repeated itself often. The Jets faced the Oilers in the playoffs six times between 1983 and 1990, winning only four total games. Five of those times, Edmonton went on to win the Stanley Cup, highlighting the immense challenge the Jets faced in their own division.

The Jets' only other playoff series win came in 1987, again against Calgary, before falling to Edmonton. Despite 11 playoff appearances in 15 years, these formidable divisional opponents largely contained the Jets' postseason success. Key team records from this NHL era were set by its star players. Following the 2026 consolidation of franchise history, the all-time statistical leaders for the original Jets' NHL tenure were confirmed, with Dale Hawerchuk and Thomas Steen occupying the top spots in major categories.

• Goals: Dale Hawerchuk (379)
• Assists: Thomas Steen (553)
• Points: Dale Hawerchuk (929)

During their history, the Winnipeg Jets retired two jersey numbers. The team retired Bobby Hull's number 9. The team also retired Thomas Steen's number 25. The tradition of the "whiteout" began in this era, where fans wear all white to home playoff games. This tradition became a defining characteristic of the franchise's identity. It demonstrated the team's deep connection with the Winnipeg community.

Financial Challenges and Relocation

By the early 1990s, the Jets were facing severe financial pressures that threatened their future in Winnipeg. Liberalized free agency rules and the league-wide practice of paying player salaries in U.S. dollars placed a heavy burden on Canadian teams whose revenues were primarily in Canadian currency. Winnipeg was the NHL's second-smallest market, and it became the smallest after the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995. Their home, the Winnipeg Arena, built in 1955, was considered outdated, lacking luxury suites and containing many obstructed-view seats, which limited crucial revenue streams and made it difficult to compete financially.

Owner Barry Shenkarow sought public assistance to build a new arena but was unsuccessful. Facing mounting losses, he agreed in 1995 to sell the team to American businessmen Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke for $65 million. Their initial plan was to move the franchise to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. A local consortium, Spirit of Manitoba, mounted a campaign to keep the team, which delayed the sale and kept the Jets in Winnipeg for the 1995-96 season. However, the group was ultimately undercapitalized and could not complete a purchase, leaving the franchise's future in doubt.

When Gluckstern and Burke failed to secure an arena deal in Minnesota, they pivoted and reached an agreement with Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo to move the team to Arizona. The Jets qualified for the playoffs in their final season. Their last game as the Winnipeg Jets was a 4-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings at Winnipeg Arena on April 28, 1996, in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Defenceman Norm Maciver scored the final goal in franchise history. The team was relocated and renamed the Phoenix Coyotes for the 1996-97 season, concluding 24 years of professional hockey under the Jets name in Manitoba and leaving a void in the city's sports scene.

Aftermath and Historical Consolidation

Following the Jets' departure, the International Hockey League's Minnesota Moose relocated to Winnipeg to become the Manitoba Moose, ensuring the city still had professional hockey. The NHL returned to Winnipeg 15 years later when True North Sports & Entertainment purchased the struggling Atlanta Thrashers and moved them to Manitoba prior to the 2011-12 season. The new team was named the Winnipeg Jets, reclaiming the historic identity with permission from the NHL, which controlled the trademarks. However, the new franchise initially retained the Thrashers' statistical records, while the original Jets' records remained with the Coyotes franchise, creating a split historical legacy.

This separation was resolved on September 24, 2026, when the NHL and the Winnipeg Jets announced the official consolidation of the franchise's statistical history. The move unified the records of the original Jets (1979 to 1996), the Atlanta Thrashers (1999 to 2011), and the current Jets (2011 to present) into one continuous lineage. The history of the Arizona Coyotes (1996 to 2024) was excluded, belonging solely to that now-inactive franchise. This consolidation reinstated original Jets legends like Dale Hawerchuk and Thomas Steen as the franchise's all-time statistical leaders, a change reflected on official NHL platforms and celebrated by fans who had long considered the histories connected.

The current Jets organization has consistently honoured its predecessor. The Avco Cup championships and the retired numbers of Hull and Steen are displayed in Canada Life Centre. The team has worn throwback uniforms and revived the whiteout tradition for playoff games. Shane Doan, drafted by the Jets in 1995, was the last active NHL player from the original roster, retiring in 2017 after a long career primarily with the Coyotes. The unification of records in 2026 formally reconnected the two eras of professional hockey in Winnipeg, affirming the historical importance of the original Jets to the sport in the city and providing a complete statistical narrative for the franchise.

