1981–82 Winnipeg Jets season

The 1981–82 Winnipeg Jets season was the team's third season in the National Hockey League and tenth season overall. The club's on-ice performance vastly improved compared to the previous season when the Jets won only nine games. The Jets finished with a .500 record and, for the first time in its history, qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs

1981–82 Winnipeg Jets
Division2nd Norris
ConferenceCampbell
1981–82 record33–33–14
Goals for319
Goals against332
Team information
General managerJohn Ferguson
CoachTom Watt
CaptainDave Christian
Alternate captainsNone
Minor league affiliate(s)Tulsa Oilers (CHL)

Offseason

After a very disappointing 1980-81, in which the Jets won only nine games and finished in last place in the National Hockey League, the club announced on May 14, 1981, that Tom Watt would become the new head coach of the team. Watt spent the 1980-81 season as an assistant coach under Harry Neale on the Vancouver Canucks. This would be Watt's first NHL head coaching job. The Jets also announced that Dave Christian would become the new captain of the team. Christian, who was a part of the 1980 US Olympic Team that won the gold medal, became the third captain of the team since the Jets joined the NHL.

The NHL announced a new divisional realignment based on geography, as the Jets were shifted from the Smythe Division to the Norris Division, where they would join the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota North Stars, St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs. On June 10, 1981, the Jets went into the 1981 NHL Entry Draft with the first overall selection, and the club used it to select Dale Hawerchuk from the Cornwall Royals of the QMJHL. Hawerchuk scored 81 goals and 183 points in 72 games with Cornwall, followed by 15 goals and 35 points in 19 playoff games with the team, leading them to the President's Cup. At the 1981 Memorial Cup, Hawerchuk had eight goals and 12 points in five games, leading Cornwall to the championship. With their second selection, Winnipeg selected Scott Arniel, who also played with the Cornwall Royals. Arniel had 52 goals and 123 points with Cornwall, followed by 14 goals and 33 points in 19 playoff games, and six goals and eight points in five Memorial Cup games, helping the Royals win the 1981 Memorial Cup.

On July 3, 1981, Winnipeg acquired Bryan Maxwell, Ed Staniowski and Paul MacLean from the St. Louis Blues for Scott Campbell and John Markell. Maxwell, a stay-at-home defenseman, had three goals and 13 points in 40 games with the Blues in 1980-81, while Staniowski posted a 10-3-3 record with a 4.28 GAA in 19 games as a backup to Mike Liut in St. Louis. MacLean had 36 goals and 78 points in 80 games with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the CHL.

Twelve days later on July 15, 1981, the Jets were involved in a three-way deal with the Colorado Rockies and Vancouver Canucks. Winnipeg originally traded Ivan Hlinka to the Vancouver Canucks for Brent Ashton and the Canucks fourth round draft pick at the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. The Jets then traded Ashton and their own third round pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft to the Colorado Rockies for Lucien DeBlois. DeBlois had 26 goals and 42 points in 74 games with Colorado during the 1980-81 season.

One day before the regular season began, on October 5, 1981, the Jets picked up Serge Savard from the Montreal Canadiens in the waiver draft. Savard, who played with the Canadiens since the 1966-67 season, had four goals and 17 points in 77 games during the 1980-81 season. Savard was a seven time Stanley Cup champion.

Regular season

Final standings
Norris Division
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Minnesota North Stars8037232034628894
Winnipeg Jets8033331431933280
St. Louis Blues803240831534972
Chicago Black Hawks8030381233236372
Toronto Maple Leafs8020441629838056
Detroit Red Wings8021471227035154

[1]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Vs. Campbell Conference

Vs. Wales Conference

Schedule and results

[3]

