The Winnipeg Jets were a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. They began play in the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972. The club joined the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1979 after the NHL merged with the WHA. The team played their home games at Winnipeg Arena.
The Jets' WHA years were successful, with the team making the playoffs every year except for the 1974–75 season. The team's success continued in the postseason, with the Jets winning the Avco Cup three times (in 1976, 1978, and 1979) and appeared in the Avco Cup Finals two additional times (in 1973 and 1977). The team struggled early on in the NHL, in part due to the 1979 expansion draft, going a combined 29–106–25 through the 1979–80 and 1980–81 seasons.