Winnipeg Jets ( 1972 - 1996 ) The Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada . They played in both the World Hockey Association ( WHA ) and the National Hockey League ( NHL ) from 1972 to 1996 . In 1996 , the franchise moved to Phoenix , Arizona due to financial troubles and became the Phoenix Coyotes . Franchise history . The WHA Years ( 1972 - 1979 ) . The NHL had recently expanded to 16 teams , adding franchises in many hockey - hungry cities ( only one in Canada ) , but also in Atlanta , Oakland and Los Angeles . The WHA brought major professional hockey to Ottawa , Quebec City , Winnipeg , Edmonton , and later Calgary . In 1972 , Winnipeg was granted one of the founding franchises in the WHA . The Jets ' first signing was Norm Beaudin ( " the Original Jet " ) and the teams first major signing was Bobby Hull . Hull ' s acquisition , partially financed by the rest of the WHA ' s teams , was widely seen as giving legitimacy to the WHA as a serious rival major league to the NHL . The Jets were further noteworthy in hockey history for being the first North America n club to seriously explore Europe as a source of hockey talent . 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 . 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 . The team won three Avco Cup s , including in the league ' s final season against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers . The Jets made the finals five of the WHA ' s seven seasons and were widely considered one of the best teams in hockey , NHL or WHA , of the era . Another notable accomplishment was the Jets ' 5 - 3 victory over the Soviet National team on January 5 , 1978 , making the Jets the first club team to ever defeat the Soviet elite squad . In the last season in the WHA , Kent Nilsson had 107 points , while Morris Lukowich had 65 goals , and Peter Sullivan had 46 goals and 86 points . The Jets made it to the Avco Cup and Gary Smith gave up the last goal in WHA history to Dave Semenko in a 7 - 3 Jets win . The NHL Years ( 1979 - 1996 ) . 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 . In doing so , they had to give up three of their top six scorers – the core of the last WHA champion – and were forced to draft 18th out of 21 teams . With a decimated roster , the Jets finished last in the league in the next two seasons , including a horrendous nine - win season in 1980 - 81 that still ranks as the worst in franchise history . This stands in marked contrast to the other 1979 Avco Cup finalist , the Oilers , who became one of the most powerful teams the game has ever seen during the 1980s . The Jets ' first two wretched NHL seasons did net them high draft picks , and in 1981 , they drafted future Hall of Fame member Dale Hawerchuk . The team developed into a solid core of players by the mid - 1980s , with Hawerchuk , Thomas Steen , Paul MacLean , Dave Babych , Randy Carlyle , Laurie Boschman , Doug Smail , and David Ellett giving the Jets a solid nucleus and a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup championship . Unfortunately , regular - season success did not transfer into the playoffs . This was because the Jets played in the same division as the powerful Oilers and Flames ( who were originally based in Atlanta , but by this time were in Calgary ) . Due to the way the playoffs were structured at the time , the Jets were all but assured of having to beat either the Oilers or the Flames ( or both ) to get to the Campbell Conference Finals . For example , in 1984 - 85 , they finished with the fourth - best record in the league , with 96 points – both their best finishes as an NHL team . While they managed to dispatch the Flames 3 games to 1 in the Division Semifinals , they were swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Oilers in four games in the Division Finals . In fact , Winnipeg and Edmonton played each other in the playoffs six times between 1983 and 1990 , with Edmonton winning every series , holding the Jets to just 4 total victories . 1987 was the last time that the Jets won a playoff series ( defeating Calgary in the opening round ) , a drought that has continued to plague the franchise in Phoenix . As the NHL expanded in the United States , operating costs and salaries grew rapidly ; this development hit the league ' s Canadian teams particularly hard . As Winnipeg was the league ' s second - smallest market ( eventually becoming the smallest market after the Québec Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995 ) , the Jets were unable to retain their best players . Various schemes were devised to save the team through a tremendous grassroots effort and government funds , but in the end the efforts were not enough . The Winnipeg Jets played their last - ever game on April 28 , 1996 , a home playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4 - 1 . Norm Maciver scored the last goal in Jets history . During their history , the Jets retired two numbers : Bobby Hull ' s # 9 and Thomas Steen ' s # 25 . Both numbers hang in Jobing . com Arena with the new Phoenix Coyotes franchise . Bobby Hull ' s # 9 jersey was temporarily " un - retired " with the acquisition of his son Brett by the Phoenix franchise . Brett wore his father ' s famous jersey until his own retirement on October 15 , 2005 , subsequent to which the number was re - retired . A number of former Jets remain active in the NHL ; as of the 2006 - 07 season , these included Dallas Drake , Nikolai Khabibulin , Teppo Numminen , Teemu Selanne , Keith Tkachuk , Kris Draper , Chad Kilger and Oleg Tverdovsky . Shane Doan is the last Jet to remain with the Winnipeg - Phoenix franchise . The new Winnipeg Jets . Although a new arena has since been built in downtown Winnipeg to replace the aged Winnipeg Arena , the arena ' s managers have stated that the 15 , 000 seat MTS Centre was not erected in hopes of attracting an NHL team back to the city . However , the arena could be easily upgraded to NHL standards . A frenzy erupted in the local and national media when many Winnipeg businessmen expressed that they were pro - actively approaching the idea and were in the process of forming an ownership group , although as of the end of the 2006 - 2007 season there had been no official statement . During the 2007 Manitoba provincial election campaign , Conservatives promised to bring an NHL team back to Winnipeg if elected . The elected New Democratic Party of Manitoba has also mentioned their support for the return of the Jets , with Premier Gary Doer saying he has been in talks to bring a team to the province . During a press conference Gary Bettman stated that the idea of Winnipeg having an NHL team sounds intriguing . He also stated that another team in Winnipeg could happen one day . However on May 31 , 2011 , True North Sports and Entertainment , owners of the AHL Moose , announced it had signed an agreement in principle to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers from Atlanta Spirit , LLC , and to relocate the franchise to Winnipeg . The move was approved by the NHL Board of Governors on June 21 , 2011 . Public pressure led the new owners to reclaim the " Winnipeg Jets " name , announcing the decision just prior to their first pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft . The original Jets history , records , retired numbers , and stats will continue to reside with the Phoenix Coyotes franchise . True North had previously made bids to buy the bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes , with the intent of returning the franchise to Winnipeg . Although they were unsuccessful , their approach was praised by Bettman , and so True North received favor from the league when the question of the Thrashers ' relocation came up . The Coyotes and new Jets will meet twice during the 2011 – 12 NHL season , first on October 15 , 2011 at the Jobing . com Arena in Glendale , Arizona , then on December 1 , 2011 when the Coyotes make their first trip back to Winnipeg since a pre season game in 2008 as the visiting team against the Jets at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg . Season - by - season record . " Note : GP = Games played , W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , Pts = Points , GF = Goals scored for , GA = Goals scored against , PIM = Penalty minutes " Notable Players . Team Captains . " Note : This list includes Jets captains from both the NHL and WHA . " First round draft picks . " Note : This list includes draft picks from both the NHL and WHA . "