The 1980–81 Winnipeg Jets season was the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...
' second season in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
. In the 1980-81 season they finished fifth (and last) in the
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's
Smythe Division
The NHL's Smythe Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Clarence Campbell Conference. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honour of Conn Smythe, who was a longtime owner, general manager, and head coach in the league ...
. The team scored 246 goals and conceded 400 goals. The Jets won 9 games, lost 57 games and tied 14 games. They scored 32 points.
The Jets were coached by
Tom McVie
Thomas McVie (born June 6, 1935) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach in the National Hockey League.
McVie grew up in a poor family, and, upon signing his first junior league contract, is said to have left home with a single used st ...
(1 win, 20 losses and 7 ties),
Bill Sutherland (6 wins, 20 losses and 3 ties), and
Mike Smith (2 wins, 17 losses and 4 ties).
Offseason
The Jets named
Morris Lukowich
Morris Eugene Lukowich (born June 1, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a member of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association (WHA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1976 to 1985, and later played fo ...
as team captain during the off-season, as former captain
Lars-Erik Sjöberg
Lars-Erik "Taxen" Sjöberg (4 May 1944 in Falun, Sweden – 20 October 1987 in Uppsala, Sweden) was a Swedish ice hockey defenceman. He played in Sweden from 1962 to 1974 (Leksands IF 1962–65 and 1967–69, Djurgårdens IF Hockey 1965–67, a ...
announced his retirement at the end of the
1979-80 season. Lukowich had been with Winnipeg since their final season in the
WHA, helping the club win the
Avco Cup
The Avco World Trophy, also known as the Avco Cup, is the playoff championship trophy of the defunct World Hockey Association (1972–1979). The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation (a name originally derived from "Avia ...
in 1979.
On June 11, 1980, Winnipeg selected defenseman
Dave Babych
David Michael Babych (born May 23, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is currently an assistant director of player personnel with the Vancouver Canucks. He p ...
with the second overall pick in the
1980 NHL Entry Draft
The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was the 18th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft.The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.241, Published in Canada by Doubleda ...
. Babych was a high scoring defenseman with the
Portland Winterhawks
The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon, playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL), one of three leagues making up the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Prior to the 2021-22 season, the Winterhawks split thei ...
of the
WHL, recording 22 goals and 82 points in 50 games with Portland. With their second pick, the Jets selected
Moe Mantha from the
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated junior ice hockey and senior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey Association and later the Ontario Hockey League. The Marlboros ...
of the
OMJHL
In 1970, the Junior A level was divided into two more levels, Tier I (Major Junior A) and Tier II (Minor Junior A). In 1974, the "Major Junior A" division of the OHA became the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League (OMJHL) and began to operate indepe ...
, and in the seventh round, the team selected
Brian Mullen
Brian Patrick Mullen (born March 16, 1962) is an American former professional ice hockey player who spent eleven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) playing for the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, and New York Islanders ...
from the
United States national ice hockey team United States national hockey team may refer to:
* United States men's national ball hockey team
* United States women's national ball hockey team
* United States men's national field hockey team
* United States women's national field hockey tea ...
.
Winnipeg made a few small trades during the off-season, most notably acquiring
Rick Bowness
Richard Gary Bowness (born January 25, 1955) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bowness played right wing for the Atlanta Flames, Detroit R ...
from the
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...
in exchange for
Craig Norwich
Craig Richard Norwich (born December 15, 1955) is an American former professional ice hockey player. Norwich led the Edina East High School hockey team to the prestigious Minnesota State High School League Hockey Tournament three times, including ...
. The Jets also acquired
Norm Dupont
Normand Joseph Gilles Dupont (born February 5, 1957) is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward (ice hockey), forward.
As a youth, he played in the 1970 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Montréal-Nord ...
from the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
for the Jets second round pick in the
1982 NHL Entry Draft
The 1982 NHL Entry Draft was the 20th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the reverse order of the 1981 ...
. Dupont was selected by the Canadiens in the first round of the
1977 NHL amateur draft, however, he picked up only a goal and four points in 35 games with Montreal in the
1979-80 season.
Regular season
Final standings
Record vs. opponents
Schedule and results
Playoffs
For the second straight season, the Jets failed to qualify for the playoffs, as they had an
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
worst record of 9-57-14, earning 32 points, 39 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff position.
Player statistics
Regular season
;Scoring
;Goaltending
Awards and records
Transactions
Trades
Waivers
Free agents
Draft picks
Winnipeg selected the following players at the
1980 NHL Entry Draft
The 1980 NHL Entry Draft was the 18th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Montreal Forum. This was the first time that an NHL arena hosted the draft.The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory, D'Arcy Jenish, p.241, Published in Canada by Doubleda ...
, which was held at the
Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum (french: Le Forum de Montréal) is a historic building located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by ''Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as the h ...
in
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
on June 11, 1980.
NHL Amateur Draft
Farm teams
See also
*
1980–81 NHL season
The 1980–81 NHL season was the 64th season of the National Hockey League. The New York Islanders were the top regular season team and the top playoff team, winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup by defeating the Minnesota North Stars in f ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:1980-81 Winnipeg Jets Season
1980–81 NHL season by team, Winnipeg Jets season, 1980-81
Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) seasons
Winn Winn may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Winn, Maine, a town in Penobscot County
* Winn, Michigan, an unincorporated community
* Winn Parish, Louisiana
Other uses
* Winn (surname) (including a list of people with the name)
* WINN, an ...