INTERVIEW: Three-time Stanley Cup champion Ken Daneyko on winning, retiring and his Ukrainian heritage

by Andrew Nynka

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Prior to his retirement, Ken Daneyko, a 20-year veteran in the National Hockey League, had often been called an ironman, in large part due to his intimidating and physical style of play coupled with the number of games he played. During a career spent entirely with the New Jersey Devils the 39-year-old self-proclaimed Ukrainian Canadian seldom missed a game - in one instance, he put together a string of 388 consecutive games played, a team record he still holds.

His Devils teammates have often called Daneyko an unsung hero - he was never selected to an NHL All-Star game and his scoring statistics are typical of a defenseman. But, as a member of the Devils, Daneyko won three Stanley Cups, in 1995, 2000 and 2003, and was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2000 for his perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

Now retired from hockey, Daneyko is opening a restaurant, health club and a building maintenance company in New Jersey, where he lives with his wife and two children.

During an exclusive interview with The Ukrainian Weekly, Daneyko spoke about his ethnic background, his love of Ukrainian food and his career with the New Jersey Devils. The following is an edited portion of that telephone interview.

Q: My first question regards your ethnic background. Throughout your professional hockey career our readership has often speculated that you are Ukrainian. What is your background? Are you Ukrainian?

A: Well everybody thinks from my name I am but actually my father was born in East Germany. The name Daneyko [Da-néy-ko], as it's pronounced in Europe, is East German, but it is probably of Eastern European descent. But, ironically, my mother is full-blood Ukrainian. So it's not by the name. Everybody thinks that [the Ukrainian background] is from my father's side, but it's not my father's side, it's my mother's.

Q: What is your mother's maiden name?

A: Lelek. My grandmother, who just passed away a few years ago at 93 years old, she was born in Ukraine, so I've had many pierogies and pyrohy. It's probably my favorite food in the world and my mother makes pierogies as good as anybody, so anytime I go back to Edmonton, where I'm from, that's certainly the meal I ask her for.

Q: So your mom still lives there?

A: My mother lives in Canada - Edmonton, Alberta, you could say - which has a big Ukrainian population.

Q: Are there any places on the road, when you were traveling with the Devils, that you could get pyrohy?

A: Well, I didn't hunt it out too much but I know that when Winnipeg was in the league I used to go to Winnipeg and there was a place there that had them. And there's a lady here in New Jersey who is a big Devils fan, on the Devils' booster club, and she had given me a big Tupperware full of them one time and I saw her again when I spoke at the fan club meeting.

Q: You are referring to Christine Bytz. Is that right?

A: Yeah, and she lives in my neighborhood, I guess. She said [the offer of providing pyrohy was available] anytime. I'm probably going to take her up on it again because I do miss them. I know that, watching my mother over the years [making pyrohy], it is very time-consuming. My wife's Italian - Italian-Irish - and my mother taught my wife to make them, but I get them only once in a while, once in a blue moon, because it's time-consuming. But I love them with the bacon bits and the sour cream caked on.

Q: You signed a one-day contract last year with the Newark Bears - a minor league baseball team.

A: Yeah (laughing), well I'm a huge sports fanatic. Even with regard to my broadcasting - I've done some shows on WFAN 660 [radio] - and they've given me an opportunity to talk about a lot of other sports, not just hockey. But I was a huge baseball fan; grew up playing it a lot and was decent at it when I was younger, but obviously I didn't get to it as much because hockey took over and we had the cold weather where I was from. [Playing with the Newark Bears] was a great thrill. I felt like a little kid. They were honoring my career and gave me an opportunity to take an at-bat and I made contact and lined out. I felt like a 39-year-old rookie, like a kid.

Q: So you got an at-bat?

