1981–82 Winnipeg Jets season

NHL hockey team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 1981–82 1981 Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996)Winnipeg Jets 33–33–14 18–13–9 15–20–5 Campbell 3rd Norris 2nd 319 332 John Ferguson Tom Watt Dave Christian Winnipeg Arena Tulsa Oilers (CHL) None Dale Hawerchuk (45) Dale Hawerchuk (58) Dale Hawerchuk (103) Bryan Maxwell (110) Ed Staniowski (20) Ed Staniowski (3.96) 1980–81 1982–83 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 2 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 WIN Record vs. opponents WIN Schedule and results background:#fff; border-top:#012169 5px solid; border-bottom:#C8102E 5px solid; 1981–82 regular season1981-82 Winnipeg Jets Schedule https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/WIN/1982_games.html Hockey-Reference.com March 20, 20251981-82 Winnipeg Jets Results and Schedule https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/team_results.php?tid=42&sid=1982 HockeyDB 26 December 2022 y background:#fff; border-top:#012169 2px solid; border-bottom:#C8102E 2px solid; October Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Attendance |- |1||L||October 6, 1981||1–6 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) ||0–1–0 ||11,410 |- |2||W||October 9, 1981||8–3 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1981–82) ||1–1–0 ||12,377 |- |3||W||October 14, 1981||4–2 || align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82) ||2–1–0 ||17,430 |- |4||W||October 15, 1981||5–4 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames (1981–82) ||3–1–0 ||7,226 |- |5||L||October 18, 1981||3–4 || align="left"| Colorado Rockies (1981–82) ||3–2–0 ||11,499 |- |6||T||October 21, 1981||2–2 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82) ||3–2–1 ||14,745 |- |7||T||October 23, 1981||5–5 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) ||3–2–2 ||13,169 |- |8||W||October 25, 1981||9–4 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1981–82) ||4–2–2 ||10,664 |- |9||L||October 28, 1981||6–7 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) ||4–3–2 ||8,493 |- |10||W||October 31, 1981||6–5 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) ||5–3–2 ||16,360 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#012169 2px solid; border-bottom:#C8102E 2px solid; November Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Attendance |- |11||W||November 3, 1981||5–3 || align="left"| @ Colorado Rockies (1981–82) ||6–3–2 ||5,126 |- |12||W||November 6, 1981||4–3 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) ||7–3–2 ||13,484 |- |13||L||November 8, 1981||1–5 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82) ||7–4–2 ||12,533 |- |14||L||November 10, 1981||3–5 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1981–82) ||7–5–2 ||13,494 |- |15||L||November 11, 1981||2–15 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) ||7–6–2 ||14,244 |- |16||W||November 14, 1981||3–2 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings (1981–82) ||8–6–2 ||10,363 |- |17||L||November 17, 1981||4–6 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames (1981–82) ||8–7–2 ||7,226 |- |18||L||November 18, 1981||4–6 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) ||8–8–2 ||10,992 |- |19||T||November 21, 1981||1–1 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1981–82) ||8–8–3 ||16,316 |- |20||W||November 22, 1981||5–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1981–82) ||9–8–3 ||12,287 |- |21||W||November 25, 1981||7–2 || align="left"| Colorado Rockies (1981–82) ||10–8–3 ||11,363 |- |22||T||November 27, 1981||5–5 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) ||10–8–4 ||13,903 |- |23||L||November 29, 1981||2–10 || align="left"| Edmonton Oilers (1981–82) ||10–9–4 ||15,756 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#012169 2px solid; border-bottom:#C8102E 2px solid; December Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Attendance |- |24||L||December 1, 1981||1–2 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) ||10–10–4 ||17,077 |- |25||L||December 2, 1981||2–4 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) ||10–11–4 ||8,829 |- |26||L||December 4, 1981||3–7 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals (1981–82) ||10–12–4 ||10,605 |- |27||W||December 6, 1981||5–2 || align="left"| New York Islanders (1981–82) ||11–12–4 ||12,877 |- |28||T||December 9, 1981||3–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) ||11–12–5 ||16,215 |- |29||T||December 11, 1981||5–5 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1981–82) ||11–12–6 ||15,652 |- |30||L||December 13, 1981||1–2 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) ||11–13–6 ||13,011 |- |31||T||December 16, 1981||3–3 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) ||11–13–7 ||10,236 |- |32||W||December 17, 1981||4–2 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) ||12–13–7 ||14,995 |- |33||L||December 19, 1981||4–8 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) ||12–14–7 ||12,689 |- |34||W||December 20, 1981||5–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1981–82) ||13–14–7 ||12,691 |- |35||L||December 22, 1981||2–5 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders (1981–82) ||13–15–7 ||14,806 |- |36||L||December 23, 1981||2–5 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers (1981–82) ||13–16–7 ||17,422 |- |37||L||December 26, 1981||2–3 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) ||13–17–7 ||13,778 |- |38||T||December 27, 1981||2–2 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) ||13–17–8 ||14,257 |- |39||L||December 30, 1981||1–6 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers (1981–82) ||13–18–8 ||10,470 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#012169 2px solid; border-bottom:#C8102E 2px solid; January Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Attendance |- |40||L||January 3, 1982||5–8 || align="left"| Boston Bruins (1981–82) ||13–19–8 ||14,419 |- |41||W||January 6, 1982||5–3 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1981–82) ||14–19–8 ||12,097 |- |42||L||January 7, 1982||6–8 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1981–82) ||14–20–8 ||11,240 |- |43||W||January 9, 1982||4–2 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) ||15–20–8 ||14,234 |- |44||T||January 10, 1982||4–4 || align="left"| Montreal Canadiens (1981–82) ||15–20–9 ||15,269 |- |45||W||January 13, 1982||6–1 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) ||16–20–9 ||11,483 |- |46||T||January 15, 1982||4–4 || align="left"| New York Rangers (1981–82) ||16–20–10 ||12,533 |- |47||L||January 17, 1982||5–7 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1981–82) ||16–21–10 ||14,061 |- |48||W||January 20, 1982||3–0 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1981–82) ||17–21–10 ||10,649 |- |49||W||January 22, 1982||6–5 || align="left"| Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) ||18–21–10 ||12,847 |- |50||T||January 26, 1982||3–3 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) ||18–21–11 ||9,202 |- |51||W||January 27, 1982||4–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) ||19–21–11 ||16,308 |- |52||L||January 30, 1982||1–2 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1981–82) ||19–22–11 ||13,842 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#012169 2px solid; border-bottom:#C8102E 2px solid; February Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Attendance |- |53||L||February 2, 1982||6–10 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1981–82) ||19–23–11 ||6,502 |- |54||W||February 5, 1982||6–4 || align="left"| Calgary Flames (1981–82) ||20–23–11 ||14,406 |- |55||L||February 10, 1982||3–4 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres (1981–82) ||20–24–11 ||15,260 |- |56||L||February 13, 1982||3–7 || align="left"| @ Montreal Canadiens (1981–82) ||20–25–11 ||16,422 |- |57||L||February 16, 1982||3–7 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques (1981–82) ||20–26–11 ||15,265 |- |58||T||February 19, 1982||4–4 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques (1981–82) ||20–26–12 ||13,661 |- |59||L||February 21, 1982||3–6 || align="left"| Washington Capitals (1981–82) ||20–27–12 ||13,395 |- |60||W||February 24, 1982||6–2 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) ||21–27–12 ||13,779 |- |61||T||February 26, 1982||4–4 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres (1981–82) ||21–27–13 ||15,794 |- |62||W||February 28, 1982||5–2 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1981–82) ||22–27–13 ||13,308 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#012169 2px solid; border-bottom:#C8102E 2px solid; March Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Attendance |- |63||W||March 2, 1982||7–6 || align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers (1981–82) ||23–27–13 ||16,912 |- |64||W||March 3, 1982||4–2 || align="left"| @ Chicago Black Hawks (1981–82) ||24–27–13 ||10,523 |- |65||W||March 5, 1982||2–0 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) ||25–27–13 ||14,803 |- |66||W||March 7, 1982||5–2 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks (1981–82) ||26–27–13 ||14,727 |- |67||L||March 10, 1982||2–6 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers (1981–82) ||26–28–13 ||11,858 |- |68||L||March 11, 1982||4–7 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins (1981–82) ||26–29–13 ||12,333 |- |69||W||March 13, 1982||10–2 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) ||27–29–13 ||16,360 |- |70||W||March 16, 1982||7–3 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues (1981–82) ||28–29–13 ||12,167 |- |71||W||March 17, 1982||3–2 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) ||29–29–13 ||15,784 |- |72||W||March 20, 1982||7–0 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs (1981–82) ||30–29–13 ||15,253 |- |73||W||March 21, 1982||8–2 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) ||31–29–13 ||13,378 |- |74||W||March 24, 1982||5–3 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings (1981–82) ||32–29–13 ||12,711 |- |75||T||March 26, 1982||4–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues (1981–82) ||32–29–14 ||15,790 |- |76||L||March 28, 1982||0–5 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks (1981–82) ||32–30–14 ||16,079 |- |77||W||March 30, 1982||7–5 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) ||33–30–14 ||15,784 |- |78||L||March 31, 1982||2–4 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings (1981–82) ||33–31–14 ||9,654 |- y background:#fff; border-top:#012169 2px solid; border-bottom:#C8102E 2px solid; April Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Attendance |- |79||L||April 2, 1982||2–5 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars (1981–82) ||33–32–14 ||15,351 |- |80||L||April 4, 1982||1–2 || align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers (1981–82) ||33–33–14 ||17,490 |- |- | Legend: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black Playoffs They faced the St. Louis Blues in the Division Semifinals, losing 3 games to 1. Player statistics Scoring Position abbreviations: C = Centre; D = Defence; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Jets only. No. Jersey number Player Pos Position Regular season Playoffs GP Games played G Goals A Assists Pts Points +/- Plus/minus PIM Penalties in minutes GP Games played G Goals A Assists Pts Points +/- Plus/minus PIM Penalties in minutes 10 Dale Hawerchuk C 80 45 58 103 −7 47 4 1 7 8 −5 5 12 Morris Lukowich LW 77 43 49 92 −4 102 4 0 2 2 −2 16 13 Dave Christian C 80 25 51 76 −40 28 4 0 1 1 −8 2 44 Dave Babych D 79 19 49 68 −9 92 4 1 2 3 −8 29 15 Paul MacLean ice hockey RW 74 36 25 61 −8 106 4 3 2 5 −3 20 20 Willy Lindstrom Willy Lindström RW 74 32 27 59 12 33 4 2 1 3 0 2 23 Lucien