Dale Hawerchuk Hawerchuk was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in nearby Oshawa. He was a young prodigy who received his first pair of skates at age 2 and, according to his father, “was skating before he could walk.” The Winnipeg Jets selected Hawerchuk first overall in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft, ahead of fellow future Hall of Famers Ron Francis, Grant Fuhr and Chris Chelios.
Hawerchuk immediately became Winnipeg’s star attraction, and led the Jets to what was at the time the largest single season turn-around in NHL history, a 48-point improvement. became the face of the Winnipeg Jets franchise with a 103-point (45 goals, 58 assists) rookie season. This incredible offensive production made him the youngest rookie to ever tally 100 points in a single season, a record that was broken by Sidney Crosby. Hawerchuk’s amazing first year earned him the 1982 Calder Trophy, the first in the history of the Winnipeg Jets.
In 2001 Hawerchuk was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility. He is currently the head coach of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League.