A: Oh yeah. They were going to play me the whole game, actually. That at first scared me a little bit and then when I made contact I was all excited. I was actually even going to pitch the last inning because I'm a lefty and I love doing that. But it was a nothing game then. It was a regular season game, but they weren't going into the playoffs and it was the second to last game of the year. But after my at-bat [the game] got called for rain, so unfortunately we didn't continue. But it was a great thrill for me.

Q: Did you get to play the field at all?

A: Well, no. Originally I was the [designated hitter] and then I was going to get to pitch the last inning (laughing). I was like a little kid.

Q: Where did you line out to?

A: Short stop (laughing). I actually made pretty good contact. That was where I was pleasantly surprised. He threw it hard, probably grooved it down the middle, but if they were throwing any junk I would have been in trouble. It was a fast ball. I swung at the first pitch because I didn't want to wait to make contact (laughing). But I made contact, which was a great thrill for me. But I have the utmost respect for baseball players. I know how difficult it is. It was a great thrill because they treated me real nice.

Q: You spent an entire career playing one of the most demanding, physically challenging and mentally grueling sports at the highest level of competition. How did you continue - how did you cope - when your body or mind perhaps at times just didn't want to go on?

A: You hear a lot about that, but I just loved to play. I was very fortunate that I stayed relatively healthy. Everybody knows my trademark smile with no teeth, so if that's the worst of it I'm not too bad. But I've had some injuries and broken bones, and I tore a knee ligament over my career. It sounds like a lot, but overall I was pretty fortunate because I got out of the game playing close to 1,300 games and over 180 in the playoffs. My body feels relatively good so I don't take that for granted anymore. I feel very fortunate.

What's the reason for me to get out there? You don't play as long as I did if you don't have a passion for it. I wasn't the most talented, but I certainly loved the game as much as anybody and worked extremely hard. I took pride in not missing many games, especially because I played a very physical style.

Q: Speaking of playing your career with one team - 18 years with the Devils ...

A: Well, I like to say it's 20 really. Everybody says 18, but my first game was in 1983 and my last game was in 2003, it's just that I missed a few games here and there.

Q: OK, then, 20 years with the Devils. What was that like, and how did the Devils treat you?

A: They treated me with the utmost respect. Never in a million years did I ever expect to play my entire career in one place. I was drafted in 1982 when they had just moved the team. That was the first year in New Jersey. They had moved the team from Colorado. Frankly, I really didn't know where New Jersey was when I was coming from western Canada. But I knew they weren't that good a team in Colorado and I was excited to go anywhere because that would give me an opportunity to play, I thought, quicker. But, I love New Jersey, and the community has embraced me, and I've felt very fortunate to play with one organization. The original owner who brought me here, Mr. [John] McMullen, a good guy from New Jersey who I've remained very close to, he's almost been like a father figure to me. There are a lot of corporate owners now in big league sports and he treated me like family, as well as my family.

Q: What about last year's playoffs. There was a string of games during the playoffs where you weren't played; you were a healthy scratch. Why was that? What was the reason behind your not being played?

A: Well, I was getting older and that was the coach's decision to play other guys along the way. You know, you always want to be in but I was 39 years old. I hadn't missed a playoff game in the team's history up until then, so it was a pretty good run. I did play 13 of 24 games in the playoffs.

Q: Was there a point where you figured you wouldn't get to play? Were you surprised that you got the opportunity to play in the finals?

A: I thought I was going to go in earlier, to tell you the truth, but coaches have tough decisions and that's the decision he [head coach Pat Burns] made. But to get back into Game 7 I was pleasantly surprised. On the other hand, I was a little apprehensive because even though I've played as many Game 7s as anyone in the league, I hadn't played in two weeks and I just didn't know how I would feel. At that point I just wanted whatever was best for the team and I wanted to win. But my wife convinced me I could do it and said, "You've done this for years, and this is the way it's supposed to be, and things are meant to happen a certain way." I knew it possibly could be my last year and last game 7 and it was a historical setting, that's for sure.

Q: Would you consider that one of the most memorable moments of your career?

