Daneyko to be honored by Devils for career as defenseman, broadcaster

Ken Daneyko earned the nickname "Mr. Devil" because of the relationship he had with fans and his commitment to winning during his 20 seasons as a defenseman with the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils will celebrate a career that spans 40 years as a player and broadcaster in a special tribute prior to their home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Prudential Center on Sunday (2 p.m. ET; SN, MSGSN, BSOH, ESPN+, SN NOW).
"The way he played, competed, his loyalty to winning, sacrificing himself or going to a teammate's rescue ... he was the prototype Devil," said Lou Lamoriello, the former Devils general manager from 1987-2015, who now holds the same position with the New York Islanders.
In Daneyko's first eight seasons as a full-time NHL player (1986-94), he missed 13 games, and played every game of a season five times. He retired not long after winning his third Stanley Cup title in 2003 as the Devils' leader in games played (1,283) and penalty minutes (2,516). He has played the most Stanley Cup Playoff games in their history (175) and in 2006 had his No. 3 retired by the Devils.
"It's kind of mind-boggling to think I've been with the organization 40 years now," Daneyko said. "The Devils have treated me like family and I'm grateful to ownership and their commitment to the history of the team. The fans are unbelievable. I was a blue-collar type of guy, so I think we embraced each other equally. Fans are what it's all about and I'm forever grateful to them."

Daneyko has served as a Devils television analyst for MSG Networks since 2006.
His life and legacy remain vivid in the eyes of all those who have played with or managed the 58-year-old. NHL.com caught up with many of them to share their memories of 'Dano' (listed alphabetically):
Martin Brodeur, teammate, 1991-2003
"He has such an infectious personality. You get to know him on the ice as a player, but you get to know him off the ice as 'The King' ... that's my nickname for him. He's a guy we all respected, and he played the game so hard. That's how he became such a popular guy with the fan base. I was fortunate in my career to play with Dano, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermeyer ... there's not many goalies who can say they played over 10 years with the same three or four guys, but I was lucky enough to do that with Dano. He just cared so much about winning. He would say to me before every overtime, 'Marty, I guess it's going to be up to me and you to decide if we're going to win this game.' Whenever he got penalties, it was always two minutes because he was 'too strong.' He kept it loose for us but was always so intense."

Sergei Brylin, teammate, 1994-2003
"Obviously, I call him Mr. Devil. He was a character guy and great for us in the room as rookies. He was funny in his unique way and it's not a surprise to me that he's doing television now and doing a good job. He made sure we were following the culture that was set before us and made sure we didn't get off the track. You felt a lot different when guys like Dano and Scott Stevens were on the ice with you, especially back in the day when hockey was a little bit different, a little more physical. But Dano brought the energy, the sacrifice and all those great things that play a huge difference in games."
Jim Dowd, teammate, 1992-96
"Dano was the ultimate team player and literally bled Devils colors. He had a great sense of humor, as well. I'll never forget my first NHL game (March 26, 1992). Dano said, 'Just do what you do, kid, and keep your stick up. Don't worry about a thing, I got your back.' Anyone who has ever played with Dano would walk across burning hot coals for him, knowing he'd do the same for you."
Bruce Driver, teammate, 1983-95
"Dano has the biggest heart I've ever seen. He'd do absolutely anything for his teammates. His nickname, Mr. Devil, is a huge compliment given him for his unwavering commitment to his teammates and the entire organization, including the New Jersey fan base and community. We all know he was a player who stood up and protected his teammates, but he let us know how tough and strong he was, in funny ways. After practice was over, and his ritual of legendary workouts were as well, he'd often pose in the mirror flexing his biceps, admiring himself and barking out to anyone within earshot, 'Anyone want to jump up on my bunk beds?' We would all be in stitches. When the playing rules in the NHL were a little different, players could get away with a little more. Kenny understood that his goalie needed to see the puck to have a better chance of stopping it, so part of his job was clearing the crease area of opposing players. Dano would occasionally crosscheck a player so hard that he'd be crumpled in the corner. The referee would raise his hand to signal a penalty and while heading to the penalty box, Kenny would yell at the official, 'You can't call that; that's just pure brute strength.' More belly laughs.
"We have heard many athletes in sports speak fondly of their teammates saying they were great players but better human beings. Kenny is at the top of that list."

