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Lou Lamoriello, CEO/President/General Manager of the New Jersey Devils recently said that, “Ken Daneyko is an individual who symbolizes the character of our entire organization. When you look at his career—his Loyalty, Work Ethic, Toughness, and Commitment represent what the New Jersey Devils are all about. Daneyko, who has won three Stanley Cups with the Devils, is the franchise leader in regular-season games played with 1,283, ranking fourth on the NHL’s all-time list for players who have spent their entire career with one team. He also leads the franchise in playoff games with 175. He had appeared in every Devils postseason game until Game 4 against the Boston Bruins, when his 165-game streak was snapped. Daneyko is considered to be the original New Jersey Devil, having been picked 18th overall in the first round of the 1982 draft, the first after the team ended it’s run as the Colorado Rockies in the 1981-82. He broke into the NHL in 1983-84, playing in 11 games. He spent all but one game of the 1984-85 season in the American Hockey League, before earning full-time duty with New Jersey in 1985-86. He finished the 2002-03 season with career totals of 36 goals, 142 assists and 2,519 penalty minutes. Daneyko, 39, appeared in 1,283-career regular-season National Hockey League games all of them with New Jersey. His games-played total is the most in team history and ranks 35th in league history. Daneyko was second to Detroit’s Steve Yzerman among active players and fourth overall among those who have spent their entire careers with one team. He also holds the franchise record, having appeared in 388 consecutive games from November 4, 1989 through March 24, 1994. The 6’1”, 215 lb. defenseman tallied 2,519-career penalty minutes the most in NHL history among players who have appeared with just one club. He led the Devils in penalty minutes six times overall, including five consecutive seasons from 1986-87 through 1990-91. Daneyko had career regular-season totals of 36 goals and 142 assists for 178 points and was a plus-78. He posted a career-high 21 points in 1989-90 and a plus-27 mark during the 1993-94 and 1998-99 seasons. Daneyko added five goals and 17 assists for 22 points and a team-record 296 penalty minutes during his playoff career. His 175 career post-season contests are a franchise record, and until this past season he had appeared in every game in team history. During his 18 full NHL seasons, 210 players appeared in at least one game with the Windsor, Ont. native. He had been on the Devils roster since 1983 longer than any current athlete in the four major professional sports leagues. Among Daneyko’s career highlights: Became the Devils all-time leader in games played with 935, surpassing John MacLean December 8, 1998 vs. Philadelphia; Appeared in his 1,000th NHL game October 29, 1999 at Carolina; Awarded the 2000 Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey as selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association; Won the 1986-87 Devils Unsung Hero Award and the 1989-90 Devils Good Guy Award. On March 24th 2006 The New Jersey Devils honored Daneyko by retiring his #3 jersey and raising it to hang permanently amongst the immortals at the Continental Airlines Arena. Daneyko became only the second player in the teams history to be awarded this distinction, the first was fellow defensemen Scott Stevens. Ken currently resides in New Jersey and has two children: daughter Taylor Lyn, and son Shane. He remains active in the community, representing the Devils in numerous charitable appearances. Daneyko currently serves as an analyst on MSG Network for both Devils games and Hockey Night Live, and as the hockey analyst for the Versus Network's first ever live nightly show, The Daily Line. In March of 2009, Ken began co-hosting his own show, "Ice Breakers", a sports, entertainment and lifestyle show on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio with fellow NHL and NJ Devils alum Jim Dowd. |
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