Jets honour Hawerchuk's greatness, memory with special statue
WINNIPEG -- Crystal Hawerchuk told a crowd of hundreds of people how much her late husband, Dale, loved the city and the province before the official unveiling of the statue of the greatest Winnipeg Jet of all time just outside of the Canada Life Centre on Saturday afternoon.
"Now, he is home again," Crystal said.,
Then, 16 former Jets teammates unfurled the cover over the statue to much whooping and applause.
"Dale was notified of this honour shortly before he died and he was humbled by it," said Crystal, who is a Winnipeg native. "He led with a purpose. He inspired us all to be better people, he supported many charities, and he gave our family a beautiful life.
"Thank you to everyone for making this statue a reality."
Hawerchuk, who lost a battle to stomach cancer in 2020 when he was only 57, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, had his No. 10 retired by the franchise in 2007, and was inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame in 2017.
Hawerchuk, who won the Calder Memorial Trophy as top rookie in 1981-82, posted five straight 100-point seasons over his nine years with the Jets and was the third-youngest player to score 50 goals in a season. He also played for Buffalo, St. Louis and Philadelphia. He scored a total of 518 goals and 1,409 career points in 1,188 career NHL games.
"This was so incredible," said Dale's son, Eric Hawerchuk. "First of all, my mom's speech was pretty unbelievable. She recited it to me a couple times. I know she was pretty nervous. But she got up there, she's a natural, right?
"It was very emotional. I kind of prepared for it, but just to see the sheer size of it and the attention to details is kinda hard to put it into words. But, I'm so proud of him and to see this here and to see all of the people here is just so amazing. It's still shocks me every time I see it."
Jets associate coach Scott Arniel started his NHL career in Winnipeg with Hawerchuk after the two played junior hockey together.
"We were friends for a lifetime," said Arniel, who fought back tears. "I was talking to him near the end. I told them they were going to make a statue of him and he said, `I can't believe it.'
"He grew up here as a hockey player, as a husband and a father. He loved Winnipeg. He meant an awful lot to all of us. This statue will remind everyone of the memories he left."
Jets executive chairman Mark Chipman said the original plan was to have Dale attend the unveiling.
"We didn't fully appreciate how his health had deteriorated," Chipman said. "We had made the decision to do this quite some time before that, and Dale had recovered.
"It was our hope that he'd be here today when we did this. His health declined very rapidly, and we were advised of that. We thought the least we could do is tell him."
Hawerchuk coached current Jets centre Mark Scheifele, who spoke at the ceremony.
"I see the statue over there and all of a sudden you're fighting back tears, you're fighting back the nerves and fighting back just all the feeling that kind of come onto you," said Scheifele.
"But what a tremendous honour to speak at his statue unveiling. He meant so much to me. It's one of those things I'll remember for the rest of my life."
The statue was sculpted by Erik Blome, who has also sculpted a statue of Wayne Gretzky, as well as other greats.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.