Hawerchuk, who got his first pair of skates at age 2, could skate before he could walk, according to his father, Ed. That natural ability would be a foreshadow of a career that would climax with the center's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

Hawerchuk showed off those skills at a pee wee tournament (ages 11-12) in Montreal, where he scored all eight goals for his Oshawa team in an 8-1 win, breaking Guy Lafleur's single-game event record. At age 15 he received a tryout from Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League and was impressive, even though he didn't make it.

It didn't take long for Hawerchuk to make waves throughout the junior hockey world after being selected No. 6 by Cornwall in the 1979 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Draft. After scoring 37 times in his rookie season, he had 183 points (81 goals, 102 assists) in 72 games in 1980-81 and won the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the QMJHL scoring champion.

Hawerchuk helped Cornwall win back-to-back Memorial Cup titles, and in 1981 was named tournament MVP and the Canadian Hockey League's Player of the Year.

He was selected No. 1 by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1981 NHL Draft and responded by winning the 1982 Calder Trophy as rookie of the year and became the youngest player to crack the 100-point barrier with 103 (45 goals, 58 assists) with the regular season ending on his 19th birthday.

From 1983-88, Hawerchuk strung together five consecutive 100-plus point seasons. He scored 558 points in that span (227 goals, 331 assists), including an NHL career-high 130 points (League career-high 53 goals, 77 assists) in 1984-85, when he was runner-up to Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky for the Hart Trophy as the NHL most valuable player.

Hawerchuk's era in Winnipeg ended at the 1990 NHL Draft when he was traded with a first-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Phil Housley, forwards Scott Arniel and Jeff Parker and a first-round pick. Hawerchuk scored no fewer than 86 points in the next four seasons and scored his 1,000th NHL point on March 8, 1991, a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks.

He signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 8, 1995, and played one season with the Blues before being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for center Craig MacTavish on March 6, 1996.

Hawerchuk announced his retirement following the 1996ñ97 season at age 34 because of a degenerative left hip and finished his NHL career with 1,409 points (518 goals, 891 assists) and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs once in his 16-year career; he scored 99 points (30 goals, 69 assists) in 97 playoff games.

Hawerchuk also represented Canada in international play on numerous ocassions, including helping his country to victories in the Canada Cup in 1987 and 1991.

On April 5, 2007, Hawerchuk's No. 10 was retired by the Jets/Phoenix Coyotes. Four years later, he was inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• QMJHL Rookie of the Year (1980)
• Memorial Cup All-Star Team (1980, 1981)
• George Parsons Trophy (Memorial Cup - Most Sportsmanlike Player) (1980)
• QMJHL First All-Star Team (1981)
• QMJHL MVP (1981)
• Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year (1981)
• Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (Memorial Cup - MVP) (1981)
• NHL Second All-Star Team (1985)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1997)
• Traded to Buffalo by Winnipeg with Winnipeg's 1st round pick (Brad May) in 1990 NHL Draft for Phil Housley, Scott Arniel, Jeff Parker and Buffalo's 1st round pick (Keith Tkachuk) in 1990 NHL Draft, June 16, 1990.
• Signed as a free agent by St. Louis, September 8, 1995.
• Traded to Philadelphia by St. Louis for Craig MacTavish, March 15, 1996.