Dale Hawerchuk's entire life seems to have revolved around goals.
During his NHL career, the former Winnipeg Jets' first-round draft choice amassed 1,409 points off 518 tallies and 891 assists.
Being inducted with the 2001 class of the Hockey Hall of Fame marks a goal that never once touched his stick.
"I kind of look back at the whole picture -- my first day walking into Winnipeg Arena, my first training camp -- they're all such vivid memories," Hawerchuk said. "It was always a dream of mine to play and I had such a passion to play in the National Hockey League and to finally be there was the best feeling in the world.
"Getting inducted into the Hall of Fame is an entirely different feeling. As a player you always feel you can do something. With the Hall of Fame it's up to them to judge whether or not they think you deserve or that you're worthy to be in the Hall of Fame. It's so much out of your hands that it's kind of a helpless feeling."
But the Rexdale, Ontario native was never helpless on the ice. As a matter of fact he always felt quite at home on the slippery surface from a very early age. Hawerchuk hit the ice at the tender age of two and according to his dad Ed, "was skating before he could walk." Two years later, he started playing organized hockey as a four-year old and almost from the get-go he was skating rings around the competition, while piling up the points. In a PeeWee tournament in Montreal, a young Hawerchuk notched all eight goals for his team during in an 8-1 victory in the finals, shattering Guy Lafeur's long-held record.
2001 Hall of Fame Inductions
Editor's note: There's nothing more self-fulfilling to a hockey player than to be elected to the Hall of Fame. On Monday November 12, Four new members, Viacheslav Fetisov, Mike Gartner, Dale Hawerchuk and Jari Kurri, will be inducted into the Hall in the Player Category. Pittsburgh Penguin GM, Craig Patrick, will also enter the Hall, as he will be honored in the Builder Category.
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"I always told people, even when I was in school and you have to write down what you want to be, I always said I want to be a hockey player," Hawerchuk said. "My father worked 30 years in General Motors and I never wanted to work at General Motors. I had an opportunity to play hockey, and I went for it."
At the age of 15, Hawerchuk was offered a tryout by the Oshawa Generals and in 1979, he was selected sixth overall by the Cornwall Royals of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In his rookie campaign, the young forward set the QMJHL on fire, notching 103 points off 37 goals and 66 assists in 72 games, earning him rookie-of-the-year honors.
Hawerchuk also stood out during the QMJHL playoffs, scoring 45 points in 18 games off 20 goals and 25 helpers, again winning MVP honors. He then led the Royals to the Memorial Cup championship, scoring three points in the final, while capturing the Most Sportsmanlike Player Award, and being named to the All-Star Team at left wing.
In 1981, the Jets took him with the first pick of the Draft and they wouldn't be disappointed as he broke 17 club records, captured the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie-of-the-Year, and became the youngest player in NHL history to record 100 points in a season.
"I really appreciate all the support people in Winnipeg gave me," Hawerchuk saidl. "Hopefully, today's the day people in Winnipeg will remember and be happy with. Because I know it's a day I'll never forget."
Fellow inductee, Mike Gartner, was always aware of where Hawerchuk was on the ice when his team played against the former Jet.
"Dale was somebody that when you played against Winnipeg you had to be aware of," Gartner explained. "He was always at the top of the list on the (chalk) boards before the games reminding us that we had to key on him and that we had to watch him. He was a very skilled playmaker and someone who had great vision of the ice. He was someone that if you didn't pay attention to him he would end up eating you up by the end of the evening."
Hawerchuk, who today owns and runs a 100-acre horse farm in Ontario with his wife Crystal, also will never forget the memorable call he got at Grande Farms informing him that he was going to forever live among the greats in the Hockey Hall.
"I have a horse farm now and I was working on the farm and I got a message to call somebody from the Hall of Fame," he said. "When I found out I was going into the Hall it was a nice feeling -- a feeling like 'well something good must have happened.'"
"It makes you think back on your career and where you were and what you were doing and some of your old teammates, your coaches. Sometimes what gets lost in this Hall of Fame thing is that yeah they're all great players and that but they're only great because they played with great players," Hawerchuk continued. "It's such a team sport that you have to have support throughout your career to have success. It's almost an honor that should touch everybody that you come in contact with, whether it's coaches or trainers or teammates that were a part of your career at some point. For me you almost want to say thank you to all everybody that was involved in your career."
Besides the Winnipeg Jets, Hawerchuk also played for the Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers during his career.
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Hawerchuk was the 23rd player to reach the 500-goal plateau in 1995-96 and the 31st player to record 1,000 points in 1990-91.
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"I have nothing but thanks for everything the game has given to me," said Hawerchuk. "I was able to live my dream for 16 years and played to be the best that I could be and I am grateful to be recognized as one of the best players from my time."
Despite playing in Western Canada during an era dominated by Edmonton and Calgary, Hawerchuk missed the playoffs only once during his 16-year career. During an era dominated by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, Hawerchuk recorded more than a point-per-game for 13 consecutive seasons. In a poll of NHL general managers during the mid-1980's asking them to select the player they would start a franchise with, Hawerchuk was voted third behind only Gretzky and Paul Coffey. He was the 23rd player to reach the 500-goal plateau in 1995-96 and the 31st player to record 1,000 points in 1990-91.
"As a player I was very adaptive," Hawerchuk said. "I think the Lord gave me some natural talent to play the game but I think the one thing that was a big part of my game was that I could adapt when to whatever the team needed to win. Whether it was to be a goal-scorer or a playmaker or go into a checking mode, I had competitiveness in me that I always wanted to be on the puck.
"I loved the game but I also wanted to be a part of it. My whole career as a kid I was a winger and I never went to center until I was about 15 or 16 years old and when I moved to that position I was like man now I really can be part of this game. Playing center put me involved in all facets of the game. I just wanted to be around that puck. I was always hungry for the puck."
His hunger for the puck and love of the game put Hawerchuk in a position to forever be among the legends of the game in the Hockey Hall of Fame, a place he's only been to two times in his entire life.
"I remember going to the old Hall of Fame when it was at the C&E in Toronto and I went down and saw it when it moved, so I was only there a couple of times," Hh explained. "I grew up around Toronto, but was never right in Toronto. I grew up in Oshawa which is about an hour from downtown and now I live north on a horse farm and I still don't get downtown too much.?
Today, Hawerchuk and his wife have a new goal and that's to raise a horse that one day has the chance to win equestrian gold at the Olympics.
"With horses every day is different," he said. "There's no two alike. They're like your kids. So, I kind of parked the hockey for now and have moved on to another challenge."
