Dale Hawerchuk Joins Barrie Colts as New Head Coach

Press Release

Barrie, ON- The Barrie Colts junior hockey club is proud to announce today that Dale Hawerchuk will be taking over as the team’s Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations.

“We’re excited to have Dale joining our team. To have someone of his caliber taking over as head coach is very exciting for the team and for the community,” stated Howie Campbell, President of the Colts organization. “We had a very long list of candidates for the job, but Dale is the best fit for our organization and for our team. We’ve shown that we’re committed to putting a winning team on the ice in Barrie and Dale shares that passion,” added Mr. Campbell.

Hawerchuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. As a junior in his rookie year, he was the playoff MVP and led the Cornwall Royals to a Memorial Cup Championship. In his second year in junior, he scored 81 goals and 183 points and led the Royals to their second consecutive Memorial Cup title. He was named a QMJHL First Team All-Star, the Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year, and Memorial Cup MVP.

“I’m thrilled to be part of this team,” said Hawerchuk. “With my experience as a player at the pro level as well as my recent experience as owner and director of hockey operations of the Orangeville Crushers in the Ontario Junior A league, I think I bring some relevant experience to the Colts organization. I’m also really happy to be part of this community. Barrie is a great hockey town with great fans. I’m anxious to get started,” Dale went on to add.

Hawerchuk was drafted 1st overall by the Winnipeg Jets in 1981, and became the youngest NHL player in history to reach 100 points (a record since broken by Sidney Crosby in 2006), and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year. He went on to play 17 years in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers.

Dale played for Team Canada in the 1987 Canada Cup, and was named Canada's MVP with a goal and two assists in the decisive third game of the Finals against the Soviets.

Dale announced his retirement from the game following the 1996–97 season at age 34. He retired with 518 goals, 891 assists and 1,409 points, placing him 17th on the career NHL points list.

(Nathan also is a writer for Maineiacs Post to Post and the Maine Hockey Journal. He can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)