Such a talented player. It's a shame the Jets couldn't have kept him when they entered the NHL. In fact, it's a shame the team overall couldn't have remained intact after the 1978-79 season. Not only was it disappointing that Nilsson left but also that the Jets chose not to protect Terry Ruskowski instead of Scott Campbell. Ruskowski was clearly the heart and soul of the Jets when they won that final Avco Cup and it was a huge blow to the team not having him here afterwards.
The Jets couldn't protect Ruskowski. He wasn't their property.
As for "keeping the team together" who would you have kept? 80%+ of this team were out of professional hockey at any level within two years of the four teams being absorbed into the NHL.
I'm all for celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Avco Cup win, but let's keep it real & get the story straight once and for all. The Winnipeg Jets from 1975-1978 were one of the best teams in hockey history.
The last season the league was a shadow of itself. Six teams in the entire league, five of which made the playoffs. Winnipeg would likely have been the worst had Houston not folded & provided half their starting roster including Ruskowski, Lukowich, Preston, Gary, Terbenche, Campbell, & West.
I've mentioned this repeatedly when the topic has come up here and feel vindicated that much of this came up during interviews this past week from past players recounting how divided the dressing room was as literally half the team were Houston Aeros three months prior.
