The 1980–81 Winnipeg Jets season was the Winnipeg Jets' second season in the National Hockey League. In the 1980–81 season they finished fifth (and last) in the NHL's Smythe Division. The team scored 246 goals and conceded 400 goals. The Jets won 9 games, lost 57 games and tied 14 games. They scored 32 points. The team also endured a 30-game winless streak (23 losses and 7 ties) which included the entire month of November and most of December.
| 1980–81 Winnipeg Jets | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th Smythe |
| Conference | Campbell |
| 1980–81 record | 9–57–14 |
| Goals for | 246 |
| Goals against | 400 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | John Ferguson |
| Coach | Tom McVie |
| Captain | Morris Lukowich |
| Alternate captains | None |
The Jets were coached by Tom McVie (1 win, 20 losses and 7 ties), Bill Sutherland (6 wins, 20 losses and 3 ties), and Mike Smith (2 wins, 17 losses and 4 ties).
Offseason
The Jets named Morris Lukowich as team captain during the off-season, as former captain Lars-Erik Sjöberg announced his retirement at the end of the 1979–80 season. Lukowich had been with Winnipeg since their final season in the WHA, helping the club win the Avco Cup in 1979.
On June 11, 1980, Winnipeg selected defenseman Dave Babych with the second overall pick in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. Babych was a high scoring defenseman with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, recording 22 goals and 82 points in 50 games with Portland. With their second pick, the Jets selected Moe Mantha from the Toronto Marlboros of the OMJHL, and in the seventh round, the team selected Brian Mullen from the United States national ice hockey team.
Winnipeg made a few small trades during the off-season, most notably acquiring Rick Bowness from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Craig Norwich. The Jets also acquired Norm Dupont from the Montreal Canadiens for the Jets second round pick in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft. Dupont was selected by the Canadiens in the first round of the 1977 NHL amateur draft, however, he picked up only a goal and four points in 35 games with Montreal in the 1979–80 season.
Regular season
Final standings
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Blues | 80 | 45 | 18 | 17 | 352 | 281 | 107 |
| Chicago Black Hawks | 80 | 31 | 33 | 16 | 304 | 315 | 78 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 80 | 28 | 32 | 20 | 289 | 301 | 76 |
| Edmonton Oilers | 80 | 29 | 35 | 16 | 328 | 327 | 74 |
| Colorado Rockies | 80 | 22 | 45 | 13 | 258 | 344 | 57 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 80 | 9 | 57 | 14 | 246 | 400 | 32 |
[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.
Record vs. opponents
Smythe Division record vs. opponents | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vs. Campbell Conference | Vs. Patrick Division
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Vs. Wales Conference
Schedule and results
| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L | October 10, 1980 | 1–4 | @ Washington Capitals (1980–81) | 0–1–0 | 12,984 |
| 2 | L | October 11, 1980 | 4–5 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) | 0–2–0 | 9,240 |
| 3 | W | October 17, 1980 | 6–2 | Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81) | 1–2–0 | 12,236 |
| 4 | T | October 19, 1980 | 4–4 | Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) | 1–2–1 | 12,728 |
| 5 | L | October 22, 1980 | 4–7 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) | 1–3–1 | 16,433 |
| 6 | L | October 25, 1980 | 1–4 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) | 1–4–1 | 15,383 |