DeBlois RW 65 25 27 52 −10 87 4 2 1 3 −3 4 22 Bengt Lundholm LW 66 14 30 44 4 10 4 1 1 2 0 2 25 Thomas Steen C 73 15 29 44 16 42 4 0 4 4 −1 2 28 Norm Dupont LW 62 13 25 38 −24 22 4 2 0 2 −3 0 9 Doug Smail LW 72 17 18 35 −22 55 4 0 0 0 0 0 17 Larry Hopkins ice hockey LW 41 10 15 25 8 22 4 0 0 0 −5 2 7 Tim Watters D 69 2 22 24 13 97 4 0 1 1 −1 8 24 Ron Wilson ice hockey, born 1956 C 39 3 13 16 −4 49 -1 — -1 — -1 — -1 — -99 — -1 — 14 Tim Trimper LW 74 8 8 16 −7 100 1 0 0 0 0 0 27 Don Spring D 78 0 16 16 −10 21 4 0 0 0 −8 4 21 Craig Levie D 40 4 9 13 2 48 -1 — -1 — -1 — -1 — -99 — -1 — 2 Moe Mantha Moe Mantha Jr. D 25 0 12 12 −10 28 4 1 3 4 4 16 3 Bryan Maxwell D 45 1 9 10 −11 110 -1 — -1 — -1 — -1 — -99 — -1 — 11 Scott Arniel C 17 1 8 9 2 14 3 0 0 0 −1 0 18 Serge Savard D 47 2 5 7 −9 26 4 0 0 0 −3 2 8 Jimmy Mann ice hockey RW 37 3 2 5 −8 79 2 0 0 0 0 7 31 Ed Staniowski G 45 0 5 5 -98 4 2 0 0 0 -98 0 6 Barry Legge D 38 1 2 3 −6 57 -1 — -1 — -1 — -1 — -99 — -1 — 33 Doug Soetaert G 39 0 2 2 -98 14 2 0 0 0 -98 0 4 Barry Long ice hockey D 5 0 2 2 −1 4 -1 — -1 — -1 — -1 — -99 — -1 — 26 Murray Eaves C 2 0 0 0 0 0 -1 — -1 — -1 — -1 — -99 — -1 — 5 Dan Geoffrion RW 1 0 0 0 0 5 -1 — -1 — -1 — -1 — -99 — -1 — 16 Rick Bowness RW -1 — -1 — -1 — -1 — -99 — -1 — 1 0 0 0 −2 0 Goaltending No. Jersey number Player Regular season Playoffs GP Games played W Wins L Losses T Ties SA Shots against GA Goals against GAA Goals against average SV% Save percentage SO Shutouts TOI Time on Ice GP Games played W Wins L Losses SA Shots against GA Goals against GAA Goals against average SV% Save percentage SO Shutouts TOI Time on Ice 31 Ed Staniowski 45 20 19 6 1405 174 3.96 .876 1 2637 2 0 2 42 12 6.05 .714 0 119 33 Doug Soetaert 39 13 14 8 1188 155 4.32 .870 2 2155 2 1 1 62 8 4.00 .871 0 120 Awards and records Calder Memorial Trophy: Dale Hawerchuk Jack Adams Award: Tom Watt Transactions Trades July 3, 1981To St. Louis BluesScott Campbell John MarkellTo Winnipeg JetsBryan Maxwell Ed Staniowski Paul MacLean July 15, 1981To Vancouver CanucksIvan HlinkaTo Winnipeg JetsBrent Ashton 4th round pick in 1982 – Tom Martin July 15, 1981To Colorado RockiesBrent Ashton 2nd round pick in 1982 – Dave KasperTo Winnipeg JetsLucien DeBlois July 27, 1981To Minnesota North StarsLindsay MiddlebrookTo Winnipeg JetsCash September 8, 1981To New York Rangers3rd round pick in 1983 – Vesa SaloTo Winnipeg JetsDoug Soetaert December 19, 1981To Montreal Canadiens6th round pick in 1982 – Ernie VargasTo Winnipeg JetsSerge Savard Waivers October 5, 1981From Montreal CanadiensCraig Levie Free agents Acquired Player Former team Bengt Lundholm Undrafted Free Agent Departing Player New Team Michel Dion Pittsburgh Penguins Draft picks The Jets selected the following players at the 1981 NHL entry draft, which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, on June 10, 1981. http://hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl1981e.html 1981 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com hockeyDB.com November 23, 2016 NHL amateur draft Round Pick Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team1 1 Dale Hawerchuk (C) Canada Cornwall Royals (QMJHL)2 22 Scott Arniel (LW) Canada Cornwall Royals (QMJHL)3 43 Jyrki Seppa (D) Ilves Tampere (SM-liiga)4 64 Kirk McCaskill (LW) Canada University of Vermont (NCAA)5 85 Marc Behrend (G) United States University of Wisconsin (NCAA)6 106 Bob O'Connor (G) United States Boston College (NCAA)7 127 Peter Nilsson (D) Sweden Hammarby IK (SEL)8 148 Dan McFall (D) United States Buffalo Jr. Sabres (NYPJHL)9 169 Greg Dick (D) United States Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (NCAA)10 190 Vladimir Kadlec (D) HC Vitkovice (Czech.)11 211 Dave Kirwin (D) United States Irondale (MN) High School See also 1981–82 NHL season References Winnipeg Jets season, 1981-82 Category:Winnipeg Jets (1972–1996) seasons Winn Category:1981 in sports in Manitoba Category:1982 in sports in Manitoba Category:1980s in Winnipeg