| Winnipeg Jets | |
|---|---|
 2025–26 Winnipeg Jets season | |
 | |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1999 |
| History | Atlanta Thrashers 1999–2011 Winnipeg Jets 2011–present |
| Home arena | Canada Life Centre |
| City | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
 | |
| Team colours | Navy blue, aviator blue, fighter grey, red, white[1][2][3][4] |
| Media | TSN3 680 CJOB CJKR-FM (Power 97) |
| Owner(s) | True North Sports & Entertainment (Mark Chipman, executive chairman & governor)[5] |
| General manager | Kevin Cheveldayoff |
| Head coach | Scott Arniel |
| Captain | Adam Lowry |
| Minor league affiliates | Manitoba Moose (AHL) Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) |
| Stanley Cups | 0 |
| Conference championships | 0 |
| Presidents' Trophies | 1 (2024–25) |
| Division championships | 1 (2024–25) |
| Official website | nhl |
TheWinnipeg Jets are a professionalice hockey team based inWinnipeg. The Jets compete in theNational Hockey League (NHL) as a member of theCentral Division in theWestern Conference. The team is owned byTrue North Sports & Entertainment, playing its home games atCanada Life Centre.[6][7]
The franchise was established as theAtlanta Thrashers on June 25, 1997, and began play in the1999–2000 NHL season. True North Sports & Entertainment then bought the team in May 2011, andrelocated the Thrashers to Winnipeg prior to the2011–12 season, making them the first NHL franchise to relocate since theHartford Whalers became theCarolina Hurricanes in 1997.[8][9][10] The team was renamed the Jets afterWinnipeg's original WHA/NHL team, which relocated after the1995–96 season due to financial issues to become the now-inactivePhoenix (later Arizona) Coyotes.
On December 27, 1971, Winnipeg was granted one of the founding franchises in theWorld Hockey Association (WHA). By 1979, many of the WHA's teams had folded, but the Jets were absorbed into the NHL along with theQuebec Nordiques,Edmonton Oilers andHartford Whalers as part of theWHA–NHL merger.[11][12] In 1996, team owner Barry Shenkarow sold the team to American businessmen Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke. Burke and Gluckstern originally planned to move the team toMinnesota (which had lost theNorth Stars toDallas in 1993), but eventually reached an agreement withPhoenix businessmanJerry Colangelo that would see the team move toArizona and become thePhoenix Coyotes. The original Winnipeg Jets played their last game on April 28, 1996.
The city ofAtlanta was awarded an NHLexpansion franchise, named the Atlanta Thrashers, on June 25, 1997. It was the second NHL franchise for Atlanta (their first being theAtlanta Flames, established in 1972, who departed forCalgary in1980 to become theCalgary Flames). The Thrashers began play in the1999–2000 season.
In the 12 years in Atlanta, the Thrashers qualified for theStanley Cup playoffs once, during the2006–07 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 in their final seasons.[13]
Mounting losses eventually compelled the Coyotes 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 thatTrue North Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns both Winnipeg'sCanada Life Centre (then known as MTS Centre) and theAmerican Hockey League (AHL)'sManitoba Moose, had been invited to bid on the city's former franchise.[14] TNSE submitted a series of bids for the Coyotes, which were taken seriously enough that the league drew up a tentative schedule with Winnipeg in place of Phoenix. TNSE were 10 minutes away from getting the Coyotes before the NHL shelved the bid after securing a large subsidy from the Coyotes' municipal government.[15] In contrast to aggressive, public bids byJim Balsillie (who had unsuccessfully attempted to use bankruptcy laws to skirt NHL rules and move the Coyotes toHamilton), the low-key approach by TNSE and its chairman,Mark Chipman, was praised byNHL commissionerGary Bettman and other owners, raising their profile when the question of the Thrashers' relocation came up.[16]
On May 20, 2011, theWinnipeg Sun confirmed that an agreement in principle had been reached for True North to purchase the Thrashers,[17] whileWinnipeg MayorSam Katz announced that he was confident that the Thrashers' relocation to Winnipeg would soon be officially announced.[18] 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 the2011–12 season, pending the approval of the sale and relocation by the NHL's Board of Governors,[19] which came at their June 21, 2011, meeting.[20] The reported purchase price was $170 million, with $60 million going to the NHL as a relocation fee.[18] After the announcement, True North made preparations to move the Moose franchise toSt. John's,Newfoundland and Labrador.[21]
