Friday was the 40th anniversary of Hawerchuk, who was selected by the Jets with the No. 1 pick in the 1981 NHL Draft, arriving in a Brinks truck to sign his first professional contract at Winnipeg's iconic intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street.
He scored 1,409 points (518 goals, 891 assists) in 1,188 games playing 16 seasons 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 won the Calder Trophy, voted as the NHL's top rookie, in 1981-82 after scoring 103 points (45 goals, 58 assists) in 80 games, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001.
Hawerchuk, who had stomach cancer, died Aug. 18, 2020. He was 57.
Along with the statue and street application, the Jets also announced that the first Ducky Pond Hockey Classic presented by Canada Life will take place in January 2022 with proceeds going in support of Hawerchuk Strong, the charitable foundation begun by Hawerchuk, and the True North Youth Foundation, the charitable arm of the Jets.
Hawerchuk's oldest son, Eric, is helping to spearhead the Hawerchuk Strong fundraising efforts and said his father would have been thrilled with the ideas announced Friday.
"The city of Winnipeg meant so much to my dad, so to see the city reciprocate that love toward him is really special," Eric said. "It's where I was born. My mom was born in Manitoba. Our whole family has a lot of connections there. And the one thing that's great about the Jets is that they're often considered a small-market team but they do everything world class."