North End Identity

From WHA roots to NHL revival: the Winnipeg Jets story.

The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The Jets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, playing its home games at Canada Life Centre. The franchise was established as the Atlanta Thrashers on June 25, 1997, and began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season. True North Sports & Entertainment bought the team in May 2011 and relocated the Thrashers to Winnipeg prior to the 2011–12 season. The team was renamed the Jets after Winnipeg's original WHA/NHL team.

Quick Facts

Neighbourhood

North End
Winnipeg
Manitoba

Cultural roots

Ukrainian-Canadian
working-class
multicultural

Original franchise era

1972 – 1996 (NHL)

Team colours

Blue
Red
White

Identity principle

The team belongs to the neighbourhood, not the ownership

Lore & Background

The original Winnipeg Jets were granted a founding franchise in the World Hockey Association (WHA) on December 27, 1971. By 1979, the Jets were absorbed into the NHL along with the Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, and Hartford Whalers as part of the WHA–NHL merger. In 1996, owner Barry Shenkarow sold the team to American businessmen Steven Gluckstern and Richard Burke, who eventually moved the team to Arizona to become the Phoenix Coyotes. The original Jets played their last game on April 28, 1996.

Reader's Guide

The current Jets franchise began as the Atlanta Thrashers, an NHL expansion franchise awarded on June 25, 1997, which started play in the 1999–2000 season. The Thrashers qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs once (2006–07) and never won a playoff game. True North Sports & Entertainment purchased the Thrashers in May 2011 and relocated them to Winnipeg for the 2011–12 season. The team was renamed the Winnipeg Jets on June 24, 2011, during the NHL entry draft. The Jets made their regular season debut on October 9, 2011, at MTS Centre. Beginning in 2013–14, the Jets moved to the Western Conference and play in the Central Division.