1979–80_Winnipeg_Jets_season

1979–80 Winnipeg Jets season

1979–80 Winnipeg Jets season

NHL hockey team season (first season in NHL)


The 1979–80 Winnipeg Jets season was the organization's eighth season since its inception in 1972, and its first season in the National Hockey League.

Quick Facts Winnipeg Jets, Division ...

Offseason

After spending seven seasons in the World Hockey Association, in which the team won three Avco Cup championships, the Winnipeg Jets joined the National Hockey League, as did the Edmonton Oilers, Hartford Whalers and Quebec Nordiques, as the WHA disbanded.

On June 13, 1979, the Jets participated in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft to fill out their roster, while on June 28, 1979, Winnipeg made their first ever trade, as the Jets sent Jamie Hislop to the Quebec Nordiques in exchange for Barry Legge.

On August 8, 1979, the Jets selected Jimmy Mann of the Sherbrooke Castors of the QMJHL with their first ever draft pick at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. In the fifth round, the Jets selected Thomas Steen from Leksands IF of the SEL.

During the off-season, the club announced that Tom McVie would be retained as head coach. McVie became the Jets head coach late in the 1978-79 season, going 11-8-0 in nineteen games, followed by a record of 8-2 in the playoffs to lead Winnipeg to the Avco Cup. McVie had head coaching experience in the NHL, as he coached the Washington Capitals to a 49-122-33 record from 1975 to 1978.

Lars-Erik Sjoberg was named captain of the team, as former captain Barry Long joined the Detroit Red Wings for the 1979-80 season. Sjoberg captained Winnipeg from 1975 to 1978 in the WHA.

Regular season

Final standings

More information GP, W ...

[1]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

More information Smythe Division record vs. opponents, NHL records ...

Schedule and results

[3]

More information No., R ...

Playoffs

The Jets failed to qualify for the playoffs, as their record of 20-49-11 earned them 51 points, good for fifth in the Smythe Division, 18 points behind the fourth place Edmonton Oilers for the final playoff position.

Player statistics

Regular season

Scoring
More information Player, Pos ...
Goaltending
More information Player, MIN ...

[4]

Note:
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

June 28, 1979 To Quebec Nordiques
Jamie Hislop
To Winnipeg Jets
Barry Legge
July 25, 1979 To New York Rangers
Future Considerations
To Winnipeg Jets
Wayne Dillon
August 1, 1979 To Atlanta Flames
Paul Terbenche
To Winnipeg Jets
Future Considerations
October 4, 1979 To Montreal Canadiens
Cash
To Winnipeg Jets
Ron Wilson
October 15, 1979 To New York Rangers
Cash
Future Considerations
To Winnipeg Jets
Bud Stefanski
February 27, 1980 To Hartford Whalers
Bobby Hull
To Winnipeg Jets
Future Considerations

Waivers

February 27, 1980 From Vancouver Canucks
Kris Manery

Free agents

PlayerFormer Team
Willy LindstromWinnipeg Jets (WHA)
Larry HopkinsToronto Maple Leafs
John BethelUndrafted Free Agent
Benoit GosselinNew York Rangers
Gerry RiouxUndrafted Free Agent
Glenn TomaltyUndrafted Free Agent
Ross CoryUndrafted Free Agent
Jude DrouinNew York Islanders
Mark PlanteryUndrafted Free Agent
Don MacIverUndrafted Free Agent
Anders SteenUndrafted Free Agent

Draft picks

NHL Amateur Draft

Winnipeg's picks at the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec on August 9, 1979.[5]

More information Round, Pick ...

Expansion Draft

Reclaimed Players

Reclaiming of Players: The 17 existing NHL teams were allowed to reclaim any rights to former WHA players they held. The four incoming franchises, however, were allowed to protect up to two goaltenders and two skaters, voiding their NHL rights. These players were considered "priority selections" in the expansion draft. Gordie Howe was one of two special cases (the other being Wayne Gretzky), as a gentlemen's agreement between the Hartford Whalers and the Detroit Red Wings, which held his rights, led to the Wings declining to reclaim Howe.

These are Winnipeg players whose NHL rights were reclaimed when the WHA merged with the NHL. This list is incomplete.

More information #, Player ...

Jets selections

More information #, Player ...

References

  1. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  2. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. "1979-80 Winnipeg Jets Results and Schedule". HockeyDB. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  4. "1979-80 Winnipeg Jets Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  5. "1979 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 23, 2016.

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