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.[22] Within the first three and a half hours, the new franchise sold 1,870 packages to Moose season ticket holders.[23] Season tickets opened to the general public on June 4 and sold out in 17 minutes.[24] Once the "Drive to 13,000" was completed, True North started a season ticket waiting list, which was shut down after 8,000 people signed up in two hours.[25] In July 2011, tickets for the October 9 home opener against theMontreal Canadiens were listed for an average price of $1,711 onStubHub, with an average selling price of $713.[26]
True North said the team's name would not be announced until after the successful completion of the season ticket drive at the earliest.[27] 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 theownership group in Atlanta.[28] There was considerable support in Winnipeg to reuse "Winnipeg Jets", the name of the city's original WHA and NHLfranchise, though rumours spread that True North preferred "Manitoba Moose". "Whiteout" and "Falcons" were also considered, but the latter was quickly rejected in deference to Atlanta, which hasanother professional sports team by that name.[29][30][31] True North kept the team's name secret until the2011 NHL entry draft inSaint Paul, Minnesota, on June 24, when Chipman introduced general managerKevin Cheveldayoff to "make our first pick, on behalf of the Winnipeg Jets."[32] At the time, the league directly owned the Coyotes and thus controlled the old Jets' trademarks, and granted permission to the new Jets to use them.
Before the franchise relocation was officially completed, True North bought out the remaining years of general managerRick Dudley's contract on June 4, 2011.[33] Thrashers PresidentDon Waddell, who had been with the franchise since its inception, had earlier announced he would not be moving with the team.[28]Kevin Cheveldayoff, a former general manager of theChicago Wolves and former assistant general manager of theChicago Blackhawks, was hired to replace Dudley four days later.[34] The team also retainedMarcel Comeau, the director of amateur scouting.[35] On June 12, 2011, Cheveldayoff had Thrashers head coachCraig Ramsay reinterview for his position, then formally dismissed him as head coach eight days later.[36][37]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 coachMike Haviland.[38]Charlie Huddy,Pascal Vincent andWade Flaherty, formerly of theDallas Stars and Blackhawks, were named Noel's assistant coaches.
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, withNik Antropov scoring the first-ever Jets goal.[39] The opening ceremonies featured a concert by Winnipeg-based rock bandBachman–Turner Overdrive, who performed "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" with the title sung as "we just got back the Jets".[40] 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 theAnaheim Ducks, which was former JetTeemu Selanne's first playing appearance in Winnipeg since being traded from the Jets in February 1996.[41]
During the summer of 2012, the Jets addedPerry Pearn to their coaching staff. Larry Simmons was appointed assistant general manager, the same position he had held with the Thrashers.[42][43] As the Jets inherited the Thrashers' position in theSoutheast Division since the 2011–12 season, the NHL andNational Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) were prompted to consider realignment of teams. Beginning in2013–14, the Jets moved to theWestern Conference and play in the new-look, seven-teamCentral Division.[44][45]
The Jets fired Noel and Pearn in January 2014, with the former being replaced by veteran coachPaul Maurice.[46] On April 9, 2015, the Jets clinched their firstStanley Cup playoff appearance since relocating to Winnipeg following a 1–0 shootout loss to theColorado Avalanche. They clinched the spot after theCalgary Flames defeated theLos Angeles Kings later in the night.[47] Finishing the season in the second wild-card spot, they played the top-seededAnaheim Ducks in thefirst round. In the first playoff series that involved a team from Winnipeg since the1996 playoffs, the Ducks swept the Jets in four games.
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The season following their first playoff run was a disappointment, as the Jets finished 25th overall, well out of the playoffs. Management was forced to deal with expiring contracts of two star players, electing to signDustin Byfuglien to a five-year extension while trading team captainAndrew Ladd to theChicago 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 the2016 NHL entry draft through the draft lottery, which they used to select Finnish prospectPatrik Laine.[48][49] Later that summer, the team appointedBlake Wheeler as their new captain.
