# 1987–88 Winnipeg Jets season

The 1987–88 Winnipeg Jets season was the 16th season of the Winnipeg Jets, their ninth season in the National Hockey League. The Jets placed third in the Smythe to qualify for the playoffs. The Jets lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.

## Offseason

On June 5, 1987, the Jets traded away Perry Turnbull to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a fifth round draft pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Turnbull had an injury plagued 1986–87 season, scoring a goal and six points in 26 games. From 1984 to 1986, he had back-to-back 20+ goal seasons in his first two years with Winnipeg.
Three days later, on June 8, 1987, the Jets traded away Brian Mullen and a tenth round draft pick in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft to the New York Rangers for the Rangers fifth round pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and their third round pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. Mullen had been with Winnipeg since the 1982–83 season, and was coming off a 19-goal and 51 point season in 1986–87.
On June 13, 1987, the Jets participated in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, and with their first round selection, 16th overall, Winnipeg selected defenseman Bryan Marchment from the Belleville Bulls of the OHL. Marchment had six goals and 44 points in 52 games with the Bulls in 1986–87.
During training camp, on September 30, 1987, the Jets made another trade with the New York Rangers, acquiring George McPhee from the Rangers for the Jets fourth round draft pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft. One week later, the Jets sent McPhee to the New Jersey Devils for the Devils seventh round draft pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft.

## Regular season
### Final standings

Smythe Division :
| | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| Calgary Flames | 80 | 48 | 23 | 9 | 397 | 305 | 105 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 44 | 25 | 11 | 363 | 288 | 99 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 33 | 36 | 11 | 292 | 310 | 77 |
| Los Angeles Kings | 80 | 30 | 42 | 8 | 318 | 359 | 68 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 25 | 46 | 9 | 272 | 320 | 59 |
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

### Record vs. opponents

Smythe Division record vs. opponents :
Vs. Campbell Conference
Vs. Smythe Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
CGY
EDM
LAK
VAN
WIN
Total
Calgary
—4–3–14–46–0–23–4–117–11–4
Edmonton
3–4–1—4–2–27–0–14–1–318–7–7
Los Angeles
4–42–4–2—3–4–13–512–17–3
Vancouver
0–6–20–7–14–3–1—3–57–21–4
Winnipeg
4–3–11–4–35–35–3—15–13–4
Vs. Norris Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
CHI
DET
MIN
STL
TOR
Total
Calgary
2–0–11–1–12–0–12–13–010–2–3
Edmonton
1–21–22–0–13–02–0–19–4–2
Los Angeles
2–11–23–02–11–1–19–5–1
Vancouver
1–21–22–11–21–1–16–8–1
Winnipeg
1–1–10–2–12–0–12–12–17–5–3
Vs. Wales Conference
Vs. Adams Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
BOS
BUF
HFD
MTL
QUE
Total
Calgary
1–22–13–02–0–13–011–3–1
Edmonton
1–1–13–02–10–31–1–17–6–2
Los Angeles
0–2–11–20–31–22–14–10–1
Vancouver
1–21–1–10–1–20–2–13–05–6–4
Winnipeg
0–31–1–11–20–32–0–14–9–2
Vs. Patrick Division
1987–88 NHL records
Team
NJD
NYI
NYR
PHI
PIT
WSH
Total
Calgary
2–11–22–13–00–2–12–110–7–1
Edmonton
1–21–22–12–13–01–210–8–0
Los Angeles
1–1–10–33–00–30–1–21–25–10–3
Vancouver
3–00–31–21–22–10–37–11–0
Winnipeg
2–0–11–20–2–10–32–12–17–9–2 :

## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 10, 1987 | 5–1 | @ Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | W | October 12, 1987 | 3–2 | Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 2–0–0 |
| 3 | W | October 17, 1987 | 5–2 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1987–88) | 3–0–0 |
| 4 | L | October 18, 1987 | 4–6 | @ Chicago Blackhawks (1987–88) | 3–1–0 |
| 5 | L | October 20, 1987 | 2–6 | @ St. Louis Blues (1987–88) | 3–2–0 |
| 6 | W | October 23, 1987 | 4–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 4–2–0 |
| 7 | L | October 25, 1987 | 1–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 4–3–0 |
| 8 | L | October 28, 1987 | 1–5 | Detroit Red Wings (1987–88) | 4–4–0 |
| 9 | W | October 30, 1987 | 3–2 OT | Washington Capitals (1987–88) | 5–4–0 |
| 10 | W | November 1, 1987 | 7–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 6–4–0 |
| 11 | L | November 4, 1987 | 3–7 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1987–88) | 6–5–0 |
| 12 | W | November 6, 1987 | 6–3 | Chicago Blackhawks (1987–88) | 7–5–0 |
| 13 | W | November 8, 1987 | 3–1 | Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 8–5–0 |
| 14 | W | November 10, 1987 | 4–3 OT | Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 9–5–0 |
| 15 | T | November 12, 1987 | 1–1 OT | @ New Jersey Devils (1987–88) | 9–5–1 |
| 16 | L | November 14, 1987 | 3–7 | @ New York Islanders (1987–88) | 9–6–1 |
| 17 | L | November 15, 1987 | 4–6 | @ New York Rangers (1987–88) | 9–7–1 |
| 18 | L | November 18, 1987 | 3–4 | Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 9–8–1 |
| 19 | L | November 20, 1987 | 3–4 | New York Rangers (1987–88) | 9–9–1 |
| 20 | W | November 22, 1987 | 4–3 OT | Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 10–9–1 |
| 21 | L | November 25, 1987 | 8–10 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1987–88) | 10–10–1 |
| 22 | L | November 26, 1987 | 3–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 10–11–1 |
| 23 | L | November 28, 1987 | 3–7 | Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 10–12–1 |
| 24 | W | December 1, 1987 | 7–6 OT | @ Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 11–12–1 |
| 25 | W | December 3, 1987 | 5–4 OT | @ Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 12–12–1 |
| 26 | L | December 9, 1987 | 0–2 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 12–13–1 |
| 27 | T | December 11, 1987 | 3–3 OT | Quebec Nordiques (1987–88) | 12–13–2 |
| 28 | L | December 13, 1987 | 3–4 | Philadelphia Flyers (1987–88) | 12–14–2 |
| 29 | L | December 16, 1987 | 4–5 | @ Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 12–15–2 |
| 30 | T | December 18, 1987 | 5–5 OT | @ Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 12–15–3 |
| 31 | W | December 20, 1987 | 4–1 | New Jersey Devils (1987–88) | 13–15–3 |
| 32 | W | December 22, 1987 | 5–2 | New York Islanders (1987–88) | 14–15–3 |
| 33 | W | December 26, 1987 | 5–4 OT | Minnesota North Stars (1987–88) | 15–15–3 |
| 34 | W | December 28, 1987 | 5–2 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 16–15–3 |
| 35 | L | December 30, 1987 | 4–6 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 16–16–3 |
| 36 | L | December 31, 1987 | 1–2 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 16–17–3 |
| 37 | T | January 3, 1988 | 4–4 OT | Detroit Red Wings (1987–88) | 16–17–4 |
| 38 | L | January 6, 1988 | 1–6 | @ Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 16–18–4 |
| 39 | T | January 8, 1988 | 4–4 OT | Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 16–18–5 |
| 40 | W | January 10, 1988 | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1987–88) | 17–18–5 |
| 41 | W | January 12, 1988 | 5–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 18–18–5 |
| 42 | L | January 13, 1988 | 2–8 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 18–19–5 |
| 43 | T | January 15, 1988 | 4–4 OT | @ Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 18–19–6 |
| 44 | L | January 17, 1988 | 5–6 | Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 18–20–6 |
| 45 | W | January 19, 1988 | 3–0 | St. Louis Blues (1987–88) | 19–20–6 |
| 46 | W | January 22, 1988 | 5–3 | Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 20–20–6 |
| 47 | L | January 24, 1988 | 1–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1987–88) | 20–21–6 |
| 48 | W | January 26, 1988 | 3–2 | @ Washington Capitals (1987–88) | 21–21–6 |
| 49 | W | January 27, 1988 | 4–1 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1987–88) | 22–21–6 |
| 50 | L | January 30, 1988 | 3–4 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1987–88) | 22–22–6 |
| 51 | T | January 31, 1988 | 4–4 OT | @ Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 22–22–7 |
| 52 | W | February 3, 1988 | 9–0 | Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 23–22–7 |
| 53 | T | February 5, 1988 | 1–1 OT | Chicago Blackhawks (1987–88) | 23–22–8 |
| 54 | T | February 6, 1988 | 8–8 OT | @ Minnesota North Stars (1987–88) | 23–22–9 |
| 55 | W | February 12, 1988 | 7–5 | Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 24–22–9 |
| 56 | W | February 14, 1988 | 3–2 | Quebec Nordiques (1987–88) | 25–22–9 |
| 57 | W | February 16, 1988 | 7–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1987–88) | 26–22–9 |
| 58 | L | February 17, 1988 | 3–4 | @ Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 26–23–9 |
| 59 | L | February 19, 1988 | 0–6 | Washington Capitals (1987–88) | 26–24–9 |
| 60 | L | February 21, 1988 | 3–4 OT | Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 26–25–9 |
| 61 | W | February 23, 1988 | 4–3 OT | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1987–88) | 27–25–9 |
| 62 | W | February 24, 1988 | 3–1 | @ New Jersey Devils (1987–88) | 28–25–9 |
| 63 | L | February 27, 1988 | 0–6 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 28–26–9 |
| 64 | L | February 28, 1988 | 3–5 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1987–88) | 28–27–9 |
| 65 | W | March 1, 1988 | 6–3 | Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 29–27–9 |
| 66 | W | March 3, 1988 | 4–3 | Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 30–27–9 |
| 67 | W | March 5, 1988 | 10–1 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1987–88) | 31–27–9 |
| 68 | L | March 7, 1988 | 0–6 | Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 31–28–9 |
| 69 | T | March 9, 1988 | 6–6 OT | Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 31–28–10 |
| 70 | L | March 10, 1988 | 3–5 | @ Calgary Flames (1987–88) | 31–29–10 |
| 71 | L | March 13, 1988 | 4–5 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1987–88) | 31–30–10 |
| 72 | L | March 16, 1988 | 1–4 | Montreal Canadiens (1987–88) | 31–31–10 |
| 73 | L | March 18, 1988 | 1–4 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1987–88) | 31–32–10 |
| 74 | L | March 20, 1988 | 0–6 | New York Islanders (1987–88) | 31–33–10 |
| 75 | L | March 22, 1988 | 3–4 | @ Hartford Whalers (1987–88) | 31–34–10 |
| 76 | L | March 24, 1988 | 3–4 OT | @ Boston Bruins (1987–88) | 31–35–10 |
| 77 | L | March 26, 1988 | 0–6 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1987–88) | 31–36–10 |
| 78 | W | March 29, 1988 | 3–2 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1987–88) | 32–36–10 |
| 79 | T | April 1, 1988 | 6–6 OT | New York Rangers (1987–88) | 32–36–11 |
| 80 | W | April 3, 1988 | 5–4 OT | St. Louis Blues (1987–88) | 33–36–11 |

