Dale Hawerchuk - 1963 -2020. Rest in peace

[jetsforever]

So sad, it seemed like he was going to make it
Legendary Jet

 

[Afterburner]

This is so sad. My condolences to his family and friends. RIP Ducky.

 

[Jaytee]

He was, by a very wide margin indeed, the third-best centre to play in the NHL in the 1980s, who had the misfortune to play at the same time as both Gretzky and Lemieux.

 

[GrassyKnoll]

One of my favourite Dale Hawerchuk memories:



RIP Ducky, with Love and Respect. A Jet Forever :-(

 

[Gm0ney]

Awful, awful news. RIP Dale Hawerchuk.

I remember how good he looked at the Heritage Classic...

 

[AlphaLackey]

Awful, awful news. RIP Dale Hawerchuk.

I remember how good he looked at the Heritage Classic...

 

[jokesondee]

Teemu tweeted out a nice condolences and said he was able to chat with him yesterday and say goodbye

 

[BoneDocUK]

Sad to hear this. I didn't grow up as a Jets fan, but Hawerchuk was one of the guys I always loved to watch, and he really had a game that was of its time and in some ways well ahead of its time. So much craft and skill, and saw the ice so incredibly well that his modest size and speed were rarely a factor, while adapting throughout his career to post consistently elite numbers.

Truly one of the greats, and a great guy off the ice also. Already missed. Damn it.

Jets icon Hawerchuk passes away at 57

 

[leer2006]

Rest In Peace Dale. You are a legend

 

[LucianoBorsato]

2020 keeps on SUCKING

 

[VictoriaJetsFan]

shedding tears here.....was at the game as a kid when Dale Hawechuk scored his 50th....RIP

 

[SUX2BU]

Ducky’s banner raised to the rafters
Nov 24/17 vs Arizona

this song was played

 

[HannuJ]

So sad, it seemed like he was going to make it
Legendary Jet

not that this should be the focus, but, no, it was pretty clear that the odds were against him from the start.
if you need a J-tube (feeding tube) prior to surgery, your cancer's pretty advanced.
stomach cancer has a shitty prognosis. to use a hockey phrase, his back was up against the wall from the get-go.

it is an awful, painful way to go and i sincerely hope that Dale was comfortable in his last weeks

 

[buggs]

Rest in Peace Dale. Condolences to the family.

 

[HannuJ]

Goal #50. love it

 

[SensibleGuy]

dammit

 

[Duke749]

I’m sorry to hear that guys. I know he meant a lot to a lot of you. Very unfortunate. Been a tough season and year. I really don’t know what else to say...

 

[voyageur]

Sad day. A hockey legend is lost. The best in Jets history. His legacy lives on in Mark Scheifele.

 

[Buffdog]

Ducky hauling down that Russian backchecker in the neutral zone was as much a part of the 1987 canada cup winning goal as Wayne's drop pass or Mario's snipe.

As a kid growing up in winnipeg I lived for the jets. Dale Hawerchuk was my favorite.

RIP

 

[Carbooja]

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

Thank you for this story, he was really close with the owner of Jackson events, I never got the chance to meet him, but his signed jersey hangs proudly in my office.

 

[LucianoBorsato]

Teemu tweeted out a nice condolences and said he was able to chat with him yesterday and say goodbye

I'm glad I got to meet Dale when he signed my 90s era Jets jersey (even though he never wore that style) at the 2016 Heritage Classic. My seats were right next to the tunnel they walked in and out of and I was acting like a 10 year old hanging over the railing asking Dale to sign hahah. He and Teemu stood for quite awhile after the Alumni game, in skates and equipment, to sign autographs for whoever wanted them. Got both of them to sign, I should probably frame the jersey now. Class acts through and through.

 

[mondo3]

Weird coincidence that this year our draft pick is #10.

 

[Conflicted Habs fan]

My condolences. I really thought he would have beat this cancer. If anyone could do it he would. He was and always will be the best Jet in Winnipeg. I remember watching him play at the old Winnipeg Arena with my dad. His play making skills and on ice smart plays were and always will be with me.

 

[MisterT]

Deepest condolences Jets fan. Great player, better human.

 

[chaos4]

RIP Dale.
Man, you were fun to watch.
F**k cancer yet again.