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
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, pleads guilty in sports betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud Wednesday in a sports betting case where prosecutors allege he stole US$16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.