Jets to honor Hawerchuk with statue, street renaming

True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Winnipeg Jets, announced Friday that it's submitted an application to rename a portion of Graham Avenue in honor of the late Dale Hawerchuk.

If approved, Honourary Dale Hawerchuk Way, which would stretch between Donald Street and Carlton Street, is expected to be unveiled in time for the beginning of next season.

The club will also erect a statue of Hawerchuk, who died last August at the age of 57 after a battle with cancer, in True North Square. The statue is expected to be unveiled in August 2022.

Erik Blome, who designed the Wayne Gretzky statue in front of the Staples Center and created the 14 sculptures in the Toronto Maple Leafs' "Legends Row," will design Hawerchuk's statue.

"Dale, quite simply, is part of the fabric of this city and of the Winnipeg Jets organization," executive chairman Mark Chipman said.

"Beyond that, he has contributed so much to the sport of hockey. We are so proud to give Dale these much-deserved honors to showcase his extraordinary career and the remarkable person he was, and ensure his legacy lives well beyond the fans who followed his career and who were lucky enough to see him play."

Hawerchuk was drafted first overall by the Jets in 1981. He played his first nine seasons in the league with Winnipeg, winning the Calder Trophy in 1982. Hawerchuk then joined the Buffalo Sabres for five seasons before wrapping up his career with the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers.

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, Hawerchuk produced 1,409 points in 1,188 career games.