Welcome back to another edition of Throwback Thursday!
This week in 1979, the Winnipeg Jets were awarded an NHL team.
By the time 1979 had rolled around, a lot of the WHA teams had been struggling and many folded. That, of course, wasn’t the case for the Jets who remained one of the strongest clubs.
And the Jets weren’t the only team seeing success. The Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers all were strong and the quadruplet of clubs got absorbed into the NHL.
“We now have an NHL label.” Thats how John Ferguson, general manager of Winnipeg Jets, confirmed the teams successful bid for a National Hockey League franchise Friday. Ferguson told a crowded noon-hour news conference the Jets and three other World Hockey Association teams have agreed to an expansion proposal approved hours earlier by the NHL board of governors. Ferguson said in an interview one of the Jets owners telephoned him late Friday morning to say the NHL offer has been accepted. The Jets will start next season in an arena expanded from 10,-000 to 15,000 seats, but fans will pay more to see their team play 40 home games two against each of the other 20 teams in the league. Ticket price Increases also announced Friday range generally from nine to 47 per cent. For example, the price of the most expensive seats will increase from $10 to $12 for season-ticket holders and $13 at the door. The cost of the cheapest seats will rise from $4.25 to $6 for season ticket holders and $7 at the door.
With the four aforementioned clubs coming into the NHL, the league grew from 17 teams to 21. Upon entering the league, Winnipeg Jets struggled having been forced to lose a number of their top scorers in a reclamation draft.
Placed in the Smyth Division of the Campbell Conference, Winnipeg came dead last in the first two years. The bad years, however, landed them top picks where they took Dave Babych and Dale Hawerchuk and thus, their franchise was forever altered.
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