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Dale Hawerchuk - 1963 -2020. Rest in peace

HannuJ

HannuJ

Registered User
Nov 20, 2011
8,108
3,670
Toronno
Those of us who grew up in Winnipeg thought of Dale as a god.
Arguably the greatest Jet to play in Winnipeg.
So many great memories of Dale and such a shitty way to go.
In the end, the suffering's gone but the memories will always be with us.

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Copying my post from the other thread.

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I have no words to express my sadness. :oops:

My condolences to his family. I will miss him even if I never had the pleasure meeting him.

2020 is officially the worst year in my lifetime. And that includes losing my dad, uncle, aunt, and cousin all within 4 years of each other.

May Ducky enjoy the hockey rink up in the sky.
 
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Making the trek to HF Jets to pay my respects to one of the best players of all time. The guy was to hockey what Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller were to basketball: Were it not for the GOAT (Gretzky/Jordan) he surely would've won it all. A man of his class deserved better than cancer.


RIP Ducky. Words cannot express the greatness that was lost this afternoon. My heart goes out to your family and those who loved you so much. I hope they too can find peace just as you have.
 
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GeorgeJETson said:
Copying my post from the other thread.

---

I have no words to express my sadness. :oops:

My condolences to his family. I will miss him even if I never had the pleasure meeting him.

2020 is officially the worst year in my lifetime. And that includes losing my dad, uncle, aunt, and cousin all within 4 years of each other.

May Ducky enjoy the hockey rink up in the sky.
Click to expand...
i have two funny Ducky stories.
Growing up in Winnipeg, i never met any players unless i waited outside the Arena to get their autographs. I think i started doing that the year Dale was traded.
fast forward a few decades. I moved to Toronto. I'm working a corporate job for a grocery chain and we get this announcement that some NHL alumni will be in the cafeteria signing autographs. They read a list of players. I'm like "I bet you Ducky is one of them." no Ducky read out. i was so damn sure that Dale would be there. 5 minutes before the event, they make another announcement and, sure enough, the say "and Dale Hawerchuk." Yeah! so i go down, stand in line. think i remember Paul Coffey being one of the players. honestly, i don't get autographs. i don't get star struck. i don't give 3 shits. i just skipped all the players, went up to Dale, said "Dale, I just want to thank you for all that you did playing for the Jets. I grew up in Winnipeg as a big fan." He looked uncomfortable with someone heaping a simple amount of praise. he asked me which neighbourhood i was from, we talked for a few more seconds, and that was it. i was good.

a few years back, my wife was the photographer for a Toronto charity event. People raise money for the opportunity to play hockey with and against alumni. after day 1, she told me "some ex-Jet named Hawerchuk is there." Really?!?! you talk to him? you get any good pictures of him? no, wait. take your vintage Jets' jersey tomorrow and please ask him to sign it. i think that will be awesome.

comes back the next day and Dale signed it for it. She wears it whenever we travel(ed) to Buffalo to see the Jets play.

on a day like today, talk about only the good memories
 
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Hawerchuk had been a chain smoker throughout his Junior & NHL career. Several MJHL players I went to high school with always belittled the dangers of smoking because "Hawerchuk did it."

When I first read of Dale being ill my first thought was lung cancer & was surprised to learn it was instead stomach cancer, and wrongly believed it was unrelated. Since that point in time I've read several stories regarding the relationship of smoking to stomach cancer.

Horrible way to go. Saddened that one of our cities greatest ambassadors is now gone and my heart reaches out to the Hawerchuk family and an entire generation of Winnipeg hockey fans like myself who worshiped him and will mourn his loss.

RIP #10.
 
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My all-time favorite Dale Hawerchuk story actually comes from the work he did with the Colts. My cousin who lived her all his life told me about how all his friends were so excited about the first rookie draft and they had a big draft party ready and when they announced we were taking Mark Scheifele, the room fell silent, and all you could hear was the sound of people flipping pages to go down there list to try and find the guy. But I'd say he was vindicated for his advocacy in the end.

Rest in peace, Ducky.

And it goes without saying but I'll say it anyways: f*** cancer yesterday, f*** cancer today, f*** cancer evermore.
 
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