Winnipeg Jets

Original Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996)

On December 27, 1971, Winnipeg was granted one of the founding franchises in the World Hockey Association (WHA). By 1979, the vast majority of the WHA's teams had folded, but the Jets were still going strong and they were absorbed into the NHL along with the Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers and Hartford Whalers as part of the WHA–NHL merger. Team owner Barry Shenkarow sold the team to American businessmen Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke. Burke and Gluckstern originally planned to move the team to Minnesota (which had lost the North Stars to Dallas in 1993), but eventually reached an agreement with Phoenix businessman Jerry Colangelo that would see the team move to Arizona and become the Phoenix Coyotes. The Winnipeg Jets played their last game on April 28, 1996.

Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2011)

The city of Atlanta was awarded an NHL expansion franchise, named the Atlanta Thrashers, on June 25, 1997. It was the second NHL franchise for Atlanta (their first being the Atlanta Flames, established in 1972, who departed for Calgary in 1980 to become the Calgary Flames). The Thrashers began play in the 1999–2000 season.

In their 12 years, the Thrashers qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs only once, during the 2006–07 season, and never won a playoff game. Partially due to their lack of playoff success, the team had difficulty drawing fans to attend their games over their final seasons.

Winnipeg Jets (2011–present)

Although they had moved for financial reasons, the Coyotes have never been profitable in Arizona. Mounting losses eventually compelled the franchise to file for bankruptcy after the 2008-09 season. The team was taken over by the league before the next season began.

As early as October 2009, there were rumours that True North Sports & Entertainment, the company which owns both Winnipeg's MTS Centre and the American Hockey League (AHL)'s Manitoba Moose and chaired by Mark Chipman, who were focused on relocating an NHL franchise to Winnipeg, had been invited to bid on the city's former franchise. TNSE submitted series of bids for the Phoenix Coyotes, which were taken seriously enough that the league drew up tentative schedule with Winnipeg in place of Phoenix. The NHL only shelved the bid after the securing a large subsidy from the Coyotes' municipal government. In contrast to aggressive, public bids by Jim Balsillie (who had unsuccessfully attempted to use bankruptcy laws to skirt NHL rules and move the Coyotes to Hamilton), True North's low-key approach was praised by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and other owners, raising their profile when the question of the Thrashers' relocation came up.

On May 20, 2011, the Winnipeg Sun confirmed that an agreement in principle had been reached for True North to purchase the Thrashers, while Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz announced that he was confident that the Thrashers' relocation to Winnipeg would soon be officially announced. On May 31, 2011, at a press conference at the MTS Centre, Bettman confirmed that the Atlanta Thrashers had been sold to True North and would relocate to Winnipeg for the 2011–12 season, pending the approval of the sale and relocation by the NHL's Board of Governors, which came at their June 21, 2011, meeting. The reported purchase price was $170 million, with $60 million going to the NHL as a relocation fee. After the sale announcement, True North made preparations to move the Moose franchise to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Season ticket sales began June 1, 2011, with Manitoba Moose season ticket holders having priority. The team sought to sell 13,000 season tickets in an effort to prove its viability. Within the first three-and-a-half hours, the new franchise sold 1,870 packages to Moose season ticket holders. Season tickets opened to the general public on June 4 and sold out in just 17 minutes. Once the "Drive to 13,000" was completed, True North started a season ticket waiting list, which was shut down after 8,000 people had signed up in two hours. In July 2011, tickets for October 9 home opener against the Montreal Canadiens were listed for an average price of $1,711 on Stubhub, with an average selling price of $713.

True North stated that the announcement of the team's name would not be made until after the successful completion of the season ticket drive at the absolute earliest. The team was not to be named the Thrashers, since True North did not acquire the name in the transaction, and the rights to that name and the Thrashers logo were retained by the ownership group in Atlanta.

There was considerable support in Winnipeg to re-use the "Winnipeg Jets" name, which was the moniker for the city's original WHA and NHL franchise, though rumours spread that True North preferred to use the "Manitoba Moose" brand. "Whiteout" and "Falcons" were also considered for the team name, although Falcons was quickly rejected out of respect for Atlanta (which has another professional sports team using that name). True North kept their nickname selection a secret until the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 24, when Chipman introduced General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to "make our first pick, on behalf of the Winnipeg Jets."

