Winnipeg Jets announce plans to honour Dale Hawerchuk

On Friday, the Winnipeg Jets announced several initiatives to honour their former captain and Hockey Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk who passed away nearly one year ago after a battle with cancer.

The Jets, in conjunction with Winnipeg City Council have re-named a portion of Graham Avenue which will be called "Dale Hawerchuk Way".

"It is an honour to accept the application to have a portion of Graham Avenue honourarily named for Hockey Hall of Famer and first overall draft pick, Dale Hawerchuk," said Sherri Rollins, Winnipeg City Councillor. "We are proud to have Dale's name so closely associated with our city and look forward to making efforts to have his name memorialized in the downtown area."

Winnipeg also announced that they will be erecting a statue of Hawerchuk in True North Square, which is across from their arena, the Canada Life Centre. Before Dale passed, the Jets organization was able to share their plans for a statue with him. It will be built by Erik Blome of Figurative Art Studio who did the statues for Wayne Gretzky in Los Angeles, and "Legends Row" in Toronto, among others. The statue will be unveiled in August 2022.

A pond hockey tournament dubbed "Ducky Pond Hockey Classic" will also be held in Dale's honour in January 2022. Proceeds from the event will go to Hawerchuk Strong and the True North Youth Foundation.

"Dale has always been proud to be a part of the community in Winnipeg and felt very much at home in Manitoba. It meant so much to him during his battle with cancer to see all the love and support from his fans," said son Eric on behalf of the Hawerchuk family.

"The Ducky Pond Hockey Classic is a perfect way to remember Dale. Some of our most cherished memories with him are playing pond hockey on Lake Winnipeg during the holidays with friends and family. There is something truly special about being on skates outside in Canada. This is going to be such a fun week and we are thrilled to be a part of it."

It's been ten years since the Jets moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg and to honour that, the team will be wearing their "Heritage Blue" uniforms as their third jerseys starting this coming season. The jersey and logo are similar to what Dale Hawerchuk wore back in his time with the Jets in the 1980's. The Jets plan on wearing their "Heritage Blue" uniforms for 14 games during the 2021-22 season.

"Dale, quite simply, is part of the fabric of this city and of the Winnipeg Jets organization. Beyond that, he has contributed so much to the sport of hockey," said Mark Chipman, Executive Chairman and Governor, Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club and TNSE.

"We are so proud to give Dale these much-deserved honours to showcase his extraordinary career and the remarkable person he was, and ensure his legacy lives well beyond the fans who followed his career and who were lucky enough to see him play."

Source: Winnipeg Jets

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