Oilers enforcer cleared ice for Gretzky
EDMONTON Dave Semenko, the former NHL tough guy who served as Wayne Gretzky’s bodyguard and once went three rounds with boxing legend Muhammad Ali, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 59.
“Dave will be remembered as a fierce competitor, loyal teammate, fan favourite and dear friend to so many,” the Oilers said in a statement.
“His legendary toughness on the ice is surpassed only by his kindness and caring for others, and his equally legendary wit and sense of humour.”
In an era where hulking enforcers roamed the ice alongside the league’s top stars, Semenko was one of the toughest. And he had plenty of competition, often going toe-to-toe with the likes of Bob Probert, Basil McRae and Tim Hunter, who served a similar role for the archrival Flames.
Oilers executive Kevin Lowe, a star defenceman on Edmonton’s Stanley Cup champion squads, called Semenko the “Wayne Gretzky of the tough guys” in his book Champions.
Semenko, a Winnipeg native, started his pro career in 1977-78 with the Oilers, when the team was still in the WHA, and played in Edmonton until he was traded to Hartford on Dec. 12, 1986.
He amassed 1,279 penalty minutes over 596 WHA and NHL games while opening up the ice for Gretzky and the Oilers’ skilled forwards. He helped Edmonton win its first two Stanley Cups in 1984 and ’85.
Semenko’s famed scrapping skills off the ice earned him a fight with a 41-year-old Ali in an exhibition bout in 1983. The three-round match, taken in by some 6,000 fans in Edmonton, was judged a draw, though The Associated Press’s report said Ali mostly toyed with Semenko.
Semenko retired after the 198788 NHL season.
He had 65 goals, 88 assists and 1,175 penalty minutes in 575 NHL games with Edmonton, Hartford and Toronto.