QMJHL icons Hawerchuk, Bourque earn CHL top-10 recognition

CALGARY — The Canadian Hockey League continued its rollout of the Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years rankings this week, with QMJHL legends Dale Hawerchuk and Ray Bourque both landing inside the top 10.

Hawerchuk was revealed at No. 10 on Tuesday, followed by Bourque at No. 9 on Wednesday as the highest-ranked defenceman on the list and the only blueliner inside the top 10.

Selected sixth overall by the Cornwall Royals in the 1979 QMJHL Draft, Hawerchuk produced one of the most dominant offensive stretches in CHL history across two seasons in Cornwall. The Toronto native recorded 286 points in 144 regular-season games from 1979-81 while adding another 80 points in 37 playoff contests.

As a 16-year-old rookie in 1979-80, Hawerchuk posted 103 points before exploding for 45 points in 18 playoff games to help Cornwall capture both the QMJHL championship and Memorial Cup title. He repeated the feat the following season, leading the CHL with 183 points, including 81 goals, while earning CHL Player of the Year honours.

At the 1981 Memorial Cup, Hawerchuk scored eight goals and added five assists in five games, earning tournament MVP honours. His eight goals remain tied for the most ever scored at a single Memorial Cup tournament.

The Winnipeg Jets selected Hawerchuk first overall in the 1981 NHL Draft. He went on to record 1,409 points across 16 NHL seasons and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

Bourque’s junior career began with Trois-Rivières before later stops in Sorel and Verdun, where he developed into one of the top offensive defencemen in QMJHL history.

Over three seasons from 1976-79, the Montréal native collected 220 points in 204 regular-season games. His strongest season came in 1978-79 when he captained Verdun and recorded 93 points in 63 games while being named QMJHL Defenceman of the Year.

Drafted eighth overall by the Boston Bruins in 1979, Bourque built one of the most decorated careers by a defenceman in NHL history. Across 22 NHL seasons with Boston and Colorado, he registered 1,579 points in 1,612 games while winning five Norris Trophies and the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Avalanche.

Bourque remains the NHL’s all-time leading scorer among defencemen and is still the only blueliner in league history to surpass 400 career goals.

The CHL’s Top 50 Players of the Last 50 Years rankings continue over the coming days as the league reveals the remaining names inside the top 10.