How the Winnipeg Jets became the Utah Hockey Club
The WHA’s demise allowed the four aforementioned teams to join the NHL. Three of the four teams eventually relocated. The only team that remains in its original city is Edmonton. Interestingly enough, that Edmonton Oilers team had a stable of young players including a 19-year-old kid named Wayne Gretzky.
So, the other three clubs relocated to different cities. The Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997 after several legal and financial issues. The Hurricanes won the 2002 Stanley Cup.
The Nordiques, amid serious financial issues, moved from Quebec in Canada to Colorado, becoming the Colorado Avalanche in 1995. The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001 with the core that moved from Quebec to Colorado. It is believed that had the Nordiques stayed in Quebec, the Joe Sakic-led club could have won the Cup in Quebec. Alas, that was not the case.
The third former WHA club to relocate, the Winnipeg Jets, moved from Winnipeg to Arizona in 1996, becoming the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996. The Coyotes rebranded in 2014 to the Arizona Coyotes until last season.
However, a host of issues, most notably the lack of an NHL-caliber arena, led the Coyotes’ ownership to sell the franchise to the Smith Entertainment Group out of Salt Lake City. The deal specifically involved the relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah.
That’s how the Winnipeg Jets became the Utah Hockey Club. Now, some fans might be wondering how this is possible as there is a club already called the Winnipeg Jets. Well, that’s another relocated franchise. The current incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets was once known as the Atlanta Thrashers.
We’ll go into greater depth into the reasons behind the Coyotes’ relocation to Utah in an upcoming piece. So, stay tuned because there’s LOTS more to talk about here.