Dale Hawerchuk
{{Short description|Canadian ice hockey player, coach (1963–2020)}}
{{for|the band|Les Dales Hawerchuk}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| image = Dale Hawerchuk.jpg
| caption = Hawerchuk in 2008
| position = Centre
| played_for = Winnipeg Jets
Buffalo Sabres
St. Louis Blues
Philadelphia Flyers
| shoots = Left
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 185
| ntl_team = CAN
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1963|4|4}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|8|18|1963|4|4}}
| death_place = Barrie, Ontario, Canada[https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/dale-hawerchuk-dies-at-57-following-cancer-battle-1.5069292 "Dale Hawerchuk dies at 57 following cancer battle"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820051951/https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/dale-hawerchuk-dies-at-57-following-cancer-battle-1.5069292 |date=August 20, 2020 }} Kim Phillips CTV News August 18, 2020
| draft = 1st overall
| draft_year = 1981
| draft_team = Winnipeg Jets
| career_start = 1981
| career_end = 1997
| name = Dale Hawerchuk
| halloffame = 2001
}}
Dale Martin Hawerchuk (April 4, 1963 – August 18, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, Hawerchuk played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 16 seasons as a member of the Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers. He won the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 1982 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001. Hawerchuk served as the head coach of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League from 2010 to 2019.
Playing career
Hawerchuk was a young prodigy who received his first pair of skates at age two and, according to his father Ed, "was skating before he could walk."{{Cite web |title=Dale Hawerchuk Stats and News |url=https://www.nhl.com/player/dale-hawerchuk-8447685 |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=NHL.com |language=en-US |archive-date=October 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019124236/https://www.nhl.com/player/dale-hawerchuk-8447685 |url-status=live }} Beginning competitive hockey at age four, Hawerchuk demonstrated superior skills almost immediately. At the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, he scored all eight goals during an 8–1 victory in the finals, smashing the longstanding record by the legendary Guy Lafleur. By age 15, the famed Oshawa Generals offered him a tryout, though he did not make the team. In 1979, Hawerchuk was selected sixth overall by the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and became somewhat of a rarity: a Toronto-born player starring in the QMJHL. He recorded 103 points and was named Rookie of the Year. Hawerchuk was the playoff MVP and led the Royals to the Memorial Cup championship. In his second junior year, he scored 81 goals and 183 points and led the Royals to their second consecutive Memorial Cup title. He was named a QMJHL First Team All-Star, the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year, and Memorial Cup MVP.
The Winnipeg Jets selected Hawerchuk first overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, ahead of fellow future Hall of Famers Ron Francis, Grant Fuhr, and Chris Chelios. Hawerchuk immediately became Winnipeg's star player, leading the Jets to what was at the time the largest single-season turnaround in NHL history, a 48-point improvement. He set the NHL record for most points by an 18-year-old, finishing with 103, and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year. He also played in that season's All-Star Game. Hawerchuk recorded 91 points in his second season, then hit the 100-plus point plateau for the next five consecutive years, including a career-high 53 goals and 130 points in 1984–85.