Patrik Elias, teammate, 1995-2003
"It isn't often you have a veteran player that takes his time with the young guys, especially when I entered the League (1995-96). Even though we didn't speak much English, he took me and Petr (Sykora) for dinner; we had a great time. I think he's a great Devil because what you see is what you get from Kenny. There's no facade. That's why I feel lots of Devils fans go up to him and chat about anything, especially hockey. Maybe he wasn't the most talented guy on the ice, but Dano was so important to the success of our organization [with] the example he set for so many people and the young players. He proved that, with hard work, you can achieve anything you put your mind to. He'd always try to loosen up the atmosphere on the ice during a practice. During a shooting drill, he'd scream from the far blue line, 'incoming!' Like, he was warning us of the heaviest shot coming. But we all knew how hard it really was.
"I remember driving to a morning skate at Continental Arena (East Rutherford, New Jersey) with [Sykora] and we see a car driving so slow on the highway ahead of us so we pass it to see what's going on. There's Dano, reading a newspaper spread across the steering wheel. He looked at us and just smiled."
Bill Guerin, teammate, 1991-98
"He meant everything to the Devils. He'd show up every night and was just loyal to the team and that's why (late Devils owner) Dr. John J. McMullen had such a fondness for him because of his heart, soul, and dedication to the team. You always felt safe with Dano on the ice. He'd yell to me, 'Billy, come over here and get some inspiration' while he was flexing in the mirror. I remember coming off during warmups one night and he said, 'Billy, you're never going to understand what it feels like to be the most powerful man on the ice. But that's how I feel every [darn] time.' I always say everybody should have had a chance to at least play one year with Kenny for the one-liners alone. I was walking on the beach with him down the shore one summer; he had the long hair, goatee. Some guy comes walking up to him and says, 'You look like Jesus with muscles.' Dano turns around and says, 'No [crap].' "
Lou Lamoriello, Devils GM during Daneyko's career, 1987-2003
"In the 2003 Stanley Cup Final against Anaheim, Dano was one of three defenseman who potentially would be the sixth defenseman (including Richard Smehlik, Oleg Tverdovsky). Dano had a meeting with the other two players and said, 'Listen, the coach makes the decision who plays. No matter which one of us plays or doesn't play, one will be happy and two might be disappointed so don't let it affect anything in our practices, our demeanor.' This is all about winning and it was apropos that Kenny was on the ice for Game 7 of that series. He made that decision to have that meeting with the other two players, and if that doesn't say at all about how important winning is to Kenny, and also the logo on the front of the jersey, I don't know what does."
Jay Pandolfo, teammate, 1996-2003
"He was an incredible teammate. He was the identity of the Devils, the way he competed, the way he played. He played hard every single night, cared so much about the team and that's what the Devils were always about. It wasn't about the name on the back. Kenny embodied that more than anyone in that organization. He would do anything for his teammates, anything for the team. He won three Stanley Cups and you can never take that away from him. An amazing guy, amazing teammate."
Chico Resch, teammate, 1983-86
"He was always all in, bringing energy. He was going to bring smack. He was going to start to give us an identity and he did all that. Obviously, dropping the gloves and being tough, getting his teeth knocked out, were things that exemplified a player back in the day. I remember he showed me this clip once. We're playing the New York Rangers and the commentator at the time said, 'This Kenny Daneyko, out of Seattle in the Western Hockey League, is a real offensive defenseman.' We laugh about it. Dano was a lot but an offensive defenseman he was not."
Lindy Ruff, opponent, 1983-91
"I appreciated when I didn't have to play against him. He was a physical guy, a rugged guy. A guy that would take on anybody. I know him a little better now that I'm around him (as Devils coach), but as a guy you played against, he wasn't a guy you wanted to be on the ice against. He fit the way this team played at the time, how hard they played, and how hard they defended. Those guys were invaluable on teams."
Brendan Shanahan, teammate, 1987-91
"We were playing in Washington against the Capitals. John Cunniff was our coach (1989-91). We were killing a penalty, and late in the kill, Dano joined a 2-on-1 to make it a 3-on-1, got a pass and scored. You're always happy when your team scores, but when Dano scored, it was more celebratory. It was like we were happier because Dano was so happy. Two or three minutes later, we get a power play. The first unit goes out, doesn't score. Second unit goes on, doesn't score, but late in the advantage, whoever our defenseman was on the second unit must have come off. There was still about 12 seconds left and Dano gets into the offensive zone, the puck comes back to him, and he wires a slap shot that had eyes and found the net. Instead of celebrating with his teammates on the ice this time, though, Dano does a buttonhook and skates really hard to our bench. We're all standing and kind of laughing and cheering and then he stops in front of our bench. We're a little puzzled. He takes off his glove and holds up one finger and says, 'Short-handed goal.' Holds up another finger and says, 'Power-play goal.' Holds up a third finger and says, 'Fights their toughest guy.' Then he looks at us with that face and says, 'Anything else?' We all just hit the floor laughing and even Cunniff couldn't contain himself. I think even the Washington bench was kind of puzzled as to what he was doing, but that was Dano.
"When I was a rookie, I remember being in the gym one day and Dano walks in with his shirt off. He extends his arms straight out to his side, and says to me, 'Go ahead, kid, jump on my arms and do some pullups!' He was a competitor and a warrior really at a time when that identity hadn't been firmly established within the Devils organization. In some ways he was the first young player to come in and create that narrative that this team wasn't going to get pushed around without a response."