Jets announce tribute to Hawerchuk on 40th anniversary of first contract

WINNIPEG - Honouring Dale Hawerchuk, a man who meant so much to the Winnipeg Jets and the city itself, is a tall task.
After all, how does a franchise encompass everything that 'Ducky' stood for, how he made people feel as he rushed up the ice in one of the many games against the Edmonton Oilers, or how even the simplest off-ice interaction with the hall-of-famer seemed to leave everyone he met with a smile on their face?
The truth is, one particular gesture wouldn't be enough.
"Dale was our superstar. He was our Wayne Gretzky, our Bobby Orr, and there was something so powerful about that," said Executive Chairman Mark Chipman. "Though he had all those star qualities, he never reminded you of them. He carried himself with such a humility and he became a wonderful friend to our organization.
"There was nobody else like him."

So, on the 40th anniversary of Hawerchuk signing his first contract with the Winnipeg Jets, Chipman announced a number of initiatives to celebrate Hawerchuk's legacy.
The very place Chipman stood to make the announcement will be where Hawerchuk's statue will stand. It's expected to be ready for August, 2022, and the artist contracted to do the work - Erik Blome of Figurative Art Studio, whose resume includes Wayne Gretzky's statue outside of Staples Center and the Toronto Maple Leafs' "Legends Row" outside of Scotiabank Arena - has no shortage of celebratory photos to use for inspiration.
After all, Hawerchuk racked up 929 points in a Jets jersey.
However, in one of their daily talks during Hawerchuk's final days of battling cancer, long-time friend Scott Arniel said Hawerchuk was hoping the statue - which he learned about from Chipman and Jets Assistant General Manager Craig Heisinger - would be of something different.
"He said 'I was thinking I'd have it of me back checking.' I started to laugh," said Arniel.
"He goes 'Zinger already told me that there's no chance they're going to find any video or pictures of me back checking.' So in Dale's style, it brought a lot of humour to the situation."

The magnitude of the moment, and the fact he was speaking about a close friend, seemed to all come together at once for Chipman - who was emotional as he talked about the statue and his relationship with Hawerchuk.
"I expect a lot of people have those very same emotions when you think about Dale," Chipman said. "Having gotten to know him over the years and seeing the way he carried himself, though he had all those star qualities, he never reminded you of them."
Speaking of emotion, there was also a quiver in the voice of Winnipeg City Councillor Sheri Rollins as she accepted the official application to rename two blocks of Graham Avenue (between Carlton and Donald Street) to Honourary Dale Hawerchuk Way.
The reason? Something she noticed in Hawerchuk's Hall of Fame acceptance speech back in 2001.
"He names every city and franchise he's worked with. When he gets to Winnipeg, he pauses," Rollins said. "In that pause is reverence for Winnipeg, is love for Winnipeg, and in that pause is great humility for a place he said he grew up in - our hometown, Winnipeg. It's in this pause where he holds this special love for our city. A city he so clearly held as precious, and so do we."

It's not just downtown where Ducky's name will be felt. The Ducky Pond Hockey Classic presented by Canada Life will be held on a new custom lake built at Camp Manitou on the west side of the city, between January 13 and 16. Proceeds from the event will go to Hawerchuk Strong and the True North Youth Foundation.
"We believe the tournament provides a unique opportunity to get back to the purest form of hockey," said Chipman. "One that celebrates both the community of this great sport, and our great Canadian outdoors. Dale's family shared that they have many fond memories of playing pond hockey on Lake Winnipeg and we know this is an event Dale would've cherished."
Chipman has often spoke about Hawerchuk's impact in terms of 'bridging the gap' between the 1.0 and 2.0 eras of the Jets during the lead up to the 2016 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic in Winnipeg.
Hawerchuk's alumni team outlasted the Oilers alumni team that weekend, with Hawerchuk scoring in the game that finished with a final score of 6-5.
Along with Arniel, there were five other members of the Jets alumni on hand for the fourth announcement of the day: Randy Gilhen, Joe Daley, Mike Ford, Bill Lesuk, and Perry Miller. All of them wore the Jets Heritage Blue jerseys, which will become the team's official third jersey in 2021-22.
"It's an honour for us ex-players to see that jersey, be part of this organization again, and to go out in the community and continue to be part of the Jets legacy," said Arniel.
That heritage logo will also be seen on the streets of Winnipeg and the highways of Manitoba as the final announcement was the introduction of the Heritage licence plates, with proceeds also going to the True North Youth Foundation.
Fans can get their hands on their own licence plates beginning September 13, which will go along with the first version of Jets plates (which feature the current logo) from 2011.
"I'm reminded, honestly every time I see one, how fortunate we are to have such a passionate and loyal fanbase in our province," Chipman said.
"The number 10 plate will be of particular interest to our fans. We'll run a raffle to offer it by way of a raffle so everyone will have a chance to obtain it."
It was all incredibly fitting. Hawerchuk's legacy, which includes a banner inside Canada Life Centre as part of the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame, may be concentrated in and around the rink in downtown Winnipeg - but through a pond hockey tournament, third jerseys, and licence plates, his impact will be felt far outside the city limits.
In fact, Arniel thinks that impact is still happening.
He thinks it had an effect on Game 4's triple overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers.
"As Connor McDavid was streaking down the left wing, I'd like to think there was a big, wooden Sherwood PMP 5030 hockey stick that might have reached down - with a number 10 on it - that maybe just hooked Connor's arm to allow the puck to maybe not get as deep as he wanted it to. Then for Neal Pionk to make that great pass to Kyle Connor to go and score that goal in triple overtime," said Arniel.
"I know that Dale would be looking down with a big smile on his face, just as proud as ever."