In the 2017–18 season, the Jets clinched their second playoff spot since relocating from Atlanta, with the help of starting goaltender,Connor Hellebuyck. On March 25, 2018, the Jets beat theNashville Predators 5–4 in a shootout, and clinched a spot in the2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.[50] On April 11, 2018, the Jets won the first playoff game in the history of the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise when they defeated theMinnesota Wild 3–2.[51] On April 20, 2018, the Jets won their first playoff series in franchise history (and the first series victory in 31 years for the city) with a 5–0 victory over the Minnesota Wild in game five of the first round series, winning the series 4–1.[52] On May 10, 2018, the Jets made further franchise history by advancing to the conference finals for the first time, defeating theNashville Predators four games to three; Nashville were the defending holders of the Campbell Bowl Trophy from the previous season and holders of thePresidents' Trophy for most points in the league during the2017–18 NHL season.[53] This would also mark the first time that either iteration of the Winnipeg Jets had advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs. Facing theVegas Golden Knights in the conference finals, the Jets defeated the Golden Knights in the first game of the series 4–2.[54] However, the Jets went on to lose the conference finals, with the Golden Knights defeating the Jets in the following four games in the series.[55]
In 2019, the Jets clinched the playoffs, but lost to the eventual Stanley Cup championSt. Louis Blues in six games in the first round.
The Jets struggled in the2019–20 season due to the departure of many high-profile defencemen such as Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers andDustin Byfuglien, but were still in contention for a wild-card spot when the league shut down due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The Jets were awarded a playoff spot as part of the expanded format, but injuries to star forwardsMark Scheifele andPatrik Laine in the first game of their series against the Calgary Flames in the qualifying round handicapped the team and they were eliminated 3–1 in the best-of-five series. GoaltenderConnor Hellebuyck was also awarded theVezina Trophy for being the league's best goaltender. The Jets won their fourth consecutive playoff berth in the2020–21 season and swept theEdmonton Oilers in the first round but were themselves swept in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens.
In the2021–22 season, the Jets finished a disappointing sixth in the Central Division, missing the playoffs. At the start of the2022–23 season, forwardBlake Wheeler was stripped of the team captaincy.[56] The Jets then clinched the2023 playoffs at the end of the regular season, but were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the first round. Before the start of the2023–24 season, forwardAdam Lowry was appointed team captain.[57] The Jets then clinched the second seed in the Central Division, but lost to theColorado Avalanche in five games in the first round.
In February 2024,NHL commissionerGary Bettman stated that the threat of the Jets facing relocation was not a concern and gave a vote of confidence.[58]
During the2024–25 season, the Jets won their first Presidents Trophy and their division championship for most wins (56), most points (116).[59] They would then win against St. Louis Blues in the first round in seven games[60] before eventually losing to Dallas Stars in six games.[61]
No new logo and colours for the Jets accompanied the team's nickname announcement at the2011 NHL entry draft (draft pickMark Scheifele was presented with a generic black and silver NHL jersey and cap),[64] 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.[65] 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).[66][67][68]
While blue and silver are the main colour palette, the insignias are a dramatic departure from the previous Jets' logos and pay homage to theRoyal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), particularly Winnipeg's17 Wing; the primary logo is patterned after theroundels used by the RCAF and includes a silhouette of aMcDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet.[68] (Red is a secondary part of the colour scheme due to amaple leaf, the incorporation of which came with the permission of theToronto Maple Leafs.)[68] Game uniforms for the new Jets were unveiled in September at 17 Wing;[69][70][71] the team did not introduce a third jersey for its inaugural season due to a limited timetable.[67][68]
The Jets kept their existing uniforms whenAdidas took over production of NHL uniforms in 2017. Prior to the 2018–19 season, the Jets introduced their first alternate uniform, featuring aviator blue as the base colour, along with a new "Jets" wordmark, block letters and numbers, and striping inspired from the 1990–96 uniforms of the original Jets.[72][73]
