Throughout the summer and into the fall, we’ll be counting down the days until the Edmonton Oilers begin their 2023-24 season with a daily trip down memory lane. Today at No. 27 we have Dave Semenko, one of the best enforcers ever to play in the NHL.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Semenko played junior hockey for the Brandon Wheat Kings. He scored 27 goals and 60 points while racking up 265 penalty minutes over 61 games in 1976-77 and was selected in the second round of both the NHL and WHA drafts by the Minnesota North Stars and Houston Aeros.
Semenko returned to Brandon for the 1977-78 season but played only seven games before moving up to the professional ranks. The Aeros traded Semenko to the Oilers and he finished the 1977-78 season with 12 points and 140 penalty minutes over 65 games as a rookie in the WHA.
When the two leagues merged in 1979, the existing NHL teams were able to reclaim players whom they previously held NHL rights from the WHA clubs that they had joined. The North Stars still held Semenko’s rights and they claimed him when the Oilers entered the league. Edmonton wound up trading their second- and third-round picks to Minnesota to keep Semenko.
The Oilers of the Boys on the Bus era weren’t only known as having some of the best players in the game – Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey and the rest – they had a string of guys who ranked among the toughest in the league at any given time like Semenko, Kevin McClelland, Marty McSorley and Dave Brown. I don’t think, given how the game was played then, that’s a coincidence.Gretzky and the other future HHOF players on those great Oiler teams have said more than once in the years since the glory days they were able to do what they did because guys like Semenko took care of their end of the game – the fighting, the intimidating, the bloody knuckles work. That role doesn’t hold the same importance now, but it damn sure did then. I really can’t think of anybody who understood his role better than Semenko, who chronicled his career in the book Looking Out For Number One.
Semenko spent eight seasons with the Oilers in the NHL and scored 59 goals and 136 points over 454 games while racing up 981 penalty minutes. He won two Stanley Cups with the team and scored six goals and 12 points over 69 playoff games.
The Oilers traded Semanko to the Hartford Whalers in December of 1986 and he was traded again ahead of the 1987-88 season to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He retired after that season and served in multiple positions with the Oilers after his playing career, including as a radio broadcaster, assistant coach, and scout.
On June 29, 2017, Semenko passed away following a battle with liver and pancreatic cancer. His funeral was held at Rogers Place and fans were welcomed to attend his celebration of life.
PLAYER COUNTDOWN PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Previous days
- 99 Days Until The Season Begins — Wayne Gretzky
- 98 Days Until The Season Begins — Jesse Puljujarvi
- 97 Days Until The Season Begins — Connor McDavid
- 96 Days Until The Season Begins — Jayden Grubbe
- 95 Days Until The Season Begins — The 1995 Draft
- 94 Days Until The Season Begins — Ryan Smyth
- 93 Days Until The Season Begins — Petr Nedved
- 92 Days Until The Season Begins — Tomas Jurco
- 91 Days Until The Season Begins — Magnus Paajarvi
- 90 Days Until The Season Begins — The 1990 Stanley Cup
- 89 Days Until The Season Begins — Mike Comrie
- 88 Days Until The Season Begins – Brandon Davidson
- 87 Days Until The Season Begins — Rendez-vous ’87
- 86 Days Until The Season Begins — Nikita Nikitin
- 85 Days Until The Season Begins — Petr Klima
- 84 Days Until The Season Begins — Oscar Klefbom
- 83 Days Until The Season Begins — Ales Hemsky
- 82 Days Until The Season Begins — Jordan Oesterle
- 80 Days Until The Season Begins — Ilya Bryzgalov
- 79 Days Until The Season Begins — The WHA-NHL Merger
- 78 Days Until The Season Begins — Marc-Antoine Pouliot
- 77 Days Until The Season Begins — Adam Oates
- 76 Days Until The Season Begins — Bryan Young
- 75 Days Until The Season Begins — Jacques Plante
- 74 Days Until The Season Begins — The Edmonton Gardens
- 73 Days Until The Season Begins — Vincent Desharnais
- 72 Days Until The Season Begins — The Alberta Oilers
- 71 Days Until The Season Begins — Lubomir Visnovsky
- 70 Days Until The Season Begins — Curtis Hamilton
- 69 Days Until The Season Begins — Nice jersey number
- 68 Days Until The Season Begins — Jaromir Jagr
- 67 Days Until The Season Begins — Gilbert Brule
- 66 Days Until The Season Begins — The 1966 Memorial Cup
- 65 Days Until The Season Begins — Mark Napier
- 64 Days Until The Season Begins — McDavid’s 64-goal season
- 63 Days Until The Season Begins — Tyler Ennis
- 62 Days Until The Season Begins — Mark Arcobello
- 61 Days Until The Season Begins — Wayne Gretzky’s 61 records
- 60 Days Until The Season Begins — Sebastien Bisaillon
- 59 Days Until The Season Begins — Brad Hunt
- 58 Days Until The Season Begins — Johan Motin
- 57 Days Until The Season Begins — David Perron
- 56 Days Until The Season Begins — Teemu Hartikainen
- 55 Days Until The Season Begins — Igor Ulanov
- 54 Days Until The Season Begins — Jujhar Khaira
- 53 Days Until The Season Begins — Reid Schaefer
- 52 Days Until The Season Begins — Jerred Smithson
- 51 Days Until The Season Begins — Andrei Kovalenko
- 50 Days Until The Season Begins — 50-Goal Seasons
- 49 Days Until The Season Begins — Edmonton Mercurys
- 48 Days Until The Season Begins — Edmonton Flyers
- 47 Days Until The Season Begins — Marc-Andre Bergeron
- 46 Days Until The Season Begins — Jani Rita
- 45 Days Until The Season Begins — Ales Pisa
- 44 Days Until The Season Begins — Chris Pronger
- 43 Days Until The Season Begins — Jason Strudwick
- 42 Days Until The Season Begins — Doug Weight
- 41 Days Until The Season Begins — Mike Smith
- 40 Days Until The Season Begins — Devan Dubnyk
- 39 Days Until The Season Begins — Bogdan Yakimov
- 38 Days Until The Season Begins — Edmonton Investors Group
- 37 Days Until The Season Begins — Mike Peca
- 36 Days Until The Season Begins — Selmar Odelein
- 35 Days Until The Season Begins — Dwayne Roloson
- 34 Days Until The Season Begins — Fernando Pisani
- 33 Days Until The Season Begins — Marty McSorley
- 32 Days Until The Season Begins — Matt Greene
- 31 Days Until The Season Begins — Curtis Joseph
- 30 Days Until The Season Begins — Bill Ranford
- 29 Days Until The Season Begins — Leon Draisaitl
- 28 Days Until The Season Begins — Craig Muni