During the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Hawerchuk was involved in a blockbuster trade. Along with Winnipeg's first-round choice (14th overall pick, Brad May) in the draft, he was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres for Phil Housley, Scott Arniel, Jeff Parker and Buffalo's first-round choice (19th overall, Keith Tkachuk). Over the next four years, he recorded no fewer than 86 points in a season. His point totals fell off during an injury-plagued and lockout-shortened 1994–95 season. In 1995, with the Sabres looking to slash team salary, he signed a three-year contract with the St. Louis Blues,{{cite AV media | people=Paul Romanuk (presenter), Bob McKenzie (presenter) | date=July 8, 1995 | title=1995 NHL Draft Round 1 on TSN | type=television broadcast | location=Edmonton, Canada | publisher=TSN}} recording 41 points in 66 games before a trade to the Philadelphia Flyers in March 1996. He finished the season strongly, with 20 points in the final 16 regular-season games and adding nine points in the playoffs. The next season, he was plagued by injuries but managed 34 points and played in his fifth All-Star Game. Hawerchuk announced his retirement following the 1996–97 season at age 34 due to a degenerative left hip.{{cite news | url = http://articles.philly.com/1997-08-26/sports/25568819_1_flyers-general-manager-dale-hawerchuk-flyers-plan | title = Hip Injury Forces Hawerchuk To Retire | newspaper = The Philadelphia Inquirer | first = Tim | last = Panaccio | date = August 26, 1997 | access-date = November 28, 2014 | archive-date = March 3, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235657/http://articles.philly.com/1997-08-26/sports/25568819_1_flyers-general-manager-dale-hawerchuk-flyers-plan | url-status = dead }} His appearance with the Flyers in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals marked the only time any of his teams advanced past the second round of the playoffs.
He played for Team Canada in the 1987 Canada Cup tournament, and had a goal and two assists in the decisive third game of the Finals against the Soviets. Late in the third period, he won the face-off that led to Canada's most famous goal and tied up with the Russian player who tried to check Mario Lemieux at centre ice, allowing Lemieux to take Wayne Gretzky's pass in the slot for the series winner. Hawerchuk was named Canada's MVP for that decisive game. Commentators remarked on his ability in the series to switch from being a goal scorer to a mucker and grinder. Hawerchuk was also key to Canada's 1991 Canada Cup victory.
In a poll of NHL general managers during the mid-1980s asking them to select the player they would start a franchise with, Hawerchuk was voted third behind only Gretzky and Paul Coffey. He retired with 518 goals, 891 assists and 1,409 points, placing him 18th on the career NHL points list. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
The Phoenix Coyotes (successor to the Jets) retired Hawerchuk's No. 10 during the 2006–07 NHL season.
Post-playing career
Hawerchuk became the president, director of hockey operations, and primary owner of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League's Orangeville Crushers in 2007. He left this position in 2010.
On June 4, 2010, the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League named Hawerchuk as their head coach and director of hockey operations.{{cite web | title=Hawerchuk hired to coach OHL Colts - CBC Sports | website=CBC | date=2010-06-05 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hawerchuk-hired-to-coach-ohl-colts-1.885241 | access-date=2020-08-18 | archive-date=August 5, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805093257/https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hawerchuk-hired-to-coach-ohl-colts-1.885241 | url-status=live }} The 2010–11 season was a rebuilding one for the Colts, as the team went 15–49–2–2, missing the playoffs for the first time in team history. In his sophomore year, the 2011–12 season, Hawerchuk amassed a record of 40–23–3–2; a significant improvement over his rookie season as bench boss of the Colts.{{cite web |url=http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/standings/show/ls_season/42/subtype/1 |title= LS Season |access-date=2011-03-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326070019/http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/standings/show/ls_season/42/subtype/1 |archive-date=March 26, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}
Personal life
Hawerchuk was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Oshawa, Ontario. He was married to Crystal, whom he met in Manitoba while playing for the Jets. The couple had three children.{{Cite web |url=https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/dale-hawerchuk-dies-after-battle-with-cancer-1.5069285 |title=Dale Hawerchuk dies after battle with cancer |website=CTV News |date=August 18, 2020 |access-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-date=August 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819143444/https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/dale-hawerchuk-dies-after-battle-with-cancer-1.5069285 |url-status=live }}
Hawerchuk's son Ben Hawerchuk plays professional hockey as a forward for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. Ben had previously played for the Barrie Colts.{{cite web|title=Ben Hawerchuk|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/269099/ben-hawerchuk|accessdate=2022-10-24|publisher=Elite Prospects|archive-date=October 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024155933/https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/269099/ben-hawerchuk|url-status=live}}
=Illness and death=
In 2019, Hawerchuk announced he would be taking a leave of absence from the Colts for health reasons,{{Cite web |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/barrie-colts-hire-warren-rychel-as-head-coach/n-5551299 |title=Barrie Colts Hire Warren Rychel as Head Coach |website=OurSports Central |date=September 9, 2019 |access-date=September 9, 2019 |archive-date=March 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319204745/https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/barrie-colts-hire-warren-rychel-as-head-coach/n-5551299 |url-status=live }} which was later revealed to be stomach cancer. Hawerchuk completed a course of chemotherapy in April 2020, but died on August 18, 2020, at the age of 57. He was buried in Thornton Cemetery in Oshawa.
