Dale Hawerchuk (born April 4, 1963 in Toronto) is a retired professional ice hockey player. In 1979, Hawerchuk was selected 6th overall by the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He recorded 103 points and was named Rookie-of-the-Year. Hawerchuk was the playoff MVP and led the Royals to the Memorial Cup championship. In his second junior, he scored 81 goals and 183 points and led the Royals to their second consecutive Memorial Cup title. He was named a QMJHL First Team All-Star, the Canadian Major Junior Player-of-the-Year, and Memorial Cup MVP.
The Winnipeg Jets selected Hawerchuk first overall in the 1981 Entry Draft. He took the NHL by storm, and led the Jets to what was at the time the largest single season turn-around in NHL history, a 48-point improvement. He became the youngest NHL player in history to reach 100-points, finishing with 103, was named Rookie-of-the-Year, and played in the All-Star Game. Hawerchuk recorded 91 points in his second season, then 100-plus points for five consecutive years, including a career-high 53 goals and 130 points in 1984-85.
During the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Hawerchuk was traded to the Buffalo Sabres. Over the next five years he recorded no fewer than 86 points (except during an injury plagued 1994-95 season). In 1995, he signed with the St. Louis Blues, recording 41 points in 66 games before a trade to the Philadelphia Flyers in March, 1996. He finished the season strongly, scoring 20 points in the season's final 16 games and adding 12 points in the playoffs. The next season, he was plagued by injuries but managed 34 points and played in his fifth All-Star Game. Hawerchuk announced his retirement from the game following the 1996-97 season at age 34. His appearance with the Flyers in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals marked the only time any of his teams advanced past the second round of the playoffs - a fitting end to a remarkable career.
He played for Team Canada in the 1987 Canada Cup tournament, and won the face-off that led to Canada's second-most famous goal. He was also key to Canada's 1991 Canada Cup victory.
In a poll of NHL general managers during the mid-1980s asking them to select the player they would start a franchise with, Hawerchuk was voted third behind only Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey. He retired with 518 goals, 891 assists and 1,409 points, placing him 10th on the career NHL points list. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