| 7 | T | October 26, 1980 | 7–7 | Boston Bruins (1980–81) | 1–4–2 | 15,198 |
| 8 | L | October 29, 1980 | 4–8 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81) | 1–5–2 | 8,136 |
| 9 | L | October 31, 1980 | 5–6 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) | 1–6–2 | 11,536 |
| 10 | T | November 2, 1980 | 4–4 | Washington Capitals (1980–81) | 1–6–3 | 12,095 |
| 11 | T | November 5, 1980 | 5–5 | Calgary Flames (1980–81) | 1–6–4 | 10,500 |
| 12 | L | November 7, 1980 | 2–4 | Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) | 1–7–4 | 12,744 |
| 13 | L | November 9, 1980 | 4–7 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) | 1–8–4 | 15,743 |
| 14 | L | November 12, 1980 | 1–5 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) | 1–9–4 | N/A |
| 15 | T | November 13, 1980 | 5–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1980–81) | 1–9–5 | 8,089 |
| 16 | L | November 16, 1980 | 1–5 | Montreal Canadiens (1980–81) | 1–10–5 | 15,744 |
| 17 | L | November 18, 1980 | 1–6 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) | 1–11–5 | 12,176 |
| 18 | L | November 19, 1980 | 2–7 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) | 1–12–5 | 7,572 |
| 19 | L | November 21, 1980 | 2–4 | Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) | 1–13–5 | 12,837 |
| 20 | L | November 23, 1980 | 1–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) | 1–14–5 | 17,077 |
| 21 | T | November 25, 1980 | 4–4 | @ New York Islanders (1980–81) | 1–14–6 | 14,087 |
| 22 | L | November 26, 1980 | 4–8 | @ Hartford Whalers (1980–81) | 1–15–6 | 10,741 |
| 23 | T | November 28, 1980 | 1–1 | St. Louis Blues (1980–81) | 1–15–7 | 11,200 |
| 24 | L | November 30, 1980 | 1–4 | Calgary Flames (1980–81) | 1–16–7 | 12,867 |
| 25 | L | December 3, 1980 | 3–4 | New York Rangers (1980–81) | 1–17–7 | 13,380 |
| 26 | L | December 4, 1980 | 1–3 | @ Calgary Flames (1980–81) | 1–18–7 | 7,077 |
| 27 | L | December 6, 1980 | 2–5 | @ St. Louis Blues (1980–81) | 1–19–7 | 14,546 |
| 28 | L | December 10, 1980 | 5–8 | Hartford Whalers (1980–81) | 1–20–7 | 11,623 |
| 29 | L | December 13, 1980 | 3–4 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) | 1–21–7 | 12,371 |
| 30 | L | December 14, 1980 | 4–5 | New York Islanders (1980–81) | 1–22–7 | 14,549 |
| 31 | L | December 16, 1980 | 2–6 | @ New York Islanders (1980–81) | 1–23–7 | 14,106 |
| 32 | L | December 17, 1980 | 2–8 | @ New York Rangers (1980–81) | 1–24–7 | 17,361 |
| 33 | L | December 20, 1980 | 2–5 | @ St. Louis Blues (1980–81) | 1–25–7 | 11,115 |
| 34 | W | December 23, 1980 | 5–4 | Colorado Rockies (1980–81) | 2–25–7 | 11,587 |
| 35 | L | December 26, 1980 | 3–5 | Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) | 2–26–7 | 15,776 |
| 36 | L | December 28, 1980 | 3–4 | Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) | 2–27–7 | 14,040 |
| 37 | L | December 31, 1980 | 3–5 | Washington Capitals (1980–81) | 2–28–7 | 14,167 |
| 38 | W | January 2, 1981 | 4–3 | Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) | 3–28–7 | 15,481 |
| 39 | L | January 5, 1981 | 1–4 | Boston Bruins (1980–81) | 3–29–7 | 13,405 |
| 40 | W | January 7, 1981 | 8–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) | 4–29–7 | 16,485 |
| 41 | T | January 9, 1981 | 4–4 | Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) | 4–29–8 | 13,239 |
| 42 | L | January 10, 1981 | 3–5 | Hartford Whalers (1980–81) | 4–30–8 | 11,233 |
| 43 | T | January 13, 1981 | 3–3 | @ Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) | 4–30–9 | 9,425 |
| 44 | L | January 15, 1981 | 3–7 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1980–81) | 4–31–9 | 15,386 |
| 45 | L | January 17, 1981 | 2–4 | @ Calgary Flames (1980–81) | 4–32–9 | 7,243 |