The new incarnation of the Jets, as a tribute to Hawerchuk, would include said tribute as part of their 10th anniversary logo for the 2020/21 season (the logo also being worn as a patch on all team jerseys), with his number 10 in the center enclosed in a black circle.[https://www.sportslogos.net/logos/view/305046782021/Winnipeg_Jets/2021/Anniversary_Logo SportsLogos.net: "Winnipeg Jets 2021 Anniversary Logo"]
Awards and achievements
- RDS Cup (QMJHL Rookie of the Year) (1980)
- Guy Lafleur Trophy (QMJHL Playoff MVP) (1980)
- QMJHL Championships (1980 and 1981)
- Memorial Cup championships (1980 and 1981)
- Memorial Cup All-Star First Team (1980 and 1981)
- Jean Béliveau Trophy (QMJHL Scoring Champion) (1981)
- QMJHL First Team All-Star (1981)
- Michel Brière Memorial Trophy (QMJHL Player of the Year) (1981)
- Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP) (1981)
- CHL Player of the Year (1981)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game 5 times - 1982,1985,1986,1988,1997
- Calder Memorial Trophy winner (1982)
- World Championships bronze medal (1982 and 1986)
- World Championships silver medal (1989)
- NHL Second Team All-Star Centre (1985)
- Canada Cup Championships (1987 and 1991)
- First NHL player to reach 1000 career NHL games before age 31
- Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001
- Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
- Member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (2013)
- Inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 2011{{cite web | title=JEANNERET AND HAWERCHUK HEADED TO SABRES HALL OF FAME | website=NHL.com | date=2011-08-31 | url=https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/jeanneret-and-hawerchuk-headed-to-sabres-hall-of-fame/c-587544 | access-date=2020-08-18 | archive-date=June 30, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630214720/https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/jeanneret-and-hawerchuk-headed-to-sabres-hall-of-fame/c-587544 | url-status=live }}
- Inducted into the Phoenix Coyotes Ring of Honor in 2007,[https://web.archive.org/web/20080321080136/http://coyotes.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=309670&page=NewsPage&service=page] joining Bobby Hull and Thomas Steen. The Jets/Coyotes franchise retired his number 10 on April 5, 2007. Unlike Hull and Steen, who were honored in Jets colors, Hawerchuk's number was retired in Coyotes apparel, despite the fact that Hawerchuk never played in Phoenix.
- Honored by the second Winnipeg Jets franchise: named captain of the Jets' alumni squad at the 2016 Heritage Classic, inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2017, and by a statue near the Canada Life Centre, the Jets' current arena located in downtown Winnipeg. Out of respect for Hawerchuk, number 10 has not been worn by any Jets player since that team relocated to Winnipeg in 2011.
- Holds the record for most assists in a period, with five in the second period of Winnipeg's 7-3 win at Los Angeles on March 6, 1984 [https://www.nhl.com/news/jets-dale-hawerchuk-sets-nhl-record-with-five-assist-period/c-287374906][https://records.nhl.com/records/skater-records/assists/most-assists-one-period].
