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Ken Daneyko

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Ken Daneyko
Daneyko in 2011
Born (1964-04-17) April 17, 1964 (age 60)
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for New Jersey Devils
National team  Canada
NHL draft 18th overall, 1982
New Jersey Devils
Playing career 1983–2003

Kenneth Stephen Daneyko (born April 17, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played his entire twenty-season career with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), winning three Stanley Cup championships with the team. He has been nicknamed "Mr. Devil" by Devils fans, as he currently holds both the franchise record for games played as a Devil with 1,283 games and in penalty minutes with 2,516. Daneyko now provides colour analysis alongside Bill Spaulding during broadcasts of Devils games on MSG Sportsnet.

Early years

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Daneyko was born in Windsor, Ontario and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, where he knew Mark Messier from a young age.[1][2] He is of Ukrainian origin.

Playing career

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Daneyko was drafted in the first round (18th overall) in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, the second pick of the New Jersey Devils after the franchise relocated from Colorado; when he was drafted the organization had not yet chosen a new team name.[3] He spent several seasons in junior before getting drafted, and played for the Yorkton Terriers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, as well as the Great Falls Americans, Spokane Flyers and Seattle Breakers of the Western Hockey League. He was called up to the Devils for the start of the 1983–84 season, but cracked his fibula during a game against the Hartford Whalers and missed over 40 games.[4][5] After his injury healed, he was assigned to the Kamloops Junior Oilers of the WHL for the remainder of the season.[5]

Upon his arrival in the NHL, Daneyko established himself as a stay-at-home defenceman, and soon won fans over with his gritty and self-sacrificing play. Daneyko was also known for his missing front teeth, lost after he was hit in the mouth by a puck. His gap-toothed smile was well known not only by Devils supporters, but by hockey fans around the world. As a player who had spent all of his NHL career with New Jersey, Daneyko was nicknamed "Mr. Devil". He is also referred to by the nickname "Dano".[citation needed]

Daneyko circa 2005/2006

Daneyko acquired over 2,500 penalty minutes in his career, finishing a season with over 200 penalty minutes five times. Daneyko was never a high-scoring defenceman, and set a record by playing in 255 consecutive regular-season games without scoring a goal. In his highest-scoring season, 1989–90, he scored six goals and 15 assists en route to a 21-point season. In six seasons he scored no goals at all. He also has the lowest point per game average among all NHL players who played at least 1,000 games with 0.138. However, Daneyko's effectiveness was not measured by how many pucks he put in the net, but by how many pucks he kept out. Daneyko was used primarily as a shadow defenceman, and often got physical in front of the net if a forward parked himself in the crease looking for a rebound.

In the late 1990s, Daneyko struggled with alcoholism while general manager Lou Lamoriello and Devils owner John McMullen stood by him and checked him into rehab.[6] On November 1, 1997, Daneyko became the first player to enter the NHL's voluntary Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health program, which was created in 1996.[7] Daneyko recovered and played every game of New Jersey's successful 2000 playoffs, winning the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2000.

Along with Scott Stevens, he was part of a Devils defensive core that won the Stanley Cup three times, in 1995, 2000 and 2003. From the team's first playoff game while in New Jersey, in 1988, Daneyko played in every playoff game until game four of the 2003 quarterfinals. He also was scratched in the first six games of the 2003 finals, but, looking for a spark, coach Pat Burns inserted Daneyko into the lineup for game seven, replacing Oleg Tverdovsky. As a reward to his devotion of the team, and a hint of his impending retirement, Daneyko took the ice for the final shift of the Devils' game seven victory over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, which clinched their third Stanley Cup victory, in 2003.

Post-playing career

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Daneyko's No. 3 hanging in between Scott Niedermayer's No. 27 and Scott Stevens' No. 4 at the Prudential Center

The Devils retired his uniform number, 3, on March 24, 2006.[8] He was the second Devil to receive the honour, after Scott Stevens.

Daneyko currently provides colour commentary on Devils' broadcasts on MSGSN. Prior to this, he shared commentary and analysis between periods of Devils' broadcasts and was a regular starring analyst on MSG's "Hockey Night Live!" with host Al Trautwig and fellow commentators Ron Duguay, Dave Maloney, Mike Keenan, and Butch Goring, as well as "The Hockey Maven" Stan Fischler.[citation needed]

Daneyko with boxing trainer Teddy Atlas in November 2011
Daneyko with a fan.

In October 2009, Daneyko began competing as a pairs figure skater on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reality show Battle of the Blades.[9]

In 2010, Daneyko portrayed himself in the short film Ice Hockey, written and directed by Larry Cohen. The film also featured Randy Velischek.[10]

In 2016, Daneyko was inducted into the Ukrainian Sports Hall of Fame.