Even though the current Jets are not historically connected with the original franchise now known as theArizona Coyotes, the team continued to pay tribute to its original incarnation on a few occasions. From 2016 to 2019, the Jets wore throwback white uniforms based on the 1973–78 design worn by the original Jets. The uniforms made its debut in the2016 Heritage Classic and have been used during Jets Hall of Fame induction nights since.[74] A blue version of the throwback uniforms was later unveiled, this time for the2019 Heritage Classic.[75] For the 2020–21 season, the Jets wore "Reverse Retro" alternate uniforms, recreating the original Jets' 1979–90 uniforms but recoloured to match the current Jets' scheme.[76] In addition, the current Jets' 10th-anniversary logo in 2021 also served as a memorial logo toDale Hawerchuk, whose no. 10 (in the original Jets' number and colour style) was added in lieu of the team's current logo following his death on August 18, 2020.[77] Starting with the 2021–22 season, the Jets' blue "Heritage" uniforms were promoted to alternate status, replacing the previous aviator blue alternates.[78] In the 2022–23 season, the Jets wore "Reverse Retro" uniforms based on the white uniforms worn by the original Jets from 1990 to 1996, again recoloured to the current Jets' scheme.[79]
In the 2023–24 season, the Jets wore special "Heritage" uniforms for three games in collaboration with the RCAF for its centennial anniversary. Nicknamed the "Forty-Eight" in tribute to theOttawa RCAF Flyers team that won the gold medal forTeam Canada in the1948 Winter Olympics, the uniform featured a powder blue (nicknamed "RCAF blue") base, red and navy blue stripes, and navy blue numbers.[80]
The logo was designed byReebok, the NHL and designer Linda Lynch.[81] Reebok's lead uniform and team identity designers, Dominique Fillion and Linda Lynch, have been associated with the identity design.[82]
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.[83][84] 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.[84] In the2016 Heritage Classic, the current Jets resurrected their mascot from its original incarnation,Benny, and has since served as the team's secondary mascot.
Beginning in 2011, during the singing of "O Canada", fans commonly shout the words "True North!" (in the line "The True North strong and free") to recognizeTrue North Sports & Entertainment.[85] Jennifer Hanson was the Jets' regular national anthem singer for the final seven seasons of the original franchise, and performed again during the 2016 Heritage Classic Alumni Game.[86] Stacey Nattrass (who has been uniquely known as Your Winnipeg Jets' Own) has performed the anthems at the majority of home games since 2011.[87]
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 at the home playoff games. It was created as a response to the "C of Red" created by fans of theCalgary Flames, whom the Jets were facing in the first round of the1987 Stanley Cup playoffs.[88][89] The Jets eliminated the Flames in six games, and fans wore white for every home playoff game thereafter.
Fans of the former Jets AHL affiliate, theSt. John's IceCaps, also continued this tradition, as did fans of the continuing franchise in Glendale, theArizona Coyotes. It was referred to as the "Ice Cap's Whiteout"[90] and "Coyotes Whiteout,"[91] respectively by IceCaps and Coyotes fans. The Whiteout was also used during the Canada vs Russia Gold medal game, at the1999 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, hosted by the city of Winnipeg.[92] During the2009 Calder Cup playoffs between theManitoba Moose and theHershey Bears, fans were asked to wear white for game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals.[93]
The Winnipeg Jets resurrected this tradition when they qualified for the2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.[94]
For the full season-by-season history, seeList of Winnipeg Jets seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2020–21 | 56 | 30 | 23 | 3 | 63 | 170 | 154 | 3rd, North | Lost in second round, 0–4 (Canadiens) |
| 2021–22 | 82 | 39 | 32 | 11 | 89 | 252 | 257 | 6th, Central | Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 | 82 | 46 | 33 | 3 | 95 | 247 | 225 | 4th, Central | Lost in first round, 1–4 (Golden Knights) |
| 2023–24 | 82 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 110 | 259 | 199 | 2nd, Central | Lost in first round, 1–4 (Avalanche) |
| 2024–25 | 82 | 56 | 22 | 4 | 116 | 277 | 191 | 1st, Central | Lost in second round, 2–4 (Stars) |
Updated October 22, 2025[95][96]
Note: This list does not include captains from theAtlanta Thrashers.
