Dale Hawerchuk continues to bring in the accolades.
Back in February, the Canadian Hockey League announced their Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years (since 1975-76) honouring the stars who have shaped junior hockey over the past five decades. Over the past month they have revealed ten players at a time counting down from 50.
This morning, the CHL announced that Hawerchuk is fittingly number 10 on the list. Hawerchuk’s ranking follows his standout QMJHL career with the Cornwall Royals, where he helped lead the club to back-to-back QMJHL and Memorial Cup championships before becoming a Winnipeg Jets icon and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.
“This list reflects the extraordinary legacy of the CHL and the impact our players have had on the game at every level,” said Dan MacKenzie, President of the CHL back in April. “From generational talents to championship leaders, the Top 50 celebrates five decades of excellence — players who defined eras in the WHL, OHL and QMJHL, and who include Hockey Hall of Famers, legends of the game, and active NHL stars who continue to shine on hockey’s biggest stages.”
Hawerchuk’s major junior accolades include:
● Selected sixth overall by the Cornwall Royals in the 1979 QMJHL Draft.
● Starred over two seasons (1979–80, 1980–81) with Cornwall before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 1981 NHL Draft.
● Exploded as a rookie (1979–80) with 103 points, earning QMJHL Rookie of the Year; added a dominant postseason, winning playoff MVP while producing 45 points (20G-25A) in 18 playoff games — becoming the only player in QMJHL history to win playoff MVP as a 16-year-old.
● Posted a massive 1980–81 season with 81 goals and 183 points (the points were tops in the QMJHL and CHL), earning QMJHL First Team All-Star, CHL Top Scorer, CHL Player of the Year honours, while also taking home the Michel Brière Trophy (QMJHL regular-season MVP) and the QMJHL Top Prospect Award.
● Helped lead Cornwall to back-to-back QMJHL & Memorial Cup championships (1980, 1981); in 1981, he recorded eight goals and five assists in five games, winning the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup MVP) — his eight goals remain a Memorial Cup tournament record (matched twice, never broken). He was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team in both 1980 & 1981.
● Finished his QMJHL career with 286 points (118G-168A) in 144 regular-season games (didn’t miss a game), plus 80 points in 37 playoff games.
● Shared the single-game playoff record in the QMJHL for goals (six).
● Inducted into the QMJHL HOF in 2001
● One of 42 CHL alumni to be selected first overall in the NHL Draft since 1969.
The former Jet who passed away in 2020, was one of the 35 forwards on the list, one of 15 players that won the Memorial Cup. Hawerchuk, Taylor Hall (Windsor) and Jarome Iginla (Kamloops) are the only three on the list to win two Memorial Cups.
A Hockey Hall of Fame inductee in 2001, Hawerchuk was also inducted into the QMJHL Hall of Fame that same year. Internationally, he represented Canada on multiple occasions and captured Canada Cup gold in both 1987 and 1991.
The remaining players ranked in the Top 10 on the CHL’s Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years list will be revealed over the coming days, with full player bios available at chl.ca/chl50.