Personal life

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Daneyko was a resident of North Caldwell, New Jersey.[11] He currently lives with his second wife Margaret. Daneyko was previously married to JonnaLyn Panico from 1992 to 2008. The couple had a daughter and a son.[12]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1979–80 Yorkton Terriers SJHL 60 2 24 26 102 — — — — —
1979–80 Great Falls Americans WHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1980–81 St. Albert Saints AJHL 1 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
1980–81 Spokane Flyers WHL 62 6 13 19 140 4 0 0 0 0
1981–82 St. Albert Saints AJHL 1 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
1981–82 Spokane Flyers WHL 26 1 11 12 147 — — — — —
1981–82 Seattle Breakers WHL 38 1 22 23 151 10 1 9 10 42
1982–83 Seattle Breakers WHL 69 17 43 60 150 4 1 3 4 14
1983–84 Kamloops Junior Oilers WHL 19 6 28 34 52 17 4 9 13 28
1983–84 New Jersey Devils NHL 11 1 4 5 17 — — — — —
1983–84 Kamloops Junior Oilers MC — — — — — 4 2 2 4 10
1984–85 Maine Mariners AHL 80 4 9 13 206 11 1 3 4 36
1984–85 New Jersey Devils NHL 1 0 0 0 10 — — — — —
1985–86 Maine Mariners AHL 21 3 2 5 75 — — — — —
1985–86 New Jersey Devils NHL 44 0 10 10 100 — — — — —
1986–87 New Jersey Devils NHL 79 2 12 14 183 — — — — —
1987–88 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 5 7 12 239 20 1 6 7 83
1988–89 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 5 5 10 283 — — — — —
1989–90 New Jersey Devils NHL 74 6 15 21 216 6 2 0 2 21
1990–91 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 4 16 20 249 7 0 1 1 10
1991–92 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 1 7 8 170 7 0 3 3 16
1992–93 New Jersey Devils NHL 84 2 11 13 236 5 0 0 0 8
1993–94 New Jersey Devils NHL 78 1 9 10 176 20 0 1 1 45
1994–95 New Jersey Devils NHL 25 1 2 3 54 20 1 0 1 22
1995–96 New Jersey Devils NHL 80 2 4 6 115 — — — — —
1996–97 New Jersey Devils NHL 77 2 7 9 70 10 0 0 0 28
1997–98 New Jersey Devils NHL 37 0 1 1 57 6 0 1 1 10
1998–99 New Jersey Devils NHL 82 2 9 11 63 7 0 0 0 8
1999–2000 New Jersey Devils NHL 78 0 6 6 98 23 1 2 3 14
2000–01 New Jersey Devils NHL 77 0 4 4 87 25 0 3 3 21
2001–02 New Jersey Devils NHL 67 0 6 6 60 6 0 0 0 8
2002–03 New Jersey Devils NHL 69 2 7 9 33 13 0 0 0 2
NHL totals 1,283 36 142 178 2,516 175 5 17 22 296

International

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Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
1986 Canada WC 7 0 0 0 0
1989 Canada WC 8 0 0 0 4
Senior totals 15 0 0 0 4

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Malinowski, Mark (April 11, 2010). "Ken Daneyko". The Hockey News. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Klein, Jeff (May 17, 2012). "Remembering 1994: Q. and A. With Ken Daneyko". The New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  3. ^ Mifflin, Laurie (June 10, 1982). "New Jersey Trades Ramage and Chooses a Trottier in Draft". The New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2010.(subscription required)
  4. ^ "Devils Suffer 9th Loss In Row". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 3, 1983. Retrieved April 7, 2010.(subscription required)
  5. ^ a b "3 Islanders To Return". The New York Times. February 7, 1984. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  6. ^ "Devils print edition stories from the Star-Ledger | New Jersey Devils – - New Jersey Devils Hockey | NHL News". NJ.com. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  7. ^ "NHL Substance Abuse History". ESPN. February 28, 2001. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Announcement at newjerseydevils.com Archived January 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos".
  10. ^ "Ice Hockey". IMDb. April 28, 2011.
  11. ^ Bautista, Justo. "DEVILS STAR ARRAIGNED ON SEX-CONTACT CHARGE", The Record (Bergen County), January 19, 1995. Accessed November 19, 2007. "The burly North Caldwell resident was released on his own recognizance pending a pretrial hearing in Superior Court in Paterson next Wednesday, a police source said. "
  12. ^ "Ken Daneyko". MSG.com. October 8, 2010. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
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Preceded by New Jersey Devils first round draft pick
1982 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Bill Masterton Trophy
2000 		Succeeded by
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