Statue, street name and hockey tournament: How the Winnipeg Jets will honour the legacy of Dale Hawerchuk

WINNIPEG -

It's been almost a year since Winnipeg Jets great Dale Hawerchuk passed away after a battle with cancer and now as the anniversary of his death approaches, the Jets have announced how they plan to honour the man known as Ducky.

Over the next few years, the organization has several initiatives it plans on unveiling, including a statue, an honorary street name, and even a hockey tournament named after Hawerchuk.

The team had previously announced the plans for a statue, noting the news had been shared with Hawerchuk before he passed away on August 18, 2020.

The statue is expected to be unveiled in True North Square in August 2022 and will be designed by Erik Blome, who has also designed other statues such as the Wayne Gretzky Statue at the Staples Center in L.A.

The Jets have also put in an application to the city to have a stretch of road named after Hawerchuk.

If the application is approved, Graham Avenue between Donald Street and Carlton Street will get the honorary name of Dale Hawerchuk Way, and it would be ready for the Jets home opener in October.

"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," said Coun. Sherri Rollins in a statement.

Along with the statue and street name, a new hockey tournament is being started in Hawerchuk's honour.

The first annual Ducky Pond Hockey Classic will be played from Jan. 13 to 16, 2022.

Games will be played at Camp Manitou and the winner of the tournament will earn a trip to play in the Canadian tournament in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick.

"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, who is the executive chairman and governor of the Winnipeg Jets and True North Sports and Entertainment, in a statement.

"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."

HONOURING THE HERITAGE OF THE JETS

The Jets also have a few plans in the works to pay homage to the legacy of the team.

For the 2021-22 season, the team will be sporting the Heritage Blue jersey as its official third jersey.

The sweater was first worn during the Heritage Classic in 2019 against the Calgary Flames and it will make its debut this season against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 9. The team will wear the jerseys 14 times during the season.

The Jets are also once again joining forces with Manitoba Public Insurance to launch new custom Winnipeg Jets licence plates.

There will be limited edition Jets Heritage and Heritage plates available starting on Sept. 13.