A look back at the Jets’ WHA glory days

Winnipeg

With the Winnipeg Jets having one of their greatest seasons in a professional hockey history that goes back to 1972-73, now seems like the right time to remember the championship years. The club competed in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1979 and won the Avco Cup three times in 1975-76, 1977-78, and 1978-79.

In 1975-76, the Jets finished in first place in the Canadian Division during the regular season and then cruised through the playoffs. In the quarterfinals, Winnipeg beat the Edmonton Oilers four straight and won the semifinal in five games over the Calgary Cowboys. The final was another four-game sweep over the Houston Aeros, who had won the championship the previous two seasons.

That year was the second season of the Hot Line, comprised of Bobby Hull and Swedes Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson. In the playoffs, Nilsson was the leading scorer and named MVP. Hull finished second, and Hedberg third. The Aeros lineup included Gordie Howe and his sons Marty and Mark.

In 1976-77, the Jets lost the WHA final in seven games to the Eastern Division champion Quebec Nordiques. In the team’s sixth season, the Jets were back on top. They finished first in the regular season with Nilsson, Hedberg, and Hull one, two, three in team scoring. Kent Nilsson showed his magic touch in his first season with 42 goals and 65 assists. In the playoffs, a five-game victory over the Birmingham Bulls gave the Jets a berth in the final against the New England Whalers. Despite the Whalers having the three Howes, former Toronto Maple Leaf star Dave Keon, and the notorious Carlson brothers, Jack and Steve, in the lineup, the Jets won four straight. Winnipeg centre Bobby Guindon, with eight goals and five helpers, was named the playoff MVP.

Ulf, Nilsson, Hedberg and defenceman Lars-Erik Sjoberg made the first all-star team and Hull and defenseman Barry Long the second team. Flin Flon’s Al Hamilton of the Edmonton Oilers was the other defenceman on the first team and North of 54 product Ernie Wakely was the second-team goalie. Wakely had a connection to Winnipeg, as he backstopped the Braves to the 1959 Memorial Cup and he and Joe Daley shared Jets goaltending duties in the early years before he was moved to the San Diego Mariners in 1974-75.

The Jets were a much different team in the club’s final WHA season of 1978-79, but the end result was the same, an Avco Cup. Hedberg and Nilsson had moved to the NHL with the New York Rangers and Hull played just four games early in the season. Sjoberg missed most of the regular season with a torn Achilles tendon, but the captain returned for the playoffs. Newcomers included former Aeros Scott Campbell, Morris Lukowich, Terry Ruskowski, and Rich Preston.

In the playoffs, the third-place Jets swept the second-place Nordiques 4-0 and faced the Oilers, with Wayne Gretzky, in the final. Jets won the first two games in the Edmonton Coliseum 3-1 and 3-2, with late-season pickup Gary Smith in goal. Back home in the Winnipeg Arena, the Jets were hammered 8-3 by the Oilers but took Game 4 3-2. Game 5 in Edmonton saw the Oilers overwhelm the Jets 10-2 with former Brandon Wheat King Ron Chipperfield scoring five times.

On May 20 in Game 6 in front of 10,195 fans at the Winnipeg Arena, the Jets beat the Oilers 7-3 in what was the last WHA game in history. Long and Willy Lindstrom scored twice with Paul McKinnon, Lyle Moffat and Kent Nilsson contributing singles. Ruskowski had four assists Lukowich three, Peter Sullivan two, and former Flin Flon Bomber Glenn Hicks one to see their names on the final scoresheet. Smith made 27 saves in the net.

Chipperfield, Bill Flett and ex-Wheat King Dave Semenko replied for Edmonton with Semenko’s at 19:48 of the third period standing as the final WHA goal. Despite the Jets holding Gretzky to one goal and three assists in the series, he led all playoff scorers with 20 points. Lindstrom and Lukowich topped the Jets with 15. Preston, who added 13 points, was named playoff MVP.