Season-by-Season NHL Record

The original Winnipeg Jets played in the National Hockey League for 17 seasons from 1979 to 1996. This period included the team's difficult early years in the league. The Jets reached a competitive peak during the mid 1980s. The later years were marked by declining performance that preceded the franchise's relocation. Throughout this tenure, the team had recurring playoff battles with its divisional rivals.

The team's performance data shows a peak in the mid 1980s. The Jets achieved their highest point totals during the 1984-85 and 1986-87 seasons. These were the only seasons in which the team advanced past the first round of the playoffs. The later years reflected increasing financial and competitive strains. These challenges culminated in the franchise's relocation after the 1995-96 season. This period was marked by more frequent playoff absences.

Questions about Winnipeg Jets (1972 to 1996)

Why did the original Winnipeg Jets leave Winnipeg in 1996?

The Jets relocated due to a combination of severe financial pressures. The team operated in the NHL's smallest market, especially after Quebec City lost its team in 1995. They had to pay player salaries in U.S. dollars while earning revenue in a declining Canadian dollar. Their home arena, Winnipeg Arena, was over 40 years old, lacked modern revenue generators like luxury suites, and had many obstructed-view seats. Owner Barry Shenkarow sold the team to American investors who, after failing to secure a deal in Minnesota, moved the franchise to Phoenix, Arizona.

How many championships did the Winnipeg Jets win in the WHA?

The Winnipeg Jets won the Avco Cup, the championship of the World Hockey Association, three times. They were victorious in the 1976, 1978, and 1979 playoffs. The team also appeared in the Avco Cup Finals two other times, in 1973 and 1977, meaning they played for the league title in five of the WHA's seven seasons. Their 1976 win over the Houston Aeros was the city of Winnipeg's first professional sports championship since 1962.

Who were the most famous players for the original Jets?

The most prominent player was Bobby Hull, the "Golden Jet," whose landmark signing from the NHL gave the WHA instant credibility. In the WHA era, Swedish stars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson formed the legendary "Hot Line" with Hull. In the NHL era, centre Dale Hawerchuk, drafted first overall in 1981, became the franchise's offensive leader and a Hall of Famer. Longtime forward Thomas Steen held the franchise assist record for decades. Other notable players included defencemen Randy Carlyle and Dave Babych, and goal scorers like Paul MacLean and Morris Lukowich.

What is the connection between the original Jets and the current Winnipeg Jets?

The current Winnipeg Jets, who began play in 2011 after relocating from Atlanta, are a separate franchise from the original team. However, they reclaimed the Jets name, logos, and traditions with NHL permission. For years, the statistical records of the two eras were separate, with the original Jets' history belonging to the Arizona Coyotes franchise. On September 24, 2026, the NHL officially consolidated the statistical history of the original Jets (1979 to 1996), the Atlanta Thrashers (1999 to 2011), and the current Jets into one continuous franchise record, reuniting the legacies.

What was the 'Hot Line'?

The "Hot Line" was the nickname for the Winnipeg Jets' top forward line during their WHA dynasty years. It consisted of left winger Bobby Hull and Swedish centres Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. This trio was renowned for its incredible speed, skill, and scoring prowess, becoming one of the most famous and successful lines in WHA history. Their chemistry and production were a central reason for the Jets' three Avco Cup championships and established a new standard for offensive play that incorporated European finesse.

What happened to the Winnipeg Jets' records after the team moved to Phoenix?

When the franchise moved to Phoenix and became the Coyotes in 1996, all its records and history travelled with it. The Coyotes continued to honour retired numbers like Bobby Hull's 9 and Thomas Steen's 25. This historical lineage remained with the Coyotes franchise until it suspended operations in 2024. In a landmark decision on September 24, 2026, the NHL consolidated the original Jets' NHL records (1979 to 1996) with the history of the current Winnipeg Jets franchise. The Coyotes' standalone history now only encompasses their years in Arizona from 1996 to 2024.

Sources and further reading

• Winnipeg Jets (1972 to 1996) (Wikipedia)
• Jets and NHL announce consolidation of Winnipeg Jets' ... (nhl.com)
• NHL officially consolidates Winnipeg Jets' history (tsn.ca)
• Winnipeg Jets History (winnipeghockeytalk.com)

Checked by the Garbutt Disposal desk. Last updated 2026-10-24.