The Jets made their formal regular season debut on October 9, 2011, when a sellout crowd at the MTS Centre saw the visiting Montreal Canadiens defeat the Jets 5–1, with Nik Antropov scoring the first-ever Jets goal. Other highlights on the first Jets' schedule included a home-and-home set with the Phoenix Coyotes, Winnipeg's previous NHL franchise (including a December 1 game in Winnipeg, the Coyotes' first regular season appearance in Winnipeg since vacating the city), as well as a December 17 home game against the Anaheim Ducks, which was former Jet Teemu Selänne's first playing appearance in Winnipeg since being traded from the Jets in February 1996.

The Jets inherited the Thrashers' position in the Southeast Division for the 2011–12 season, prompting the NHL and National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) to consider realignment of teams. Beginning in 2013–14, the Jets moved to the Western Conference and play in the new-look, seven-team Central Division. On April 9, 2015, the Jets clinched their first Stanley Cup playoff appearance since relocating to Winnipeg following a 1–0 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche. They clinched the spot after the Calgary Flames defeated the Los Angeles Kings later in the night. Finishing the season in the second wild card spot, they played the top-seeded Anaheim Ducks in the first round. In the first playoff series that involved a team from Winnipeg since the 1996 playoffs, the Jets were swept by the Ducks in four games.

The season following their first playoff run was a disappointment, as the Jets finished 25th overall and well out of the playoffs. Management was forced to deal with expiring contracts of two star players, electing to sign Dustin Byfuglien to a five-year extension while trading team captain Andrew Ladd to the Chicago Blackhawks at the NHL trade deadline. Despite finishing with the sixth worst record in the league, the Jets managed to win the second overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft through the draft lottery, which they used to select Finnish prospect Patrik Laine. Later that summer, the team appointed Blake Wheeler as their new captain.

Personnel changes

Before the franchise relocation was officially completed, True North bought out the remaining years of General Manager Rick Dudley's contract on June 4, 2011. Thrashers President Don Waddell, who had been with the franchise since its inception, had earlier announced he would not be moving with the team. Kevin Cheveldayoff, a former GM of the Chicago Wolves and former assistant GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, was hired to replace Dudley four days later.

On June 12, 2011, Cheveldayoff had Thrashers Head Coach Craig Ramsay reinterview for his position, then formally dismissed him as head coach eight days later. Claude Noel, who had been the head coach of the Manitoba Moose, was named head coach four days later; the other finalist for the job had been Chicago Blackhawks Assistant Coach Mike Haviland. Charlie Huddy, Pascal Vincent and Wade Flaherty, formerly of the Dallas Stars and Blackhawks, were named Noel's assistant coaches.

During the summer of 2012, the Jets added Perry Pearn to their coaching staff. They also named former Thrasher Assistant General Manager Larry Simmons as assistant general manager. The Jets fired Noel and Pearn in January 2014, with the former being replaced by veteran coach Paul Maurice.

Winnipeg Whiteout

The Winnipeg Whiteout is a hockey tradition that dates back to 1987 when fans of the original Jets franchise were asked to wear white clothing to home playoff games, creating a very intimidating effect and atmosphere. It was created as a response to the "C of Red" created by fans of the Calgary Flames, whom the Jets were facing in the first round of the 1987 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Jets eliminated the Flames in six games, and fans wore white for every home playoff game thereafter. Fans coined it the "Whiteout."

Fans of the former Jets AHL affiliate, the St. John's IceCaps, also continued this tradition, as did fans of the continuing franchise in Glendale, the Arizona Coyotes. It is referred to as the "Ice Cap's Whiteout" and "Coyotes Whiteout," respectively by IceCaps and Coyotes fans. The Whiteout was also used, during the Canada vs Russia Gold Medal game, at the 1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, hosted by the city of Winnipeg. During the 2009 Calder Cup playoffs between the Manitoba Moose and the Hershey Bears, fans were asked to wear white for Game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals.

The Winnipeg Jets resurrected this tradition when they qualified for the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Season-by-season record

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

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

Jerseys

No new logo and colours for the Jets accompanied the team's nickname announcement at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft (draft pick Mark Scheifele was presented with a generic black and silver NHL jersey and cap), but True North confirmed that they were in the process of conceiving a logo and colour scheme for the Jets, with True North's chairman, Mark Chipman, stating that the previous Jets' blue and red colours would be incorporated. The Jets unveiled their new logos and colours on July 22, 2011, three days before the team had scheduled to release them (this after team merchandise containers were broken into and a crude picture of a Jets' T-shirt made the rounds on the internet).

