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Throwback Thursday: This week in 1981, Winnipeg Jets draft Dale Hawerchuk

By Zach Laing
Jun 18, 2020, 18:18 EDTUpdated: Sep 14, 2020, 12:54 EDT
Welcome back to another edition of Throwback Thursday!
This week in 1981 (June 10), the Winnipeg Jets drafted Dale Hawerchuk first overall.
The selection paid off in short order for the Jets as Hawerchuk scored 45 goals and 103 points in his rookie year. He kept that pace up and was a consistent big-time player for the Jets. His career-best season came in 1985-86.
Then, he scored 53 goals and 130 points in 8 games finishing second on the ballot for the Hart Trophy. The future Hall of Famer would spend nine years with the Jets scoring 929 points in 713 games.
And on June 16, 1990, his time with the Jets came to an end.
Hawerchuk, along with the Jets’ first-round pick in 1990, was sent to the Buffalo Sabres in a blockbuster deal. In return, the Jets received Phil Housley, Scott Arniel, Jeff Parker and the Sabres’ first-round pick in 1990.
The Jets then used that draft pick to select Keith Tkachuk 19th overall.
On Twitter: @zjlaing
HAWERCHUK’S CAREER
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981-82 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 45 | 58 | 103 | 47 | -4 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
1982-83 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 79 | 40 | 51 | 91 | 31 | -17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
1983-84 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 37 | 65 | 102 | 73 | -14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
1984-85 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 53 | 77 | 130 | 74 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
1985-86 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 46 | 59 | 105 | 44 | -27 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
1986-87 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 47 | 53 | 100 | 52 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 4 |
1987-88 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 80 | 44 | 77 | 121 | 59 | -9 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
1988-89 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 75 | 41 | 55 | 96 | 28 | -30 | — | — | — | — | — |
1989-90 | Winnipeg Jets | NHL | 79 | 26 | 55 | 81 | 70 | -11 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
1990-91 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 80 | 31 | 58 | 89 | 32 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
1991-92 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 77 | 23 | 75 | 98 | 27 | -22 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
1992-93 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 81 | 16 | 80 | 96 | 52 | -17 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 2 |
1993-94 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 81 | 35 | 51 | 86 | 91 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
1994-95 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 23 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 2 | -2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1995-96 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 66 | 13 | 28 | 41 | 22 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — |
1995-96 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 16 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
1996-97 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 51 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 32 | 9 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
NHL Totals | 1188 | 518 | 891 | 1409 | 740 | 97 | 30 | 69 | 99 | 67 |

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