About Dale Hawerchuk
Dale Martin Hawerchuk (April 4, 1963 – August 18, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Nicknamed "Ducky", he played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers. A player who skated from a young age, Hawerchuk excelled in his very first season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with the Cornwall Royals, as he was awarded both the Michel Bergeron Trophy for his play as a rookie, where he led the league in scoring before leading the team to the Memorial Cup, where he won the Guy Lafleur Trophy for his playoff performance. His second season saw him with the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy for most valuable play and the Michael Bossy Trophy as the best promising prospect as the Royals won their second straight championship. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL entry draft and immediately made waves for the team, recording 45 goals with 103 points on his way to being awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy; his points still stand as the most for an 18-year old player in one season. He recorded a 20-goal season in each of his first eleven seasons, which included scoring 53 in the 1984–85 season. He was traded to the Sabres in 1990; he departed Winnipeg as their all-time goals and points leader. In his first four seasons in Buffalo, he recorded four straight 80-point seasons before injuries limited him in his final season with them in the 1994–95 season. He signed as a free agent with the Blues in 1995. In January 1996, he became the 23rd player to score 500 NHL goals. Two months later, he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. He was selected to his fifth NHL All-Star Game in the 1996–97 season; after reaching the Stanley Cup Final, Hawerchuk elected to retire due to a degenerative left hip. Internationally, Hawerchuk represented Canada on numerous occasions, which saw him the Canada Cup in 1987 and 1991. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001. Hawerchuk served as the head coach of the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League from 2010 to 2019. Drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL entry draft, Hawerchuk played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 16 seasons as a member of the Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. He won the NHL's Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year in 1982 and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility in 2001. At the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, he scored all eight goals during an 8–1 victory in the finals, smashing the longstanding record by the legendary Guy Lafleur. Hawerchuk was a young prodigy who received his first pair of skates at age two and, according to his father Ed, "was skating before he could walk." Beginning competitive hockey at age four, Hawerchuk demonstrated superior skills almost immediately. Drafted first overall by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL entry draft, Hawerchuk played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 16 seasons as a member of the Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues, and Philadelphia Flyers.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.