Jets’ last Game 7 at home predates NHL merger

The Winnipeg Jets benched Connor Hellebuyck in the third period on Friday night. Winnipeg could have eliminated the St. Louis Blues from the postseason with a win. However, the Blues torched Hellebuyck in the second period. And in the end, they claimed a 5-2 victory to force a Game 7 at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The Jets do have series momentum on their side, to some extent. Neither team has picked up a road win through the first six games of this series. Winnipeg will need to keep this trend going if they wish to advance to the second round of the postseason. However, this game is notable for another reason.

“This will be the Winnipeg Jets first Game 7 at home since April 24, 1977 in the WHA West Division Semi-Finals vs the San Diego Mariners,” Sportsnet Stats wrote on social media on Friday night.

To put this in perspective, this is Winnipeg’s first Game 7 at home before the WHA-NHL merger of 1979. The Jets also failed to eliminate the Mariners in Game 6 of this 1977 series. However, they did claim victory in the winner-take-all contest by a score of 7-3. They went all the way to the Avco Cup Final, but lost to the Quebec Nordiques.

The Jets have never made the Stanley Cup Final in their NHL tenure. In saying this, they have the talent on paper to make a run this year. Hellebuyck has shown that he can be the best goalie in the world. Moreover, they have the talent ahead of him — names like Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, and Josh Morrissey lead the way — to stand up to other Western contenders.

Winnipeg has to put things together before its too late. In 2025, that means they need everything to come together in Game 7. The Blues have a Stanley Cup in their trophy cabinet, and they would like another. Let’s see if the Jets can send their fans home happy on Sunday night and take down the Blues for good.