Hawerchuk was the No. 1 pick of the 1981 NHL Draft and played the first nine of his 16 NHL seasons in Winnipeg.
He scored 1,409 points (518 goals, 891 assists) in 1,188 regular-season games with the Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers, and 99 points (30 goals, 69 assists) in 97 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He scored 103 points (45 goals, 58 assists) in 80 games in 1981-82 and won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the NHL, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
Eric Hawerchuk and Jackson also said this week that former Jets captain Kris King has offered to take on a bigger role with Hawerchuk Strong.
"It's a beautiful tie-in, that my dad and Kris were really good friends, both former Jets and former captains," Eric said. "He's always been supporting Hawerchuk golf tournaments and he's a close family friend. To have his support means a lot to us."
King, an NHL senior vice president of hockey operations, played for the Jets from 1992-93 to 1995-96.
He and Hawerchuk never were teammates during their NHL careers but became close friends after each had retired, Hawerchuk in 1997 and King in 2001.
"Having the ability and privilege of being part of his fundraising events, when you become part of Dale's events you don't just show up and be a name he introduces," King said. "He wanted you to realize as soon as you got there how important it was to him and his family that you would take the time to be part of something he was doing.
"When I went to Winnipeg and became captain (1995-96), it was an ultimate privilege for me in my career, especially in a great city like Winnipeg, and Dale set that table for all of us. I was brought up to give more than receive and Dale started something so important and needed in Winnipeg. Anything I can do to help, well, I certainly don't have the name that Dale Hawerchuk had in Winnipeg, but if I can do a little bit to make sure it's not forgotten, then that's a reason to do it."