While blue and silver are the main colour palette, the insignias are a dramatic departure from the previous Jets' logos and pay homage to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), particularly Winnipeg's 17 Wing; the primary logo is patterned after the roundels used by the RCAF and includes a silhouette of a McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet. (Red is a secondary part of the colour scheme due to a maple leaf, the incorporation of which came with the permission of the Toronto Maple Leafs.) Game uniforms for the new Jets were unveiled in September at 17 Wing; the team did not introduce a third jersey for its inaugural season due to a limited timetable. The team has, thus far, opted not to introduce a third jersey.

The logo was designed by Reebok, the NHL and designer Linda Lynch. Reebok's lead uniform and team identity designers, Dominique Fillion and Linda Lynch, have been associated with the identity design, although True North has not revealed specific design credits.

Mascot

True North announced they had "recalled" their former Moose mascot, Mick E. Moose, from the AHL. Mick E. had spent the past 15 seasons with the Manitoba Moose of the International and American hockey leagues, entertaining fans at Moose games and community events. Slight modifications to the costume were made, including a new vintage leather aviator helmet. Since the start of the 2015–16 season, Mick E. Moose has served as mascot for both the Jets and the Manitoba Moose. A fan favourite, he also averages over 100 community appearances per season in Winnipeg and rural Manitoba.

Current roster

Updated March 6, 2017.

Retired numbers

While not officially retired, Evander Kane sought (and received) permission from Bobby Hull to wear number 9; the number had been retired by the previous Jets franchise. Kane had worn the number 9 during his time with the Thrashers, and the Jets organization encouraged him to keep the number. The Jets traded Kane to the Buffalo Sabres in February 2015; number 9 is currently worn by Andrew Copp.

Bryan Little switched from number 10 (which he wore in Atlanta) to number 18 out of respect for Dale Hawerchuk, who had worn number 10 with the original Winnipeg Jets.

Number 11 hasn't been issued since the death of Rick Rypien prior to the 2011-12 season. The Jets still wear stickers bearing the number on their helmets to this day.

Number 37 was not issued by the franchise between 2003 and 2016 following the death of player Dan Snyder in 2003. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has worn the number since 2016, with the blessing of the Snyder family.

Number 99 is retired League-wide in honour of Wayne Gretzky, although he never played for the franchise.

Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame

In July 15, 2016, the Jets announced the creation of the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame, to honour the impact and accomplishments of the team’s hockey legends and celebrate the rich history of professional hockey in the city. The inaugural inductees were the "HOT Line" consisting of Anders Hedberg, Bobby Hull and Ulf Nilsson, and they were inducted on October 19, 2016.

Team captains

Note: This list does not include captains from the Atlanta Thrashers.

Head coaches

Note: This list does not include head coaches from the Atlanta Thrashers.

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten-point, goal, and assist scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.

These records include those accrued during the team's time as the Atlanta Thrashers.

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

     = current Jets player

Broadcasters

Bell Media holds regional television and radio rights to the Jets, under a 10-year deal that began in the inaugural season. Winnipeg Jets games not televised nationally by national broadcast partner Rogers Media are broadcast by TSN3, and are available in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories (shared with the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers outside of Manitoba), and parts of Northwestern Ontario (shared with the Toronto Maple Leafs).

Regional Jets games were previously carried by TSN Jets, a part-time multiplex channel of TSN exclusive to the Jets' market. The channel was a premium add-on priced at $9.95 CDN per month during the NHL season, but was carried as a free preview for the beginning of its inaugural season. Despite the fee, representatives from both MTS and Shaw Cable stated that "thousands" of their customers had subscribed to the Jets channel. In August 2014, TSN announced that it would split its singular national feed into 4 regional channels on August 25, 2014; on August 18, 2014, TSN officially confirmed the Jets subscription channel had been discontinued, and that the broadcasts would move to TSN3.

Radio broadcasts are carried by local sports talk station CFRW, TSN Radio 1290. Dennis Beyak serves as the primary play-by-play voice of the Jets, calling all games televised on TSN Jets. Paul Edmonds, formerly the voice of the Winnipeg Goldeyes American Association calls Jets games on radio. Colour commentary duties are handled on television by former NHLer and Neepawa, Manitoba native Shane Hnidy and on radio by former Manitoba Moose broadcaster Brian Munz. Beyak and Hnidy are joined by rinkside reporter Sara Orlesky.