## Playoffs

The Jets lost the Division semi-finals (4–1) to the Edmonton Oilers.

## Player statistics
### Regular season
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Dale Hawerchuk | C | 80 | 44 | 77 | 121 | 59 | -9 | 20 | 3 | 4 |
| Paul MacLean | RW | 77 | 40 | 39 | 79 | 76 | -17 | 22 | 0 | 2 |
| Andrew McBain | RW | 74 | 32 | 31 | 63 | 145 | -10 | 20 | 0 | 5 |
| Randy Carlyle | D | 78 | 15 | 44 | 59 | 210 | -20 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| Dave Ellett | D | 68 | 13 | 45 | 58 | 106 | -8 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Thomas Steen | C | 76 | 16 | 38 | 54 | 53 | -11 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Mario Marois | D | 79 | 7 | 44 | 51 | 111 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Laurie Boschman | C | 80 | 25 | 23 | 48 | 229 | -24 | 10 | 1 | 3 |
| Iain Duncan | LW | 62 | 19 | 23 | 42 | 73 | -2 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Ray Neufeld | RW | 78 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 169 | -29 | 9 | 0 | 2 |
| Doug Smail | LW | 71 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Peter Taglianetti | D | 70 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 182 | -13 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Gilles Hamel | LW | 63 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 35 | -16 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Hannu Jarvenpaa | RW | 41 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fredrik Olausson | D | 38 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Steve Rooney | LW | 56 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 217 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Wilson | C | 69 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 28 | -1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Mark Kumpel | RW | 32 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brad Jones | LW | 19 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brad Berry | D | 48 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 75 | -11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Gilhen | C | 13 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Elynuik | RW | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Kyte | D | 51 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 128 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Berthiaume | G | 56 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Douris | RW | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joel Baillargeon | LW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jim Nill | RW | 24 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 44 | -7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Boutilier | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Todd Flichel | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guy Gosselin | D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Penney | G | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pokey Reddick | G | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dwight Schofield | D | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alfie Turcotte | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Watters | D | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 106 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Daniel Berthiaume | 3010 | 56 | 22 | 19 | 7 | 176 | 3.51 | 2 | 1489 | 1313 | .882 |
| Pokey Reddick | 1487 | 28 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 102 | 4.12 | 0 | 712 | 610 | .857 |
| Steve Penney | 385 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 30 | 4.68 | 0 | 186 | 156 | .839 |
| Team: | 4882 | 80 | 33 | 36 | 11 | 308 | 3.79 | 2 | 2387 | 2079 | .871 |

### Playoffs
#### Scoring

| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG |
| Dale Hawerchuk | C | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew McBain | RW | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Thomas Steen | C | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ray Neufeld | RW | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Laurie Boschman | C | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mario Marois | D | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Ellett | D | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul MacLean | RW | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fredrik Olausson | D | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Taglianetti | D | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Carlyle | D | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Randy Gilhen | C | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Steve Rooney | LW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Smail | LW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iain Duncan | LW | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Berthiaume | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Boutilier | D | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Douris | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gilles Hamel | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brad Jones | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Kumpel | RW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tim Watters | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Wilson | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

#### Goaltending

| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV | SV% |
| Daniel Berthiaume | 300 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 5.00 | 0 | 154 | 129 | .838 |
| Team: | 300 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 5.00 | 0 | 154 | 129 | .838 |
    Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
    Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Transactions
### Trades

| September 30, 1987 | To New York Islanders4th round pick in 1989 – Jim Cummins | To Winnipeg JetsGeorge McPhee |
| October 7, 1987 | To New Jersey DevilsGeorge McPhee | To Winnipeg Jets7th round pick in 1989 – Doug Evans |
| December 16, 1987 | To New York Rangers5th round pick in 1989 – Aaron Miller | To Winnipeg JetsPaul Boutilier |
| January 10, 1988 | To Detroit Red WingsJim Nill | To Winnipeg JetsMark Kumpel |
| January 14, 1988 | To Montreal CanadiensFuture Considerations | To Winnipeg JetsAlfie Turcotte |
| March 7, 1988 | To Minnesota North StarsJohn Blue | To Winnipeg Jets7th round pick in 1988 – Markus Akerblom |
| June 13, 1988 | To Detroit Red WingsPaul MacLean | To Winnipeg JetsBrent Ashton |

### Free agents

| Player | Former Team |
| Guy Larose | Undrafted Free Agent |
| Darren Boyko | New Jersey Devils |
| Brent Hughes | Undrafted free agent |

## Draft picks

The Jets selected the following players at the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, on June 13, 1987.

### NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
| 1 | 16 | Bryan Marchment (D) | Canada | Belleville Bulls (OHL) |
| 2 | 37 | Patrik Erickson (C) | Sweden | Brynäs IF (SEL) |
| 4 | 79 | Don McLennan (D) | Canada | University of Denver (NCAA) |
| 5 | 96 | Ken Gernander (RW) | Canada | Greenway (Coleraine, Minnesota) High School |
| 5 | 100 | Darrin Amundson (FWD) | United States | Duluth East (MN) High School |
| 6 | 121 | Joe Harwell (D) | Canada | Hill-Murray (Maplewood, Minnesota) High School |
| 7 | 142 | Tod Hartje (C) | United States | Harvard University (NCAA) |
| 8 | 163 | Markku Kyllönen (LW) | Finland | Oulun Kärpät (Fin D1) |
| 9 | 184 | Jim Fernholz (RW) | United States | White Bear Lake (MN) High School |
| 11 | 226 | Roger Rougelot (G) | United States | Madison Capitols (USHL) |
| 12 | 247 | Hans-Goran Elo (G) | Sweden | Djurgardens IF (SEL) |
| S2 | 17 | Rob Fowler (F) | United States | Merrimack College (Hockey East) |