This section is dedicated to the men who have since passed on, but played a part in the proud history of the Jets.
| John Ferguson (1938-2007) |
John Bowie Ferguson, former Vice President and General Manager, passed away on July 14, 2007. I have questioned his moves over the years, but his fighting spirit and devotion to both the Jets and to the game could never be doubted. |
| Ben Hatskin (1917-1990) |
Ben Hatskin, the Jets' founder, passed away on October 18, 1990. |
| Jack McKeag (1928-2007) |
William John (Jack) McKeag, former Jets President and Chief Executive Officer, passed away on August 23, 2007. Mr. McKeag was instrumental in leading the Save the Jets campaign in 1974 that kept the team in Winnipeg. Jets fans are forever indebted to Mr. McKeag for his contributions in this regard. |
| Nick Mickoski (1927-2002) |
Nicholas (Nick) Mickoski passed away on March 13, 2002. He was the Jets' original bench coach for their first two seasons. |
| Bob Murdoch (1946-2023) |
Bob Murdoch passed away on August 3, 2023. He coached the Jets for two seasons, leading them to the brink of eliminating the Edmonton Oilers in 1990. |
| Bill Robinson (1921-2008) |
William (Bill) Byrn's Robinson passed away on June 25, 2008 after a battle with cancer. Robinson was the Jets' first Director of Player Personnel and played an important role in the Jets' formative years. Robinson remained with the Jets for many years, serving later as Chief Scout in addition to other off-ice roles. |
| Dave Simkin (1913-1972) |
Dave Simkin, together with his good friend Ben Hatskin, were the original owners of the Jets. He was the Jets' Vice-President, Finance at the time of his sudden passing on December 4, 1972. |
| Annis Stukus | Annis Stukus passed away on May 20, 2006. He was the Jets' first general manager. |
| Dr. Gerry Wilson | Dr. Gerry Wilson passed away in March 2011. Dr. Wilson played an instrumental role in bringing many of the European players to the Jets who not only helped the Jets become the WHA's dominant team, but also helped revolutionize the game. Dr. Wilson also served as a club director and part owner. |
| Joel Baillargeon (1964-2022) |
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| Ken Baird (1951-2016) |
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| Sergei Bautin (1967-2022) |
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| Brian Cadle (1948-2015) |
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| Scott Campbell (1957-2022) |
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| Jason Cirone (1971-2024) |
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| John Gibson (1959-2020) |
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| Ted Green (1940-2019) |
Ted Green came to the Jets in 1975 and was an integral part of two AVCO Cup championship teams before being forced to end his playing career in the middle of the Jets' final WHA season. |
| Jim Hargreaves (1950-2020) |
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| Ted Hargreaves (1943-2005) |
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| Dale Hawerchuk (1963-2020) |
Dale Hawerchuk came to the Jets as the first-overall pick in the 1981 draft and went on to become the greatest player in the team's NHL history. |
| Larry Hillman (1937-2022) |
Larry Hillman finished his long playing career with the Jets and, as a coach, led them to their second AVCO Cup championship. |
| Larry Hornung (1945-2001) |
Larry Hornung was an original member of the Jets and was one of five originals remaining on the Jets' first AVCO Cup championship roster in 1976. He was a three-time WHA All-Star selection and was an integral member of the Jets in their first four seasons. |
| Dave Hoyda (1957-2015) |
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| Bobby Hull (1939-2023) |
Bobby Hull’s decision to sign with the Jets in 1972 gave the team and the upstart league instant credibility, paving the way for the many memories Jets fans will cherish forever. Without Hull’s signing, the Jets and the WHA would likely never have gotten off the ground. |
| Danny Johnson (1944-1993) |
Danny Johnson played three seasons for the Jets and succeeded Ab McDonald as captain for the 1974-75 season. Following the 1974-75 season, he retired to his jewelry store in Fort Frances, Ontario. He passed away in 1993 as a result of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). |
| Igor Korolev (1970-2011) |
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| Danny Lawson (1947-2008) |
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| Bryan Marchment (1969-2022) |
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| Ab McDonald (1936-2018) |
Ab McDonald was the Jets' first captain and played two seasons with the team before ending his long and distinguished playing career. |
| Dunc Rousseau (1945-2017) |
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| Lars-Erik Sjoberg (1944-1987) |
Lars-Erik Sjoberg was the Jets' captain for each of their three AVCO Cup championship seasons and was a steadying influence on their blue line ever since his arrival from Sweden in 1974. |
| Ken Stephanson (1941-2022) |
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| Bill Sutherland (1934-2017) |
Bill Sutherland was a player on the original Jets roster, then later served as an assistant coach and briefly as a head coach, making him one of the longest tenured figures in team history. |
| Cal Swenson (1948-2014) |
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| Paul Terbenche (1945-2012) |
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| Bob Woytowich (1941-1988) |
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| Dale Yakiwchuk (1958-2024) |
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| Howie Young (1937-1999) |
| Reyn Davis (1943-2006) |
Reyn Davis was the beat writer covering the Jets for the Winnipeg Free Press from the Jets' first season through most of their NHL years. His passion for his work showed in the pages of the Free Press and he was rewarded for his excellence when he was inducted into the Manitoba Sportswriters Hall of Fame in 1993. |
| Ken “Friar” Nicolson | The “Friar” was the original voice of the Jets and his voice became synonymous with the team he followed around the world to cover. |
| Don Wittman (1936-2008) |
Donald (Don) Rae Wittman passed away on January 19, 2008. He had worked a number of Jets games over the years, from the early WHA years up until the last game in 1996. |
Note: This page is a work in progress and I have not intentionally left anyone out.