Twitter celebrates Dale Hawerchuk’s ‘homecoming’ as Winnipeg Jets immortalize their legend


Twitter celebrates Dale Hawerchuk’s ‘homecoming’ as Winnipeg Jets immortalize their legend

Dale Hawerchuk

Dale Hawerchuk is considered the best legendary Jets player to ever put on their jersey. He was the No. 1 draft at the 1981 NHL Draft by the then-original Jets which later came to be known as the Phoenix Cootes in 1996.

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Hawerchuk scored for fun and through his stellar play, he made the Jets a regular presence in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup in the 1980s. Hawerchuk was suffering from stomach cancer and passed away in 2020, at 57 years of age.

He was honored in True North Square with a statue made out of Bronze by the Winnipeg Jets. He was definitely a part of the community as people showed great love and admiration for the legendary player.

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Jets legend Dale Hawerchuk was a force to be reckoned with

Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Hawerchuk

Mark Chipman, executive chairman for the Jets stated – “When you’re preparing these things, the thought that just kept coming back is – I wish he was here. That’s the difficult part of this”. The Jets No. 2 coach Scott Arniel said, “He was a special player. He was a special person. “He loved this city. He loved this province (of Manitoba).”

Dale Hawerchuk at just 18 years of age became the first ever to climb to 100 points (103 to be precise) and thus was voted as the Calder Trophy Winner as an NHL rookie in the 1981-82 season where he scored 45 goals. “This statue is a testament to the giving life he lived,” states Crystal Hawerchuk, Dale’s widow. “Now, he is home. Here again in Winnipeg.”

Dale Hawerchuk gave his 16 years to the NHL. He amasses a total of 1409 points with 518 goals and provided another 891 assists. He played 1188 games for the Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers.

Dale’s son Eric, who played for Jacksonville last year said – “It was very emotional. I kind of prepared for it but just to see the sheer size of it and the attention to detail is kinda hard to put it into words.”

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