Hawerchuk was drafted 1st overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1981, and became the youngest player in NHL history to reach 100 points, a record since broken by Sidney Crosby in 2006. His incredible freshman season was good enough to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s Rookie of the Year. Dale played the majority of his career with the Winnipeg Jets, but also played for the Buffalo Sabres, St Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers.
The Toronto born Hawerchuk also represented Canada on the international level. He played for his first home country in the 1987 Canada Cup and was named Team Canada’s MVP with a goal and 2 assists in the decisive third game of the finals. Dale announced his retirement from the game following the 1996-97 season at the age of 34. He retired with 1,409 points, placing him 17th on the career NHL points list.