No. R Date Score Opponent Record Attendance
1LOctober 6, 19811–6Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)0–1–011,410
2WOctober 9, 19818–3New York Rangers (1981–82)1–1–012,377
3WOctober 14, 19814–2@ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)2–1–017,430
4WOctober 15, 19815–4@ Calgary Flames (1981–82)3–1–07,226
5LOctober 18, 19813–4Colorado Rockies (1981–82)3–2–011,499
6TOctober 21, 19812–2@ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)3–2–114,745
7TOctober 23, 19815–5Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)3–2–213,169
8WOctober 25, 19819–4Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)4–2–210,664
9LOctober 28, 19816–7@ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)4–3–28,493
10WOctober 31, 19816–5@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)5–3–216,360
11WNovember 3, 19815–3@ Colorado Rockies (1981–82)6–3–25,126
12WNovember 6, 19814–3Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)7–3–213,484
13LNovember 8, 19811–5@ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)7–4–212,533
14LNovember 10, 19813–5New York Islanders (1981–82)7–5–213,494
15LNovember 11, 19812–15@ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)7–6–214,244
16WNovember 14, 19813–2@ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)8–6–210,363
17LNovember 17, 19814–6@ Calgary Flames (1981–82)8–7–27,226
18LNovember 18, 19814–6Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)8–8–210,992
19TNovember 21, 19811–1@ St. Louis Blues (1981–82)8–8–316,316
20WNovember 22, 19815–4St. Louis Blues (1981–82)9–8–312,287
21WNovember 25, 19817–2Colorado Rockies (1981–82)10–8–311,363
22TNovember 27, 19815–5Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)10–8–413,903
23LNovember 29, 19812–10Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)10–9–415,756
24LDecember 1, 19811–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)10–10–417,077
25LDecember 2, 19812–4@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)10–11–48,829
26LDecember 4, 19813–7@ Washington Capitals (1981–82)10–12–410,605
27WDecember 6, 19815–2New York Islanders (1981–82)11–12–412,877
28TDecember 9, 19813–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)11–12–516,215
29TDecember 11, 19815–5Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)11–12–615,652
30LDecember 13, 19811–2Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)11–13–613,011
31TDecember 16, 19813–3@ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)11–13–710,236
32WDecember 17, 19814–2@ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)12–13–714,995
33LDecember 19, 19814–8Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)12–14–712,689
34WDecember 20, 19815–4St. Louis Blues (1981–82)13–14–712,691
35LDecember 22, 19812–5@ New York Islanders (1981–82)13–15–714,806
36LDecember 23, 19812–5@ New York Rangers (1981–82)13–16–717,422
37LDecember 26, 19812–3Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)13–17–713,778
38TDecember 27, 19812–2Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)13–17–814,257
39LDecember 30, 19811–6Hartford Whalers (1981–82)13–18–810,470
40LJanuary 3, 19825–8Boston Bruins (1981–82)13–19–814,419
41WJanuary 6, 19825–3@ Hartford Whalers (1981–82)14–19–812,097
42LJanuary 7, 19826–8@ Boston Bruins (1981–82)14–20–811,240
43WJanuary 9, 19824–2@ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)15–20–814,234
44TJanuary 10, 19824–4Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)15–20–915,269
45WJanuary 13, 19826–1Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)16–20–911,483
46TJanuary 15, 19824–4New York Rangers (1981–82)16–20–1012,533
47LJanuary 17, 19825–7Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)16–21–1014,061
48WJanuary 20, 19823–0Washington Capitals (1981–82)17–21–1010,649
49WJanuary 22, 19826–5Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)18–21–1012,847
50TJanuary 26, 19823–3@ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)18–21–119,202
51WJanuary 27, 19824–3@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)19–21–1116,308
52LJanuary 30, 19821–2@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82)19–22–1113,842
53LFebruary 2, 19826–10@ St. Louis Blues (1981–82)19–23–116,502
54WFebruary 5, 19826–4Calgary Flames (1981–82)20–23–1114,406
55LFebruary 10, 19823–4@ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)20–24–1115,260
56LFebruary 13, 19823–7@ Montreal Canadiens (1981–82)20–25–1116,422
57LFebruary 16, 19823–7@ Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)20–26–1115,265
58TFebruary 19, 19824–4Quebec Nordiques (1981–82)20–26–1213,661
59LFebruary 21, 19823–6Washington Capitals (1981–82)20–27–1213,395
60WFebruary 24, 19826–2Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)21–27–1213,779
61TFebruary 26, 19824–4Buffalo Sabres (1981–82)21–27–1315,794
62WFebruary 28, 19825–2St. Louis Blues (1981–82)22–27–1313,308
63WMarch 2, 19827–6@ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82)23–27–1316,912
64WMarch 3, 19824–2@ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82)24–27–1310,523
65WMarch 5, 19822–0Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)25–27–1314,803
66WMarch 7, 19825–2Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)26–27–1314,727
67LMarch 10, 19822–6@ Hartford Whalers (1981–82)26–28–1311,858
68LMarch 11, 19824–7@ Boston Bruins (1981–82)26–29–1312,333
69WMarch 13, 198210–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)27–29–1316,360
70WMarch 16, 19827–3@ St. Louis Blues (1981–82)28–29–1312,167
71WMarch 17, 19823–2@ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)29–29–1315,784
72WMarch 20, 19827–0Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82)30–29–1315,253
73WMarch 21, 19828–2Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)31–29–1313,378
74WMarch 24, 19825–3Los Angeles Kings (1981–82)32–29–1312,711
75TMarch 26, 19824–4St. Louis Blues (1981–82)32–29–1415,790
76LMarch 28, 19820–5@ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82)32–30–1416,079
77WMarch 30, 19827–5@ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)33–30–1415,784
78LMarch 31, 19822–4@ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82)33–31–149,654
79LApril 2, 19822–5Minnesota North Stars (1981–82)33–32–1415,351
80LApril 4, 19821–2@ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82)33–33–1417,490

