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The Greatest Winnipeg Jets (1979) of All Time

All-time greats by position · era-adjusted

Updated 2026-07-09

The greatest Winnipeg Jets (1979) of all time — the forwards, defensemen and goaltenders who defined the franchise. Each is ranked by their finest era-adjusted season, weighted by how long they anchored the roster, so a dominant year from any era is measured fairly.

Top forwards

  1. Dale Hawerchuk Center
    1 season sampled · peak 1984 · 54G 79A 133P · +20 · 80 GP
    66Peak
  2. Teemu Selanne Right Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 1992 · 74G 55A 129P · +8 · 84 GP
    66Peak
  3. Keith Tkachuk Left Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 1995 · 54G 52A 106P · +12 · 76 GP
    64Peak
  4. Thomas Steen Center
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1988 · 28G 63A 90P · +14 · 80 GP
    46Peak
  5. Paul MacLean Right Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 1984 · 43G 62A 105P · +3 · 79 GP
    47Peak
  6. Eddie Olczyk Right Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 1991 · 41G 42A 83P · +14 · 64 GP
    47Peak
  7. Morris Lukowich Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1981 · 46G 52A 98P · -4 · 77 GP
    41Peak
  8. Brian Mullen Right Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 1984 · 38G 46A 84P · +18 · 69 GP
    44Peak
  9. Alexei Zhamnov Center
    1 season sampled · peak 1992 · 30G 57A 87P · +8 · 68 GP
    43Peak
  10. Pat Elynuik Right Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1989 · 33G 43A 76P · +2 · 80 GP
    36Peak
  11. Nelson Emerson Right Wing
    1 season sampled · peak 1993 · 33G 41A 73P · -38 · 83 GP
    39Peak
  12. Brent Ashton Left Wing
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1988 · 34G 40A 74P · -5 · 75 GP
    34Peak

On defense

  1. Phil Housley Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1992 · 18G 81A 99P · -14 · 80 GP
    43Peak
  2. Fredrik Olausson Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1988 · 16G 51A 68P · +7 · 75 GP
    32Peak
  3. Teppo Numminen Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1995 · 12G 48A 60P · -4 · 74 GP
    31Peak
  4. Norm MacIver Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1995 · 11G 53A 63P · -13 · 39 GP
    33Peak
  5. Dave Babych Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1982 · 13G 63A 77P · -8 · 79 GP
    31Peak
  6. Randy Carlyle Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1987 · 16G 46A 62P · -21 · 78 GP
    27Peak
  7. Dave Ellett Defenseman
    1 season sampled · peak 1987 · 16G 54A 70P · -10 · 68 GP
    30Peak
  8. Moe Mantha Defenseman
    2 seasons sampled · peak 1983 · 18G 43A 62P · -16 · 72 GP
    25Peak

In goal

  1. Bob Essensa Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 1991 · 21W · 2.88 GAA · .910 SV% · 5 SO
    70Peak
  2. Nikolai Khabibulin Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 1995 · 26W · 3.13 GAA · .908 SV% · 2 SO
    59Peak
  3. Brian Hayward Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 1982 · 10W · 3.73 GAA · .887 SV% · 1 SO
    61Peak
  4. Stephane Beauregard Goaltender
    1 season sampled · peak 1991 · 6W · 2.89 GAA · .900 SV% · 2 SO
    61Peak
How this ranks: a player’s best season with the Winnipeg Jets (1979) is scored on era-adjusted offense, defense and goaltending, then nudged up for how many standout seasons they gave the club — rewarding peak brilliance and franchise tenure together.

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the greatest Winnipeg Jets (1979) player of all time?
By All-Time Hockey's era-adjusted peak-season ranking, Dale Hawerchuk leads the Winnipeg Jets (1979) all-time greats; the top three overall are Bob Essensa, Nikolai Khabibulin, Brian Hayward. Each player is scored on his finest season relative to the league around him.
Who is the best Winnipeg Jets (1979) goaltender of all time?
Bob Essensa ranks as the top Winnipeg Jets (1979) goaltender by peak era-adjusted season, weighted by win volume so durable starters outrank one-year standouts.
How are the all-time Winnipeg Jets (1979) rankings calculated?
Each player's best season with the Winnipeg Jets (1979) is scored on era-adjusted offense, defense and goaltending, then weighted by how many standout seasons he gave the club. Data spans the 1960s to today.

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