The Winnipeg Jets' franchise saviour — 1,409 career points and the 1981 Calder Trophy winner.
Dale Martin Hawerchuk was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1963. Winnipeg Jets selected him first overall in the 1981 NHL Draft after the franchise had gone 9-57-14 the previous season. He immediately transformed the Jets — winning the Calder Trophy as best rookie in 1982 and leading Winnipeg to the playoffs in his second season. His 16-season career produced 518 goals and 891 assists for 1,409 career points — placing him among the top-15 scorers in NHL history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in 2017. He scored the faceoff goal in overtime of Game 6 of the 1987 Canada Cup that led to the Mario Lemieux-Wayne Gretzky goal and became one of the most celebrated plays in international hockey history. He won nine All-Star selections. He died in August 2020 of lymphoma aged 57 — a loss that was felt across Canadian hockey. He was considered by many the most productive first-overall pick in draft history who never won a Stanley Cup.
Calder Trophy (1982)
Career Honours
- Calder Trophy (1982)
- Hall of Fame (2001)
- NHL 100 Greatest Players