MeanGene
07-11-2003, 11:38 AM
http://nhl.com/onthefly/news/2003/07/146123.html
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com | July 11, 2003
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The more Ken Daneyko thought about it, hanging up his skates was a lot more palatable after winning the Stanley Cup. After all, few players are afforded the opportunity to go out as champions.
Daneyko, the throwback defensive defenseman of the Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, announced his retirement Friday morning at a press conference at the aptly named Winners club at Continental Airlines Arena, where Daneyko completed a Stanley Cup hat trick a little more than a month ago as New Jersey defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a climatic seventh game.
The emotion of that night was so vivid and heartfelt that Daneyko figures it won't be topped. So, he will make way for some young defensemen to step into the Devils' lineup, young defensemen who can only hope to have a career as successful as Daneyko.
In an era where big-name stars play for multiple teams, Daneyko was a throwback, having been drafted by New Jersey with the 18th selection of the 1982 Entry Draft. He never left, becoming the Garden State's sporting equivalent of Bruce Springsteen.
Daneyko realized he was facing a reduced role with the Devils this past season. He missed 13 regular-season games as coach Pat Burns rotated some of his defensemen, and Daneyko's streak of having played in every New Jersey Stanley Cup Playoff game ended in the first round against the Boston Bruins when he was a healthy scratch. In all, Daneyko was scratched for 11 of the Devils' 24 games in the 2003 postseason, certainly a bitter disappointment.
Related Links
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daneyko Photo Gallery
2002-2003 Devils team stats
Devils official website
Chat about Daneyko
But Daneyko didn't become a distraction. He embodied the team-first approach that has come to symbolize the Devils' approach and remained a positive, supportive presence among his teammates.
"Even when you're out of the lineup you can contribute," Daneyko said after the Devils' Cup triumph. "This right now is very special; regardless of the role or whatever it may be. I've been in a lot of games and it's not about that. It's about winning and with this organization and this team and these guys. I'm very excited to be in this position again. A lot of guys play their whole lives to try to get here. Thank God I've been very fortunate to be here four times with a group of guys -- about five or six of them -- who've been with me through it all and I've been with them through it all."
Burns played a hunch in Game 7, dressing Daneyko for the first time in the Finals. But the coach insisted he wasn't being sentimental about what was possibly Daneyko's final game, but rather pragmatic in using a veteran player and team leader in what was going to be the most pressure-packed game of the season. The move paid off as the Devils pitched a shutout to win the Cup and Daneyko, cheered lustily by fans throughout, was on the ice in the game's final seconds to savor his third Stanley Cup with the Devils.
"It was a real nice touch that Pat put me out in the last minute," Daneyko said. "I was so damned nervous, I dropped my stick, I did everything. I didn't know what to do out there. I was trying to follow the puck, swim it up. I was shocked, really, like I said earlier. I really didn't expect it, and like I said, with guys like this it was pretty easy, guys working this hard, I was just trying to do my little part.
"I'm just grateful that Pat showed faith in me," Daneyko said of his coach's decision. "I was flabbergasted when he told me. But this group of guys makes it so easy to play. To have another opportunity with this group of guys is very special and you don't take that for granted, especially at my stage of my career."
Daneyko was an intimidating presence on the Devils' blue line for nearly two decades.
"I talked to Scotty Stevens about it," Burns said of the decision to insert Daneyko into the lineup. "Scotty said, 'You know what, I think it would be good.' We knew (Daneyko) wasn't going to get 20 minutes, 25 minutes of ice time, but his presence -- and you saw the fans -- and I'm glad for him. You know, to be able to get him in there one last time, to hoist that Cup was something for him I'm sure he won't forget."
"I was nervous like a kid. I told my wife 'I don't know if this is the right decision. She said; 'Just relax. You've done this thing for 20 years,'" Daneyko said. "Like I said, I thought Pat might have been a little bit crazy, but, hey, it was a nice feeling to get back.
"This was a special, special moment."
"He was the perfect guy for the job with all the experience he has," forward Jim McKenzie said. "He acted like he was 20-years-old. He had 20-year-old legs out there, but the difference was obviously being the age he is gave him the experience that the 20-year-old doesn't have. It was just incredible the way he stepped in. He kind of gave me the heads up when he knew that he was in and from that moment on I just kept watching him. He was so excited. He brought that excitement to the room tonight."
Daneyko, who was the winner of the 2000 Masterton Trophy for dedication to hockey in addition to three Stanley Cups, leaves an indelible impression on the New Jersey franchise. In all, he appeared in 1,283 regular-season games, scoring 36 goals and 142 assists. He picked up 2,514 penalty minutes and was a plus-80 for his career.
In 175 Stanley Cup Playoff games, Daneyko added five more goals and 17 additional assists as well as 296 penalty minutes. For his postseason career, Daneyko was a plus-19.
But those numbers don't do justice to the role Daneyko played with the Devils. He played tough, hard-nosed defense, cleared the front of his net, played through pain and wore his heart on his sleeve.
And now he skates off into the sunset with the Stanley Cup held over head.