Playoffs

They faced the St. Louis Blues in the Division Semifinals, losing 3 games to 1.

Player statistics

Awards and records

Transactions

Trades
July 3, 1981 To St. Louis Blues
Scott Campbell
John Markell		 To Winnipeg Jets
Bryan Maxwell
Ed Staniowski
Paul MacLean
July 15, 1981 To Vancouver Canucks
Ivan Hlinka		 To Winnipeg Jets
Brent Ashton
4th round pick in 1982 - Tom Martin
July 15, 1981 To Colorado Rockies
Brent Ashton
2nd round pick in 1982 - Dave Kasper		 To Winnipeg Jets
Lucien DeBlois
July 27, 1981 To Minnesota North Stars
Lindsay Middlebrook		 To Winnipeg Jets
Cash
September 8, 1981 To New York Rangers
3rd round pick in 1983 - Vesa Salo		 To Winnipeg Jets
Doug Soetaert
December 19, 1981 To Montreal Canadiens
6th round pick in 1982 - Ernie Vargas		 To Winnipeg Jets
Serge Savard

Waivers
October 5, 1981 From Montreal Canadiens
Craig Levie

Free agents
Acquired PlayerFormer Team
Bengt LundholmUndrafted Free Agent
Departing PlayerNew Team
Michel DionPittsburgh Penguins

Draft picks

The Jets selected the following players at the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, on June 10, 1981.[4]

NHL Amateur Draft
Round Pick Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team
11Dale Hawerchuk (C) CanadaCornwall Royals (QMJHL)
222Scott Arniel (LW) CanadaCornwall Royals (QMJHL)
343Jyrki Seppa (D) FinlandIlves Tampere (SM-liiga)
464Kirk McCaskill (LW) CanadaUniversity of Vermont (NCAA)
585Marc Behrend (G) United StatesUniversity of Wisconsin (NCAA)
6106Bob O'Connor (G) United StatesBoston College (NCAA)
7127Peter Nilsson (D) SwedenHammarby IK (SEL)
8148Dan McFall (D) United StatesBuffalo Jr. Sabres (NYPJHL)
9169Greg Dick (D) United StatesSaint Mary's University of Minnesota (NCAA)
10190Vladimir Kadlec (D) CzechoslovakiaHC Vitkovice (Czech.)
11211Dave Kirwin (D) United StatesIrondale (MN) High School

See also

References
  1. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  2. "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. "1981-82 Winnipeg Jets Results and Schedule". HockeyDB. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  4. "1981 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". hockeyDB.com. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
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