| 46 | L | January 18, 1981 | 4–5 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) | 4–33–9 | 15,286 |
| 47 | W | January 21, 1981 | 5–1 | New York Rangers (1980–81) | 5–33–9 | 12,010 |
| 48 | T | January 23, 1981 | 2–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1980–81) | 5–33–10 | 8,048 |
| 49 | L | January 27, 1981 | 3–4 | @ Washington Capitals (1980–81) | 5–34–10 | 7,440 |
| 50 | L | January 29, 1981 | 6–7 | @ Boston Bruins (1980–81) | 5–35–10 | 8,023 |
| 51 | W | January 31, 1981 | 2–0 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1980–81) | 6–35–10 | 16,485 |
| 52 | L | February 1, 1981 | 0–4 | @ Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) | 6–36–10 | 16,370 |
| 53 | L | February 4, 1981 | 2–3 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) | 6–37–10 | 11,968 |
| 54 | L | February 6, 1981 | 4–10 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) | 6–38–10 | 17,455 |
| 55 | L | February 8, 1981 | 1–9 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81) | 6–39–10 | 12,329 |
| 56 | L | February 12, 1981 | 6–8 | @ New York Rangers (1980–81) | 6–40–10 | 17,343 |
| 57 | W | February 15, 1981 | 4–3 | Quebec Nordiques (1980–81) | 7–40–10 | 13,352 |
| 58 | L | February 17, 1981 | 4–6 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) | 7–41–10 | 10,235 |
| 59 | T | February 18, 1981 | 3–3 | @ Hartford Whalers (1980–81) | 7–41–11 | 14,096 |
| 60 | L | February 20, 1981 | 3–5 | Minnesota North Stars (1980–81) | 7–42–11 | 13,498 |
| 61 | L | February 21, 1981 | 1–5 | Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) | 7–43–11 | 14,873 |
| 62 | L | February 25, 1981 | 3–4 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1980–81) | 7–44–11 | 6,655 |
| 63 | L | February 27, 1981 | 3–6 | Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) | 7–45–11 | 14,302 |
| 64 | T | March 1, 1981 | 4–4 | Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) | 7–45–12 | 12,815 |
| 65 | L | March 4, 1981 | 3–9 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1980–81) | 7–46–12 | 16,790 |
| 66 | L | March 5, 1981 | 1–10 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1980–81) | 7–47–12 | 17,077 |
| 67 | W | March 7, 1981 | 4–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1980–81) | 8–47–12 | 15,648 |
| 68 | L | March 8, 1981 | 1–4 | Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) | 8–48–12 | 13,992 |
| 69 | L | March 11, 1981 | 3–6 | New York Islanders (1980–81) | 8–49–12 | 12,035 |
| 70 | L | March 13, 1981 | 2–5 | Buffalo Sabres (1980–81) | 8–50–12 | 12,936 |
| 71 | L | March 15, 1981 | 2–8 | Chicago Black Hawks (1980–81) | 8–51–12 | 11,913 |
| 72 | W | March 18, 1981 | 4–3 | Colorado Rockies (1980–81) | 9–51–12 | 10,936 |
| 73 | L | March 21, 1981 | 4–5 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1980–81) | 9–52–12 | 12,232 |
| 74 | L | March 22, 1981 | 5–7 | Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) | 9–53–12 | 12,849 |
| 75 | L | March 27, 1981 | 2–10 | Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) | 9–54–12 | 14,022 |
| 76 | L | March 29, 1981 | 1–2 | @ Colorado Rockies (1980–81) | 9–55–12 | 7,875 |
| 77 | L | March 31, 1981 | 3–7 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1980–81) | 9–56–12 | 9,748 |
| 78 | T | April 1, 1981 | 4–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1980–81) | 9–56–13 | 12,209 |
| 79 | L | April 4, 1981 | 2–7 | @ Edmonton Oilers (1980–81) | 9–57–13 | 17,490 |
| 80 | T | April 5, 1981 | 5–5 | St. Louis Blues (1980–81) | 9–57–14 | 14,173 |
Playoffs
For the second straight season, the Jets failed to qualify for the playoffs, as they had an NHL worst record of 9–57–14, earning 32 points, 39 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff position.
