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Throwback Thursday: This week in 1976, WHA Winnipeg Jets win Avco Cup

By Zach Laing
Jun 4, 2020, 16:43 EDTUpdated: Jun 4, 2020, 16:51 EDT
Welcome back to another edition of Throwback Thursday!
This week in 1976 (May 28), the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association won the Avco Cup.
The Jets finished the regular season with a 52-27-2 record, the best in the league and squared up against the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Cowboys in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Sweeping the Oilers and beating the Cowboys in five games, the Jets were granted cup finals berth against the Houston Aeros.
Despite having Gordie Howe and some Mark Howe, the Aeros were no match for the Jets, who won the series in a four-game sweep.
There were three 100 points scorers for the Jets in the regular season — Bobby Hull (53-70—123), Ulf Nilsson (37-76—114) and Anders Hedberg (50-55—105). In the playoffs, those three came to play. Over the Jets’ 13 games, Nilsson scored 26 points, Hull scored 20 and Hedberg potted 19 of his own.
It was one of the three Avco cups the Jets would win in the WHA’s seven years.
On Twitter: @zjlaing
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