It doesn't get much better than that.
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com | July 11, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The more Ken Daneyko thought about it, hanging up his skates was a lot more palatable after winning the Stanley Cup. After all, few players are afforded the opportunity to go out as champions.
Daneyko, the throwback defensive defenseman of the Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, announced his retirement Friday morning at a press conference at the aptly named Winners club at Continental Airlines Arena, where Daneyko completed a Stanley Cup hat trick a little more than a month ago as New Jersey defeated the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in a climatic seventh game.
The emotion of that night was so vivid and heartfelt that Daneyko figures it won't be topped. So, he will make way for some young defensemen to step into the Devils' lineup, young defensemen who can only hope to have a career as successful as Daneyko.
In an era where big-name stars play for multiple teams, Daneyko was a throwback, having been drafted by New Jersey with the 18th selection of the 1982 Entry Draft. He never left, becoming the Garden State's sporting equivalent of Bruce Springsteen.
Daneyko realized he was facing a reduced role with the Devils this past season. He missed 13 regular-season games as coach Pat Burns rotated some of his defensemen, and Daneyko's streak of having played in every New Jersey Stanley Cup Playoff game ended in the first round against the Boston Bruins when he was a healthy scratch. In all, Daneyko was scratched for 11 of the Devils' 24 games in the 2003 postseason, certainly a bitter disappointment.
Related Links
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daneyko Photo Gallery
2002-2003 Devils team stats
Devils official website
Chat about Daneyko
But Daneyko didn't become a distraction. He embodied the team-first approach that has come to symbolize the Devils' approach and remained a positive, supportive presence among his teammates.
"Even when you're out of the lineup you can contribute," Daneyko said after the Devils' Cup triumph. "This right now is very special; regardless of the role or whatever it may be. I've been in a lot of games and it's not about that. It's about winning and with this organization and this team and these guys. I'm very excited to be in this position again. A lot of guys play their whole lives to try to get here. Thank God I've been very fortunate to be here four times with a group of guys -- about five or six of them -- who've been with me through it all and I've been with them through it all."
Burns played a hunch in Game 7, dressing Daneyko for the first time in the Finals. But the coach insisted he wasn't being sentimental about what was possibly Daneyko's final game, but rather pragmatic in using a veteran player and team leader in what was going to be the most pressure-packed game of the season. The move paid off as the Devils pitched a shutout to win the Cup and Daneyko, cheered lustily by fans throughout, was on the ice in the game's final seconds to savor his third Stanley Cup with the Devils.
"It was a real nice touch that Pat put me out in the last minute," Daneyko said. "I was so damned nervous, I dropped my stick, I did everything. I didn't know what to do out there. I was trying to follow the puck, swim it up. I was shocked, really, like I said earlier. I really didn't expect it, and like I said, with guys like this it was pretty easy, guys working this hard, I was just trying to do my little part.
"I'm just grateful that Pat showed faith in me," Daneyko said of his coach's decision. "I was flabbergasted when he told me. But this group of guys makes it so easy to play. To have another opportunity with this group of guys is very special and you don't take that for granted, especially at my stage of my career."
Daneyko was an intimidating presence on the Devils' blue line for nearly two decades.
"I talked to Scotty Stevens about it," Burns said of the decision to insert Daneyko into the lineup. "Scotty said, 'You know what, I think it would be good.' We knew (Daneyko) wasn't going to get 20 minutes, 25 minutes of ice time, but his presence -- and you saw the fans -- and I'm glad for him. You know, to be able to get him in there one last time, to hoist that Cup was something for him I'm sure he won't forget."
"I was nervous like a kid. I told my wife 'I don't know if this is the right decision. She said; 'Just relax. You've done this thing for 20 years,'" Daneyko said. "Like I said, I thought Pat might have been a little bit crazy, but, hey, it was a nice feeling to get back.
"This was a special, special moment."
"He was the perfect guy for the job with all the experience he has," forward Jim McKenzie said. "He acted like he was 20-years-old. He had 20-year-old legs out there, but the difference was obviously being the age he is gave him the experience that the 20-year-old doesn't have. It was just incredible the way he stepped in. He kind of gave me the heads up when he knew that he was in and from that moment on I just kept watching him. He was so excited. He brought that excitement to the room tonight."
Daneyko, who was the winner of the 2000 Masterton Trophy for dedication to hockey in addition to three Stanley Cups, leaves an indelible impression on the New Jersey franchise. In all, he appeared in 1,283 regular-season games, scoring 36 goals and 142 assists. He picked up 2,514 penalty minutes and was a plus-80 for his career.
In 175 Stanley Cup Playoff games, Daneyko added five more goals and 17 additional assists as well as 296 penalty minutes. For his postseason career, Daneyko was a plus-19.
But those numbers don't do justice to the role Daneyko played with the Devils. He played tough, hard-nosed defense, cleared the front of his net, played through pain and wore his heart on his sleeve.
And now he skates off into the sunset with the Stanley Cup held over head.
It doesn't get much better than that.