NHL Draft: Top three first overall picks from the 1980s
2. Dale Hawerchuk (Winnipeg Jets, 1981)
The Winnipeg Jets drafted what would turn out to be a franchise icon when they took Dale Hawerchuk first overall at the 1981 draft. He is widely regarded as the teams best ever player, and his numbers with the team back that notion up. In 713 games in a Jets sweater, he posted 379 goals and 929 points, both good for second all time behind Shane Doan. Despite being behind Doan by 22 goals and 43 points, he also played in 827 less games with the organization.
Unfortunately for Hawerchuk, his NHL trophies aren’t as impressive as many other first overall picks, as he has zero Stanley Cups and just a Calder Trophy to his name. It is hard to blame him however, as he was apart of some weak Jets rosters.
One stat in particular that shows just how good he was is that over his nine seasons with the Jets, he led the team in scoring every single year. This included the 1987-88 season where his 121 points were 42 points more than the second highest Jets scorer in Paul MacLean, who had 79.
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After the 1989-90 season, Hawerchuk was dealt to the Buffalo Sabres in a blockbuster trade which saw superstar defenceman Phil Housley go the other way. He continued to produce with the Sabres, posting no less than 86 points during his five seasons with the team, excluding the 1994-95 season where he was limited to just 23 games. He also went on to have stints with the St. Louis and the Philadelphia Flyers before retiring after the 1996-97 season.
Hawerchuk’s final numbers are outstanding, as the Toronto Ontario native ended his career with 518 goals and 819 assists for 1409 points in just 1188 games played. His numbers in the playoffs were excellent as well with 99 points in 97 games. One of the most dominant players in the 1980’s, NHL general managers voted him third behind only Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey for a player in the league they would like to start a franchise with.
His brilliant play was rewarded in 2001 when he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and again during the 2006-07 season when the Arizona Coyotes (successor to the Jets) hung his jersey from the rafters. This was without a doubt the franchises greatest draft pick of all time.