Dale Hawerchuk, Phenom in Hockey Hall of Fame, Dies at 57

At 5-feet-11 and 190 pounds, Hawerchuk, who was known as Ducky, wasn’t blessed with size or blistering speed. But he had a knack for getting to loose pucks and then creating a play, breezing past opponents and knowing what to do when he neared the goal. Early on he drew comparisons to the Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky.

“He has the same instincts, that puck sense, of Gretzky,” said Mike Doran, Winnipeg’s director of player personnel in 1981.

A five-time All-Star, Hawerchuk went on to play nine seasons in Winnipeg and five with the Buffalo Sabres before finishing up his 16-year National Hockey League career with the St. Louis Blues and the Philadelphia Flyers, which he helped reach the Stanley Cup final in the 1996-97 season, his last one. (The Detroit Red Wings won the cup in a four-game sweep.)

Slowed down by an ailing hip, Hawerchuk retired at 34. Over his career he had 518 goals and 1,409 points in 1,188 regular-season games. He added 30 more goals and 99 assists in 97 playoff games.

He went on to become the longest-serving coach in the Barrie Colts history; at his death he was going into his 10th season in Barrie, about 65 miles north of Toronto. He had led the Colts to the playoffs six times.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/21/sports/hockey/dale-hawerchuk-phenom-in-hockey-hall-of-fame-dies-at-57.html