November 8th, 2017 was an extremely sad day for the Overwatch and esports community as a whole, as members learned that veteran Overwatch player Dennis "INTERNETHULK" Hawelka has passed away. The news sent shock waves throughout the Overwatch world, as INTERNETHULK was regarded as one of the most positive, hard working and kind members of the passionate community.
In order to honor the memory of the former Team EnVy player and coach for Rogue and Team Lqiuid, the Overwatch League announced on November 11th, 2017 that it would be creating the Dennis Hawelka Award to honor the dedication and passion that INTERNETHULK brought in the guidance that he provided to the competitive scene of Bliizard Entertainment's first person shooter.
According to the official description of the Dennis Hawelka Award, the "award will be presented at the end of each Overwatch League season to the player that we deem to have had the most positive impact on the community."
The community has since been curious to learn more about when exactly the Dennis Hawelka Award would be presented for the inaugural season of the league.
However, league Commissioner Nate Nanzer has answered this curiosity by revealing on Twitter that the Dennis Hawelka Award will be presented to its recipient at the Overwatch League All Star Weekend that is set to take place between August 25 - 26.
Relax. Plan was always to announce it at the All-Star game.
— Nate Nanzer (@natenanzer) July 28, 2018
Following the conclusion of the inaugural season of the league that saw the London Spitfire defeat the Philadelphia Fusion 2-1 in the Overwatch League Grand Finals, Jun-Ho "Fury" Kim of the London Spitfire gave an emotional tribute to INTERNETHULK on his Twitter account.
We ran ourselves dry practicing throughout the season. Thanks to all the fans for cheering for us all the way. It took so long to say this, but I hope my friend @INTERNETHULK saw me today and is proud of me. GG! We are Champions! @Fusion pic.twitter.com/n5mcrqR2cx
— Fury (@Furyy_d) July 28, 2018
Los Angeles Gladiators player Land "Surefour" Roberts also spoke on the Dennis Hawelka Award and stated that he believed Brandon "Seagull" Larned of the Dallas Fuel will be the recipient of the first Dennis Hawelka Award.
Actually... I'm confident @A_Seagull will get the Dennis Hawelka award. He's been a mentor to the game for many people and has always had a positive outlook for the game and the community.
— Lane Roberts (@Surefour) July 29, 2018
No matter who the first recipient of the first Dennis Hawelka Award is, the entire community will be overjoyed to see the memory of the one of the scene's most beloved and positive members be honored for this season and future ones.
(cover photo courtesy of the Overwatch League)
