Dale Hawerchuk, 57, Loses Battle With Cancer

Winnipeg Jets legend Dale Hawerchuk passed away today after fighting stomach cancer.

Not only was he the Jets’ 1st draft pick in 1981, but he was also the 1st OVERALL. That’s a big deal, particularly in a draft class that includes Ron Francis, Grant Fuhr, Chris Chelios, and more. Remember when Sidney Crosby broke the record to become the youngest player to reach 100 points in a season? It was Hawerchuk’s record that he broke.

After his time with Winnipeg, the former Jets Captain played for Buffalo, St. Louis, and Philadelphia before retiring in 1997 at age 34 with 518 goals, 891 assists and 1,409 points.

In 2001 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Since 2010, Hawerchuk has been coaching the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League. His death was confirmed on their twitter account.

“It is with heavy hearts that we report the passing of our head coach and friend, Dale Hawerchuk. On behalf of the entire Barrie Colts organization and our fans, our condolences and thoughts are with the Hawerchuk family.” ~ Barrie Colts’ Official Twitter Account

He was an important figure in hockey, and particularly so here in Winnipeg. Our thoughts are with the Hawerchuk family at this time.