Established
1999
City
Atlanta – Winnipeg
League History
1999 – Present / National Hockey League
Team History
2011 – Present / Winnipeg Jets
1999 – 2011 / Atlanta Thrashers
Nickname
Jets – The Winnipeg Jets are an NHL team that has been around since the 1970s, and they have a long history of success in the league. But many people don’t know how their nickname came to be.
Originally, when the team was formed in 1972, they were known as The World Hockey Association (WHA). It wasn’t until 1979 that they changed their name to The Winnipeg Jets after being acquired by local businessman Ben Hatskin. He chose this name because he wanted it to reflect his hometown's aviation industry which had seen tremendous growth during WWII due to its location near air force bases for both Canadian and American forces.
As time went on and hockey became more popular throughout North America, so did the popularity of The Winnipeg Jets brand, with fans across Canada embracing them as one of “their teams” even though, geographically speaking, it was far away from most Canadian cities then. This newfound fame eventually led them to join up with other WHA teams like Edmonton Oilers & Quebec Nordiques when all three franchises joined together for expansion into National Hockey League (NHL) back 1982-83 season, which saw these 3 former WHA clubs become part of NHL family always!
Today you can still see evidence of this original inspiration behind their nickname: Their logo features a jet plane flying through two hockey sticks while also sporting colors similar to those used by the Royal Canadian Air Force – red, white blue - giving further tribute to military aviation roots from whence franchise originated over 40 years ago now!
Championship
Stanley Cup 0
Arena
2018 - Present / Bell MTS Place
2011 – 2017 / MTS Centre
*Atlanta*
1999 – 2011 / Philips Arena
Owner
2011 – Present / True North Sports and Entertainment
2003 – 2011 / Atlanta Spirit, LLC
1999 – 2003 / Time Warner
- 2011
- 2011
- 2011
-
Moving to Winnipeg
Due to financial losses and ownership struggles, the team was frequently a target of relocation rumors. In later years, reports saw the team courted by suitors intending to relocate to Kansas City, Missouri; Quebec City, Quebec; Hamilton, Ontario or Winnipeg, Manitoba. On January 22, 2011, the team’s ownership group claimed it had lost the US $130 million in the last ... -
Record Sales of Tickets
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. The number of season tickets sold jumped to 4,170 on June ... -
MTS Centre
The MTS Centre is an indoor sports arena and entertainment venue located at 300 Portage Avenue in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The arena is the home of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and previously served as the home of the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose (now the St. John’s IceCaps) from 2004 to 2011. Beginning in the ...
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
History of the Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The franchise was founded in 1972 as one of the original World Hockey Association (WHA) members. After five seasons in the WHA, they joined the National Hockey League (NHL) when it merged with their league for its 1979–80 season. Due to financial difficulties, the Jets moved to Phoenix and became known as the Arizona Coyotes after the 1996-97 NHL season. Throughout their history, they have had notable rivalries, including one with the Atlanta Thrashers and the Minnesota Wild.
In 2011, True North Sports & Entertainment bought an Atlanta Thrashers franchise and relocated them back to Winnipeg, where they were renamed “Jets” again by popular demand from fans who had been missing an NHL team since 1996. In the 2015-16 season under head coach Paul Maurice's guidance, Jets made playoffs for the first time since relocating back to Canada but lost 4 games against Anaheim Ducks during the Western Conference First-Round series. Despite this early exit from postseason action that year marked a milestone achievement for the Canadian club, which hadn't seen playoff action on home soil since the 1990s when the original version of the organization competed at the highest level before moving southward across the border into the United States two decades prior.
Since then, Winnipeg has become a perennial contender within Central Division despite having limited resources compared with larger market teams such as Chicago Blackhawks or St Louis Blues. They have also developed core groups of players like Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, or Jacob Trouba, around whom the entire roster is built each year, making sure that competitive spirit remains high despite the fact there isn’t necessarily enough money available to spend freely on free agents every summer. With the right kind of leadership both off -and –on ice, these days future looks bright indeed, even if Stanley Cup victory still eludes a city located near the geographic center of Canada today just the same way it did several generations ago during the heyday former incarnation of same beloved hockey squad known simply affectionately as ‘Jets’ amongst locals here northern part world.
Sports Fan Products
Retired Number
99 / Wayne Gretzky
*Blue is this team’s history