A: Oh, I think so. No doubt about it.

Q: Do any others stand out?

A: Well, there's a lot of them when you win three cups. A lot of things stand out, that's for sure.

Q: You were never chosen to an All-Star Team. Is that right?

A: Yeah, I was one of the unheralded guys. You know I was very defense-oriented and All-Star games have a tendency to be more by statistics - guys are picked that put up points. It was all about winning for me, that's for sure. That was the bottom line, to win. And that was good enough to keep me on the team for 20 years.

Everybody has a role, and I think that, in any aspect of life, especially in a team sport, you have to understand your role and what you're capable of. I feel very fortunate to have played as long as I did under my role. I understood what made me successful and how best I could help my team. Obviously that meant keeping the puck out of my net, and I always played a very physical and aggressive style. So that was what helped my team win and I understood that for a long time.

Like I said, I think that's the reason why I stayed with the team so long; because they knew that whatever I did, regarding my aspect of the game, it was going to be conducive to winning.

Q: Do you regret not having been selected to play in an All-Star game?

A: Truthfully, no. It's not something I focus on. Personal accolades don't really mean a whole lot to me. The most important thing was to win championships, and I think our whole team and organization has that mentality. You know we've got a lot of stars on our team and they didn't all get recognized until this year. We had three [All-Star Team] starters without a lot of fanfare, and, as you know, starters are chosen by the fans. So I knew we had stars here but everybody sacrifices for the team and it's about winning.

No one part is bigger than the engine and that's been our philosophy. We've certainly been very successful ever since Lou Lamoriello, our general manager, came here, and he's gotten everybody to buy into it. I understood, being here for a while, that I was a leader on the team and respected a great deal and that was something I took pride in.

Q: With regard to your future with the Devils, do you have any career plans?

A: I currently work with the team in community relations. I do a lot with big corporations, and I also do broadcasting for WFAN and I do stuff for FOX for the NHL. But I wouldn't mind one day being involved with the player development side, even possibly general manager, which has intrigued me. I've studied the players and I think I know the game well. That's something that would interest me, even more so than coaching.

But right now I'm just doing the broadcasting career and I've done that for a long time. Even when I was finishing up my career I had done a lot of stuff with WFAN radio and I'm continuing to do that, and possibly with Fox for the Devils. So that right now keeps me very busy, and I'm opening a couple of businesses in New Jersey so I've got my hands full.

Q: I think it's safe to say that you have been regarded as one of the toughest players to have played the game. Does that image fit with reality? Do you see yourself as one of the toughest to have played the game?

A: Well, you can define toughness in a lot of ways but certainly, in my prime, yes (laughing).

Q: I meant even just the mental aspect - playing for 20 years in the NHL and having missed as few games as you have must have taken a toll on you mentally.

A: Well, it does. I knew I had to have a hard work ethic. Like I said, I understood my role, I understood that I wasn't the most talented. I had to bring something else to the table. Everybody knows hockey is a very physical game. Having said that, it's not just on-the-ice toughness but being mentally tough and having the will to win. I think that's all part of toughness, and I think that's something I certainly believe I brought to the organization and my game.

Q: Was there ever a point in your career when you thought you might leave the team?

A: There was the option to leave via free agency, but I never really considered it because my heart was in New Jersey and with this one organization. I'm a little bit old-fashioned, old school, that way. I passed up a couple of dollars along the way in that regard, but the team was always very fair to me and treated myself and my family very good. I didn't really consider the option over the years.

* * *

Editorial note: As the interview was coming to an end, Daneyko, who was told by The Weekly that he could find homemade varenyky [pyrohy] at a number of Ukrainian churches in New Jersey, said he is considering stopping in to pick some up. He also mentioned, subsequently, that varenyky were served at a pregame reception at the 2004 All-Star game in St. Paul, Minn.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 21, 2004, No. 12, Vol. LXXII

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