Player statistics
Regular season
- Scoring
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Christian | RW | 80 | 28 | 43 | 71 | 22 | -54 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Morris Lukowich | LW | 80 | 33 | 34 | 67 | 90 | -39 | 9 | 2 | 2 |
| Norm Dupont | LW | 80 | 27 | 26 | 53 | 8 | -57 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| Ron Wilson | C | 77 | 18 | 33 | 51 | 55 | -34 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Danny Geoffrion | RW | 78 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 82 | -32 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Babych | D | 69 | 6 | 38 | 44 | 90 | -61 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Willy Lindstrom | RW | 72 | 22 | 13 | 35 | 45 | -28 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Tim Trimper | LW | 56 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 28 | -31 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rick Bowness | RW | 45 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 45 | -35 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Moe Mantha | D | 58 | 2 | 23 | 25 | 35 | -33 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Lecuyer | LW | 45 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 66 | -27 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Barry Long | D | 65 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 42 | -47 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peter Sullivan | C | 47 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 20 | -17 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Kris Manery | C/RW | 47 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 24 | -15 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Don Spring | D | 80 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 18 | -40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doug Smail | LW | 30 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 45 | -7 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Anders Steen | C | 42 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 22 | -22 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Peter Marsh | RW | 24 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 9 | -17 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Dudley | LW | 30 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 28 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jimmy Mann | RW | 37 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 105 | -18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Plantery | D | 25 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 14 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Barry Legge | D | 38 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 69 | -33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Campbell | D | 14 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 55 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tom Bladon | D | 9 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | -10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Markell | LW | 14 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 15 | -11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Richard Mulhern | D | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | -9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al Cameron | D | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 21 | -19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Murray Eaves | C | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Barry Melrose | D | 18 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 40 | -12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sandy Beadle | LW | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Hoyda | LW | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ross Cory | D | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | -8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pierre Hamel | G | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Markus Mattsson | G | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dave Chartier | C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pat Daley | LW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michel Dion | G | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jude Drouin | C | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Loustel | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lindsay Middlebrook | G | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bill Whelton | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
| Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michel Dion | 757 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 61 | 4.83 | 0 |
| Pierre Hamel | 1623 | 29 | 3 | 20 | 4 | 128 | 4.73 | 0 |
| Markus Mattsson | 1707 | 31 | 3 | 21 | 4 | 128 | 4.50 | 1 |
| Ron Loustel | 60 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 10.00 | 0 |
| Lindsay Middlebrook | 653 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 65 | 5.97 | 0 |
| Team: | 4800 | 80 | 9 | 57 | 14 | 392 | 4.90 | 1 |
- Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
- Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;
Awards and records
Transactions
Trades
| June 19, 1980 | To St. Louis Blues Craig Norwich | To Winnipeg Jets Rick Bowness |
| August 6, 1980 | To New York Rangers Gord Smith | To Winnipeg Jets Cash |
| September 26, 1980 | To Montreal Canadiens 2nd round pick in 1982 – David Maley | To Winnipeg Jets Norm Dupont |
| October 8, 1980 | To Quebec Nordiques Cash | To Winnipeg Jets Danny Geoffrion |
| October 31, 1980 | To Detroit Red Wings Cash | To Winnipeg Jets Barry Long |
| December 1, 1980 | To Chicago Black Hawks Peter Marsh | To Winnipeg Jets Tim Trimper Doug Lecuyer |
| December 2, 1980 | To Toronto Maple Leafs Cash | To Winnipeg Jets Richard Mulhern |
| February 10, 1981 | To Quebec Nordiques Cash | To Winnipeg Jets Michel Dion |
Waivers
| January 12, 1981 | From Buffalo Sabres Rick Dudley |
Free agents
|
|
Draft picks
Winnipeg selected the following players at the 1980 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Montreal Forum in Montreal on June 11, 1980.[5]
NHL Amateur Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Dave Babych (D) |  Canada | Portland Winterhawks (WHL) |
| 2 | 23 | Moe Mantha (D) | Canada | Toronto Marlboros (OHA) |
| 3 | 44 | Murray Eaves (C) | Canada | University of Michigan (NCAA) |
| 4 | 65 | Guy Fournier (F) | Canada | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 86 | Glen Ostir (D) | Canada | Portland Winterhawks (WHL) |
| 6 | 107 | Ron Loustel (G) | Canada | Saskatoon Blades (WHL) |
| 7 | 128 | Brian Mullen (LW) |  United States | US National Under-18 Team |
| 7 | 135 | Michel Lauen (RW) | United States | Michigan Tech (NCAA) |
| 8 | 149 | Sandy Beadle (LW) | Canada | Northeastern University (NCAA) |
| 9 | 170 | Ed Christian (F) | United States | Warroad (MN) High School |
| 10 | 191 | Dave Chartier (C) | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |