David John Semenko (July 12, 1957 – June 29, 2017) was a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

player, coach, scout and

colour commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...

. During his

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL) career, Semenko played for the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

and

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

as an enforcer. During his tenure with Edmonton, he notably protected

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

as an "on-ice bodyguard" during Gretzky's early career. Semenko won two

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

s with the Oilers in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. He was also the last player to score a goal in the

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

(WHA) before it folded and merged with the NHL. Following his retirement as a player, he became a radio commentator of Oilers' games. Semenko died on June 29, 2017, from

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...

and

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a mass. These cancerous cells have the ability to invade other parts of the body. A number of types of pancr ...

Career

Semenko played junior hockey for the

Brandon Wheat Kings The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They are members of the Western Hockey League (WHL) since joining the league in the 1967–68 season. Previously, they played in the Manitoba Junior Hocke ...

. He was originally selected 25th overall in 1977 by the

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

of the NHL and the Houston Aeros of the

(WHA). The Aeros traded Semenko to the Oilers just before their 1977–78 season. He spent his first two professional years as a member of the Oilers in the WHA before the

NHL–WHA merger The 1979 NHL expansion was the culmination of several years of negotiations between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the World Hockey Association (WHA) that resulted in the WHA and its six surviving franchises folding in return for the owners ...

. He scored the final goal in WHA history in Game 6 of the 1979 Avco Cup finals, which the Oilers lost to the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

.The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association, p.241, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, ON, When the Oilers joined the NHL, Semenko's rights were retained by the North Stars. The Oilers traded their second-and third-round draft picks in the

1979 NHL Entry Draft The 1979 NHL Entry Draft was the 17th NHL Entry Draft. It took place on August 9, 1979, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 126 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in ...

to acquire his rights from the North Stars, who then drafted future

United States Hockey Hall of Fame The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...

Neal Broten Neal LaMoy Broten (born November 29, 1959) is an American former professional ice hockey player. A member of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at Lake Placid in 1980, Broten was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in ...

. The trade also gave the Oilers a third round pick, which was used to select future Oilers superstar and Hockey Hall of Famer

Mark Messier Mark John Douglas Messier (; born January 18, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League (NHL). His playing career in the NHL lasted 25 years ( 1979–2004) with the Edmonton Oilers and New York Range ...

. An acknowledged enforcer, Semenko was

's "on-ice bodyguard" early in Gretzky's career in Edmonton, beginning in the WHA in 1978 and ending when Semenko was traded to the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

. Semenko is considered one of the toughest players ever in the NHL. After Gretzky won a car for being chosen as the MVP of the 1983 NHL All-Star game, he gifted the car to Semenko to show his appreciation for his on-ice work. Semenko fought boxing legend

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...

in an exhibition on June 12, 1983. The match was officially a draw after going three rounds, but the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

reported Ali was not seriously trying and was just toying with Semenko. After brief stops with the Hartford Whalers and

, Semenko retired following the 1987–88 season. He finished his 575-game NHL career with 65 goals, 153 points and 1,175 penalty minutes. Semenko also recorded 70 fights over his career.

Retirement and death

After retiring, Semenko became a

on Oilers radio broadcasts and was an assistant coach with the Oilers during the 1996–97 season. He also served as a professional scout for the team from 1997 until 2015. Semenko died on June 29, 2017, at the age of 59, shortly after being diagnosed with

and

. His funeral was held at Rogers Place in Edmonton, which was open for the public to attend.

Career statistics

Awards and achievements

*2x

Championships (1984 & 1985) *"Honoured Member" of the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

*Earned the nickname "Sammy" or Semenk by his fans; known as "Cement Head" among rival fans *Published an autobiography in 1989 titled ''Looking Out for Number One''.

Exhibition boxing record

References

External links

*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Semenko, Dave 1957 births 2017 deaths Brandon Travellers players Brandon Wheat Kings players Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian ice hockey left wingers Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Deaths from cancer in Alberta Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from pancreatic cancer Edmonton Oilers (WHA) players Edmonton Oilers announcers Edmonton Oilers coaches Edmonton Oilers players Edmonton Oilers scouts Hartford Whalers players Houston Aeros draft picks Ice hockey people from Manitoba Minnesota North Stars draft picks Sportspeople from Winnipeg Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Wichita Wind players