Barrie Colts set to honour Hawerchuk legacy

As the Barrie Colts come off a win Thursday night, the team prepares to honour the coach with the best record in the franchise's history.

On Saturday, a pre-game ceremony will be held at the Sadlon Arena in honour of Dale Hawerchuk, who passed away after a battle with cancer in August 2020. He led the team as head coach for 10 years, starting in the 2010-2011 season.

"It is bittersweet, but we're kind of at a point now where we're really trying to celebrate Dale more than grieve," says Eric Hawerchuk, Dale's son. "We've kind of taken some time to do that, and we're just here to celebrate his accomplishments and the great life he lived and just how fortunate we were to have him in our lives."

Saturday's ceremony comes one week after the unveiling of a statue of Hawerchuk outside the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. Prior to his coaching career in the OHL, Hawerchuk was a star player for the Winnipeg Jets.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, inducted into the Winnipeg Jets Hall of Fame in 2017 and had his #10 jersey retired in 2007.

"There was a ton of people, all the Hawerchuk jerseys, all the fans came out, and so many friends and family were there, and the statue is just magnificent," says Eric. "The Jets treated us so well ever since we got off the plane. They took good care of all of us, and it was just a really, really cool weekend and something that I just won't forget!"

While with the coach, Dale secured 305 wins, one Eastern Conference Championship and four division championships, giving him the winningest record in the franchise's history.

He developed a reputation for fostering countless young players, many of whom ended up in the NHL themselves.

"He never really bragged about his accomplishments. You could sit beside him on a flight, and he'd probably go the whole flight without telling you he was a hockey player," says Eric. "He just kind of had that personality. He just wanted you to feel good about yourself. He asked about how you were doing more so than about himself, and I always loved that quality about him."

The ceremony will start ahead of Saturday's home game against the Peterborough Petes, which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. A banner will be unveiled in his honour, which will stay in the home of the Colts for years to come as a tribute to his lasting legacy.