The previous Winnipeg Jets organization retired the jersey numbers of two players, while their successors, theArizona Coyotes, honoured the numbers of players who played for the former Jets. No numbers have been officially retired by the current franchise to date, although several members of the original franchise are honoured by the current Winnipeg Jets organization as part of its Hall of Fame.
The number 99 is retired league-wide in honour ofWayne Gretzky; this was done by the NHL at the2000 NHL All-Star Game.[97]
Retired/honoured by the original Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes
Honoured by the Atlanta Thrashers/current Winnipeg Jets
The organization created the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame in 2016 to honour the impact and accomplishments of the original Winnipeg Jets, and the history of professional hockey in the city.[102] The inaugural inductees were the "HOT Line" consisting ofAnders Hedberg,Bobby Hull andUlf Nilsson, who were inducted on October 19, 2016.[103]Dale Hawerchuk was honoured on November 14, 2017.[104]Lars-Erik Sjoberg andAb McDonald were posthumously inducted on February 26, 2019. Both were captains of the team at key points of the original team's history, with the latter being the first-ever captain for the team and the former being the first captain for the team upon joining the NHL.[105]Randy Carlyle andThomas Steen were inducted on February 11, 2020, both serving as some of the longest tenured players in original Jets' history.[106]Teemu Selanne andTeppo Numminen were inducted on November 17, 2022.[107]
Note: This list does not include head coaches from the Atlanta Thrashers.
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history.[108] Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game
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Bell Media served as the initial media rightsholder for the Jets, under a 10-year deal covering both radio and television.[109][110]
TSN is the regional television broadcaster of the Jets for games not broadcast bySportsnet orAmazon Prime Video; games are televised on TSN3 in Manitoba,Saskatchewan,Nunavut, theNorthwest Territories (shared with theCalgary Flames andEdmonton Oilers outside of Manitoba), and parts ofNorthwestern Ontario (shared with theToronto Maple Leafs). Initially, Jets games were carried on a dedicated feed of TSN in the team's market, "TSN Jets", which was sold as a subscription-basedpay television service separate from the national TSN network. In 2014, with the realignment of TSN into regional feeds, Jets telecasts moved to TSN3 and the separate TSN Jets channel was discontinued.[110] The team renewed its television rights with TSN3 on October 5, 2020.[111]
Dan Robertson andKevin Sawyer serve as the respective play-by-play announcer and colour commentator for Jets broadcasts on TSN3, withJohn Lu reporting at rinkside.[112] Previously,Dennis Beyak served as the primary play-by-play voice for the Jets until his retirement at the end of the2021–22 NHL season. Beyak's previous partners include Kevin Sawyer,Ray Ferraro, andShane Hnidy. Hnidy was the team's lead colour commentator from the 2011–12 to 2016–17 seasons and has since moved toAT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain to cover theVegas Golden Knights in 2017.[113]
Corus Entertainment has held the Jets radio rights since the 2020–21 season, as part of a seven-year agreement signed in 2020.CJOB andCJKR-FMPower 97 serve as co-flagships, simulcasting all games on AM and FM radio. Paul Edmonds and Mitchell Clinton (previously Mitch Thomas) serve as on-air play-by-play team. CJOB served as the radio home of their original incarnation from 1972 to 1982, and again from 1992 to 1996.[114] (CJKR-FM solely airs Jets games in the event of scheduling conflicts withWinnipeg Blue Bombers football on CJOB.)CFRW,TSN Radio 1290, served as the flagship radio station of the team from 2011 to 2020, with Edmonds on play-by-play alongsideBrian Munz. They were occasionally joined by Beyak, who took over radio play-by-play when TSN was not involved in the television broadcast. Munz also occasionally substituted for Beyak on TSN.[110]
Some of Sheth's work can be seen inside the navy ring of the Jets logo, as motifs inspired by Henna patterning and Bandhani designs surround the traditional Jet and red maple leaf that fans are used to seeing.
The team unveiled a design Friday that shows a sleek fighter jet pointing north over a red Maple Leaf, all inside a navy blue and grey circle.
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