Dale Hawerchuk

Raoul Duke*

Guest
Possibly the most underrated player of all time?

I more feel sorry for the guy because he was that great in his day but what could he do? There was no topping Gretzky in the 80s, but Hawerchuk today would hammer on most players.

And really besides the Great Gretzky, Messier, only Mario got any props in those years. But there were great players in the 80s besides the Oiler greats - Dale Hawerchuk being the unfortunate 3rd wheel.

Anyone else remember his kick ass skills though?
 

God Bless Canada

Registered User
Jul 11, 2004
11,793
17
Bentley reunion
I'd say that 1960s Chicago defenceman Pierre Pilote and 1940s Montreal centre Elmer Lach are the most underrated players ever. Especially Pilote. He won three straight Norris Trophies, was named to eight straight all-star teams, played very well in the playoffs and was a physical force, yet he rarely gets mentioned in discussions for the top 10 defencemen ever or top 50 players ever.

Hawerchuk was a world-class playmaker by anyone's standard. An absolutely brilliant player. He didn't have blazing speed, but he was shifty, and knew how to slow the game down to his level. The thing about Hawerchuk is he never had good talent surrounding him. He made Paul MacLean into a 100-point forward. MacLean was a really good forward, but was a second line scorer type. If Hawerchuk had a player who approached his talent level (even a guy like Steve Larmer, who was the perfect linemate for Savard) he'd have finished with several more seasons over 120 points.

I'd say he's in a class of playmaking centres with guys like Sittler, Ratelle and Denis Savard.
 

Ogopogo*

Guest
Possibly the most underrated player of all time?

I more feel sorry for the guy because he was that great in his day but what could he do? There was no topping Gretzky in the 80s, but Hawerchuk today would hammer on most players.

And really besides the Great Gretzky, Messier, only Mario got any props in those years. But there were great players in the 80s besides the Oiler greats - Dale Hawerchuk being the unfortunate 3rd wheel.

Anyone else remember his kick ass skills though?

Andy Bathgate, Earl Seibert and Cy Denneny are the most underrated players of all time.

Hawerchuk sits at #85 on my list. He was an excellent player and 85 accurately reflects his contributions to the game.
 

Squiffy

Victims, rn't we all
Oct 21, 2006
13,498
3,134
Toronto
Much love for Hawerchuk, my godparents were related to him, cousin of one of them, forget which one. He might be underrated nowadays, but I don't think he was when he was playing really, everyone knew he was great. Probably wins the award for most over-shadowed player ever, tough acts to follow in those days.
 

J-Zilla

Registered User
Jan 19, 2007
36
0
Possibly the most underrated player of all time?

I more feel sorry for the guy because he was that great in his day but what could he do? There was no topping Gretzky in the 80s, but Hawerchuk today would hammer on most players.

And really besides the Great Gretzky, Messier, only Mario got any props in those years. But there were great players in the 80s besides the Oiler greats - Dale Hawerchuk being the unfortunate 3rd wheel.

Anyone else remember his kick ass skills though?


Yes, I used to watch him as a kid. He was the franchise for the Jets. The fortunes of the team rested with him. UNfortunately, he was in the same division as Gretzky and the Oilers during his peak years (84-89). So he was overshadowed, and the Jets would always fall to the Oilers, come playoff time.
 

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