Career statistics
=Regular season and playoffs=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||||||
| 1978–79
| MetJHL | 36 | 32 | 52 | 84 | —
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1979–80 | QMJHL | 72 | 37 | 66 | 103 | 21
| 18 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 0 |
| 1979–80
| Cornwall Royals | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | —
| 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1980–81 | Cornwall Royals | QMJHL | 72 | 81 | 102 | 183 | 69
| 19 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 8 |
| 1980–81
| Cornwall Royals | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | —
| 5 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 4 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1981–82 | NHL | 80 | 45 | 58 | 103 | 47
| 4 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| 1982–83
| Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 79 | 40 | 51 | 91 | 31
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1983–84 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 37 | 65 | 102 | 73
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984–85
| Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 53 | 77 | 130 | 74
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1985–86 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 46 | 59 | 105 | 44
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 1986–87
| Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 47 | 53 | 100 | 52
| 10 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 4 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1987–88 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 44 | 77 | 121 | 59
| 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
| 1988–89
| Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 75 | 41 | 55 | 96 | 28
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1989–90 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 79 | 26 | 55 | 81 | 70
| 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 1990–91
| NHL | 80 | 31 | 58 | 89 | 32
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1991–92 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 77 | 23 | 75 | 98 | 27
| 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| 1992–93
| Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 81 | 16 | 80 | 96 | 52
| 8 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1993–94 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 81 | 35 | 51 | 86 | 91
| 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| 1994–95
| Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 23 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 2
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1995–96 | NHL | 66 | 13 | 28 | 41 | 22
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96
| NHL | 16 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 4
| 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1996–97 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 51 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 32
| 17 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 1,188 !! 518 !! 891 !! 1,409 !! 740 ! 97 !! 30 !! 69 !! 99 !! 67 |
=International=
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" | ||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year ! Team ! Event ! rowspan="102" bgcolor="#ffffff"| ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||
| 1981
| Canada | WJC | 5 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1982 | Canada | WC | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1986
| Canada | WC | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1987 | NHL All-Stars | RV-87 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1987
| Canada | CC | 9 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1989 | Canada | WC | 10 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6 |
| 1991
| Canada | CC | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="3" | Junior totals ! 5 !! 5 !! 4 !! 9 !! 2 | ||||
| style="background:#e0e0e0;"
! colspan="3" | Senior totals ! 47 !! 15 !! 19 !! 34 !! 12 |
Coaching record
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;" | |||||||
| rowspan="2"|Team | rowspan="2"|Year | colspan="6"|Regular season | colspan="1"|Post season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | |
| Barrie Colts | 2010–11
|68 | 15 | 49 | 4 | 34 | 5th in Central | Missed playoffs |
| Barrie Colts | 2011–12
|68 | 40 | 23 | 5 | 85 | 2nd in Central | Lost in 2nd round (OTT) |
| Barrie Colts | 2012–13
|68 | 44 | 20 | 4 | 92 | 1st in Central | Lost in final round (LDN) |
| Barrie Colts | 2013–14
|68 | 37 | 28 | 3 | 77 | 2nd in Central | Lost in 2nd round (NBB) |
| Barrie Colts | 2014–15
|68 | 41 | 24 | 3 | 85 | 1st in Central | Lost in 2nd round (NBB) |
| Barrie Colts | 2015–16
|68 | 43 | 22 | 3 | 89 | 1st in Central | Lost in 3rd round (NIA) |
| Barrie Colts | 2016–17
|68 | 17 | 44 | 7 | 41 | 5th in Central | Missed playoffs |
| Barrie Colts | 2017–18
|68 | 42 | 21 | 5 | 89 | 1st in Central | Lost in 2nd Round (KGN) |
| Barrie Colts | 2018–19
|68 | 26 | 38 | 4 | 56 | 5th in Central | Missed playoffs |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.dalehawerchuk.com/ Official website]
- {{Ice hockey stats |legendsm=P200103 |legendstype=Player }}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111002144432/http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/honoured/players.html?category=8&id=33 Dale Hawerchuk's biography] at [https://web.archive.org/web/20141004060054/http://www.mbhockeyhalloffame.ca/index.html Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame]
- [http://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/1981/81001.html Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com]
{{Navboxes |list1=
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