Hockey, and sports in general, can be broken down into unforgettable moments. Some moments chart the course of a franchise, if not an entire league. These moments can define a team’s destiny for years to come, or be forgotten in the wind. Last Word On Hockey’s Summer Series looks at these defining moments this time around, and looks at those that defy destiny. Today we wrap our series with a look the defining moments of the Winnipeg Jets.
Top Winning Jets Defining Moments
This is the last installment of our Summer Series where we look at the important moments of each franchise. We wrap things up with the Winnipeg Jets defining moments.
Hockey’s return to Manitoba has been full of memorable moments. Keep in mind, these moments only come from the iteration of the Jets since they were the Atlanta Thrashers. There will be no moments from the version of the Jets that became the Arizona Coyotes and eventually the Utah Mammoth.
Hockey Takes Flight in Winnipeg Again
The Run-Up
The Jets were beloved, but were moved to Arizona in 1996. Moreover, the franchise ended up in the hands of, then Phoenix Suns owner, Jerry Colangelo. The AHL and WHL were still there for fans, but people craved NHL hockey.
In 2011, Mark Chipman of True North Sports and Entertainment was able to bring NHL hockey back after purchasing the Thrashers. However, Chipman had tried to bring the original Jets in 2009. The league even drew up a tentative schedule that showed Winnipeg in place of Phoenix. However, the Coyotes were able to get a large public subsidy from the municipal government in Arizona to save the team at that time.
Despite this, Winnipeg and Chipman seemed poised to get a franchise back in Manitoba. This was done quietly and without a lot of bluster.
The Moment
May 20, 2011 is a date that Jets fans really got hopeful. The Winnipeg Sun reported that an agreement to acquire the Thrashers had been agreed upon between the two sides. Commissioner Gary Bettman held a press conference 11 days later that True North had bought the Thrashers pending league approval. That approval came on June 21, 2011 and the Jets were cleared for takeoff.
There was talk of going with a different nickname for the club. Team names like the “Whiteout,” “Moose” and “Falcons” were bandied about. However, there was too much public outcry to bring back the Jets nickname.
That announcement would come in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft when the team took Mark Scheifele with its first choice since relocation. Chipman confirmed the name when he introduced general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff to “make our first pick, on behalf of the Winnipeg Jets.”
The Aftermath
Winnipeg may be one of the smaller markets in the league. However, the team always finds a way to contend. Cheveldayoff has been the team’s GM since the return to the Great White North.
The Jets are coming off winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time in franchise history. There is good structure on this roster and the team has Stanley Cup aspirations thanks to a couple of other players in our defining moments.
Other Winnipeg Jets Defining Moments
The First Choice
Winnipeg had the seventh selection of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and they wanted to get that pick right. There was a lot of renewed hope with the team. However, there was a lot of work to be done with the roster inherited from Atlanta.
Cheveldayoff needed to nail this pick and set the tone for the franchise. The Jets’ new GM took a chance on a Kitchener, Ontario native that had a strong season with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. That youngster was named Mark Scheifele.
He was a late-bloomer, but has become synonymous with the Jets 2.0. Some thought the pick was a risk and didn’t appear high in many mock drafts. However, Scheifele impressed the team in interviews and got the endorsement of Jets legend Dale Hawerchuk, who was Scheifele’s coach in Barrie.
The pick was the right one and Scheifele has been a staple of the team’s lineup. It seems like he’ll be a Jet for life barring anything unforeseen.
Another Great Choice
Plenty of Winnipeg’s success has been based off of great drafting and player development. Winnipeg isn’t a hot free agent destination, so they have to find ways to manufacture talent.
Choices like Scheifele and others built the backbone of the team. However, good goaltending seemed to elude the franchise. Ondrej Pavelec, Steve Mason, Kari Lehtonen, and others were among some of the names that tried their luck in goal.
In contrast, one draft pick in 2013 would change all that. The Jets selected a goalie from UMass-Lowell in the fifth round at 130th overall of that year’s draft. That goalie is Connor Hellebuyck.
He got a couple of years of seasoning in the AHL before becoming the team’s starter in 2016-17. The Commerce, Mich. native has become a linchpin for the Jets with three Vezina Trophies in 2020, 2024 and 2025.
Hellebuyck even topped himself by winning the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player in 2025. He became the first netminder to win the award since Carey Price did 2014-15 with the Montreal Canadiens.
There were some struggles in the post-season. However, there’s no doubt that Hellebuyck has established himself as one of the best in the world.
Other Winnipeg Jets Defining Moments
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention some other great Winnipeg Jets defining moments. Reaching the 2018 Western Conference Final, the hiring of Paul Maurice, the Patrik Laine trade, Dustin Byfuglien stepping away from the game of hockey and the Evander Kane trade are just a number of defining moments in team history.
Thanks for reading our defining moments Summer Series. Stay tuned to the Last Word On Hockey as we get you ready for the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season.
Main photo by: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
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