It was 39 years ago today on the corner of Portage and Main that the Winnipeg Jets signed Dale Hawerchuk to his first NHL contract.

The superstar stepped out of a Brinks truck and in front of a plethora of fans put pen to paper after being drafted by the team 1st overall two months earlier.

Hawerchuk became an instant star in the NHL for the Jets as he scored 103 points in 80 games in his first season. Named the Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie, he finished fifth in the Hart Trophy race, too, with Peter Stastny, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier and the winner, Wayne Gretzky, ahead of him.

He went on to have a storied career with the Jets playing 713 games over nine seasons as he scored 379 goals and 929 points. Hawerchuk left Winnipeg in a 1990 blockbuster deal that saw him and the teams 1st round pick (Brad May) traded to the Buffalo Sabers for Phil Housely, Scott Arniel, Jeff Parker and a 1990 first round pick used to draft Keith Tkachuk.

On Twitter: @zjlaing