Bodyguard to Gretzky ‘a great teammate’
EDMONTON— Dave Semenko, who defined hockey’s tough guy role 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.
The Oilers confirmed Thursday that Semenko passed away in Edmonton, where he played the bulk of his pro career. He helped the Oilers win their first two Stanley Cups in 1984 and ‘85 while clearing the way for the “Great One” to pile up the points in a record-breaking Hall of Fame career.
“One of the first Oilers I met in1978, I didn’t know at the time the impact (Semenko) would have in my life and my career,” Gretzky said in a statement. “He was the toughest player I knew and yet the biggest Teddy Bear you would ever know
“A beloved Oiler that will be missed dearly because of his kind heart and funny sense of humour. He made us all better people. RIP # 27, thanks for your friendship.”
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.”
“He really kept us all grounded,” Lowe said Thursday at a press conference with some of Semenko’s former teammates.
“He had an incredible wit and he reminded us often of who we are, and not allow for our heads to get bigger than they were.”
“The greatest of all time are up in the (rafters) at Rogers Place, but those greats couldn’t have done it without the support and aid of Dave Semenko.”
Lowe said the cancer was detected about three weeks ago at a medical appointment, and his condition rapidly deteriorated.
“Unfortunately this wasn’t his fight to win,” said Hall of Fame defenceman Paul Coffey. “It’s a terrible disease. He’s the biggest guy I’ve seen taken down that fast. But he did it with dignity, surrounded by his (loved ones).” Semenko, a Winnipeg native, played for years with the Brandon Wheat Kings before being drafted 25th overall by the NHL’s Minnesota North Stars and 21st overall by the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros in the leagues’ respective 1977 drafts.
He 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. Over that time he amassed 1,279 penalty minutes over 596 WHA and NHL games while opening up the ice for Gretzky and the Oilers’ skilled players.
“The news of Dave passing this morning literally took my breath away,” Hall of Famer Mark Messier, a longtime teammate of Semenko, said in a statement.
“I loved Semenk like we all did. He was a great teammate, a loyal friend, a loving father, and a worthy champion. Rest in peace my friend.”
Semenko’s famed scrapping skills off the ice earned him a fight with a 41-year-old Ali in an exhibition bout on June 12, 1983 that was organized by Messier’s uncle Larry.
The three-round match, took in by some 6,000 fans in Edmonton, was judged a draw, though The Associated Press’s report on the fight said Ali, a three-time world heavyweight champion who had recently retired, mostly toyed with Semenko.
Semenko retired after the 1987-88 NHL season. He had 65 goals, 88 assists and 1,175 penalty minutes in 575 NHL games with Edmonton, Hartford and Toronto, and 16 goals, 20 assists and 298 penalty minutes in 142 WHA games with the Oilers.