User:FutureNJGov/sandbox/Daneyko

Kenneth Stephen "Ken" Daneyko (born April 17, 1964, in Edmonton, Alberta) is a retired ice hockey defenceman who played his entire career (1983–2003) with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League, winning three Stanley Cup championships with the team.

Junior career
Daneyko was drafted in the 1st round (18th overall) in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, the second pick of the New Jersey Devils after the franchise relocated from Colorado; when he was drafted the Devils had not yet chosen a team name.

1983–1988
Daneyko started the 1983–84 season on the Devils roster, and scored his first NHL goal in a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately, he cracked his fibula during a game against the Hartford Whalers and missed over 40 games. After his injury healed, he was designated to the Kamloops Junior Oilers of the WHL for the remainder of the season, where he posted 34 points in 19 games. The following season he was assigned to the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League, where he spent almost the entire season; he played in the season finale against the Philadelphia Flyers, after injuries to defencemen Phil Russell and Bruce Driver necessitated his emergency call-up. Daneyko scored no points, but had 10 penalty minutes in the game. In his year in Maine, Daneyko played 80 games and posted only 13 points, but racked up 206 penalty minutes. He would continue this balance of low scoring and high penalty minutes throughout most of his career.

Daneyko began the 1985–86 season once again on the Devils roster. In October, he was suspended for one game and fined $500 for practicing with the West German team Mannheimer ERC. In November, he was reassigned to Maine along with Randy Velischek, due to an overabundance of defencemen on the roster. He returned to the Devils roster in January, and finished the season with no goals and ten assists in 44 games. The defensive corps of the Devils at the start of the 1986–87 campaign was a young group; Daneyko, Joe Cirella, Driver, Uli Hiemer, Dave Pichette, Velischek and Craig Wolanin were all under the age of 25. The season would prove to be the breakout season for Daneyko, as he earned a full-time spot on the roster, and posted two goals and 12 assists in 79 games. He missed a handful of games in February of 1987 with a bruised wrist.

After re-signing with the Devils before the 1987–88 season, the Devils looked to Daneyko to lead the defense. The Devils allowed the most goals in the league (386) the year before, and coach Doug Carpenter and new general manager Lou Lamoriello wanted to improve their defense to make the playoffs for the first time in team history. The team began the season strong, starting off 12-5-1 ; however, a midseason slump led to Lamoriello firing Carpenter and replacing him with Jim Schoenfeld. With the addition of rookie goaltender Sean Burke, the Devils surged back, and going into the final game of the season, were tied with the rival New York Rangers. After the Rangers beat the Quebec Nordiques, the Devils needed a victory over the Chicago Blackhawks to make the playoffs. Daneyko scored in the second period, and John MacLean tied the game late in regulation and scored again in overtime, sending the Devils to their first playoff berth in history. The Devils defeated the New York Islanders in the first round; Daneyko scored the game-winning goal in the third game. Next, the Devils eliminated the Washington Capitals in the Patrick Division Finals, before falling to the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. Daneyko finished the playoffs with one goal and six assists in 20 games.

1989-1994
Daneyko and the Devils looked to continue their success the following year. Lamoriello wanted to add Soviet defenceman Viacheslav Fetisov, considered one of the greatest defenceman in the world, whose rights the Devils owned. Red tape prevented Fetisov from joining the Devils that season, but the defense remained strong. 24-year-old Daneyko was considered one of the veterans on a young team. He scored his first goal of the season in a December tie with Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, the Devils were unable to repeat their success, and finished the season fifth in the Patrick Division. Daneyko set a career high with 283 penalty minutes on the season, and had five goals and five assists.

Fetisov, along with teammate Sergei Starikov, would join the team for the start of the 1989–90 season; their addition forced Daneyko out of the lineup early on. Daneyko would make his season debut in a victory over the Hartford Whalers. He would suffer a thumb injury in late October that would force him out of several games. Upon his return, he scored two goals in a 6-3 win over the Quebec Nordiques; however, he was also responsible for an own goal. He would have another two-goal game later in the season against the Capitals in a 9-6 loss. In a 1-1 tie against the Detroit Red Wings, Daneyko would score a shorthanded goal, a rarity for the defensive-minded defenceman. He would finish the season with 6 goals and 21 points, both career highs; his 219 penalty minutes once again led the team. The Devils made it to the playoffs, but fell in the opening round to Washington. Daneyko scored two goals in the six-game series, the most he would ever score in one playoff.

Daneyko's reputation as a physical player began to take hold in the 1990–91 season. Ironically, owner John McMullen felt Daneyko would start contributing more offensively after his 21-point season. Although he was good for four goals and 16 assists, with 249 penalty minutes, this would mark the last time Daneyko would reach the 20-point plateau; he never scored more than 13 in a season for the rest of his career. The Devils finished fourth in the Patrick Division and made the playoffs, but they were once again ousted in the opening round, this time by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. In the off-season, the Devils made two moves that would change the face of their franchise. The first was trading with the Calgary Flames to get the 18th overall selection in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft to take goaltender Martin Brodeur. The second would be acquiring defenceman Scott Stevens as compensation for losing Brendan Shanahan to the St. Louis Blues.

Stevens' $875,000-per-year contract caused problems in the Devils locker room, and several players, including Daneyko, said they wanted more money. Daneyko went so far as to refuse to report to camp, and held out for more money. Stevens, in turn, refused to report to the Devils, and the tension escalated once Devils captain Kirk Muller, who was also holding out in a contract dispute, was traded to the Montreal Canadiens. Daneyko would eventually report to camp, as did Stevens. Daneyko would have his worst season statistically, finishing with just one goal and seven assists. He added three assists in the Devils' first-round playoff loss to their hated rivals, the New York Rangers. In the 1992–93 season, Daneyko was part of one of the league's top defensive corps; along with Stevens, Driver, and Fetisov, the Devils featured Soviet star Alexei Kasatonov, Swede Tommy Albelin, and rookie Scott Niedermayer. Daneyko, who by this time was the franchise leader in penalty minutes, was expected to be the defensive anchor while the other defencemen contributed to the offensive attack. He was able to add a goal during a 8-3 drubbing of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and scored another one against the Rangers. Daneyko's name was mentioned as trade bait during the season, as Winnipeg Jets general manager Mike Smith said he wanted Daneyko as part of a trade for Jets center Ed Olczyk; Olczyk would end up going to the Rangers. Daneyko scored 11 assists in addition to his two goals for the season, and had 236 penalty minutes. For the fourth straight year, however, the Devils were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, this time by Pittsburgh.

During the offseason, Daneyko signed a new four-year contract, worth over $800,000 per year. He responded by scoring the game-winning goal in the Devils' opening night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Daneyko spent most of the season paired with Stevens on defence. His consecutive-games played streak was broken at 388 games in March, after suffering a separated shoulder in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. He was able to return for the Devils' first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres. Daneyko had one assist in 20 playoff games, as the Devils advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were eliminated in double-overtime in Game 7 by their arch-rivals, the Rangers.