![]() The team made the finals in five of the WHA's seven seasons, winning the Avco World Trophy three times, including in the league's final season against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers.Īnother notable accomplishment was the Jets' 5–3 victory over the Soviet National team on January 5, 1978. Behind these players and other European stars such as Willy Lindstrom, Kent Nilsson, Veli-Pekka Ketola, leavened by players such as Peter Sullivan, Norm Beaudin and goaltender Joe Daley, the Jets were the most successful team in the short-lived WHA. Winnipeg's fortunes were bolstered by acquisitions such as Swedish forwards Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson, who starred with Hull on the WHA's most famous and successful forward line (nicknamed "the Hot Line"), and defenceman Lars-Erik Sjoberg, who would serve as the team's captain and win accolades as the WHA's best defenceman. The Jets were the first North American club to seriously explore Europe as a source of hockey talent. Hull's acquisition, partially financed by the rest of the WHA's teams, gave the league instant credibility and paved the way for other NHL stars to bolt to the upstart league. The Jets' first signing was Norm Beaudin (earning the player the moniker of "the Original Jet"), while the first major signing was Bobby Hull. The team took their name from the Winnipeg Jets of the Western Canada Hockey League. The original owner was Ben Hatskin, a local figure who made his wealth in cardboard shipping containers. On December 27, 1971, Winnipeg was granted one of the founding franchises in the WHA. ![]() The team played their home games at Winnipeg Arena.įranchise history The WHA years (1972–1979) Due to mounting financial troubles, in 1996 the franchise moved to Phoenix, Arizona and became the Phoenix Coyotes (now the Arizona Coyotes). The club joined the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1979 after the NHL merged with the WHA. They began play in the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972. The Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. For the former Western Hockey League team, see Winnipeg Monarchs (WHL). For the current NHL team with the same name, see Winnipeg Jets. This article is about the first NHL team known as the Winnipeg Jets.
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