Winnipeg Jets legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk completed his final round of chemotherapy Monday, his son Eric announced on Twitter.
“Today my dad finished his final round of chemo Protocol in Barrie,” Eric wrote. “Got to ring the ‘Bell of Hope’ on his way out. ‘We hope’ this is the end of a long journey but he’s ready for anything. Thanks to everyone who has reached out. Means the world to us. Thinking of you all #DaleStrong.”
Hawerchuk, 57, took a leave of absence from his head-coaching job with the OHL’s Barrie Colts last September and announced shortly after that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. In early January he had a successful gastrectomy.
In a February interview with the Winnipeg Free Press, Hawerchuk said that he was targetting mid-April to complete his chemo sessions.
“It’s coming along and I’m feeling good about it. Now it’s just trying to make sure we get all of the cancer out through the next round of chemo,” he said.
Hawerchuk spent nine of his 16 seasons with the original Winnipeg Jets. A dynamic centre, he scored 518 goals and 1,409 points in 1,188 games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
