Top 100 Oilers: Ales Hemsky (22)
7 years ago
More than once during the 11 seasons Ales Hemsky spent with the Edmonton Oilers, I wondered what kind of numbers he’d have put up with the high-flying Oilers of the 1980s, when goaltenders were sieves by today’s standards and Wayne Gretzky and Company were scoring 400 goals a season for fun.
No matter what the era, Hemsky had great wheels, a sweet set of hands and he scored goals that made highlight reels on a regular basis. For my money, I can’t think of three more talented Oilers in the post-Stanley Cup era than the baby-faced right-winger from Pardubice. Hemsky was also one of the most fearless players I have ever seen, a rare combination of magnificent talent and steely resolve when the going got tough. He never, ever backed off.
Ales Hemsky
Right Wing — shoots R
Born Aug 13 1983 — Pardubice, Czech Rep.
Height 6.00 — Weight 185 [183 cm/84 kg]
Born Aug 13 1983 — Pardubice, Czech Rep.
Height 6.00 — Weight 185 [183 cm/84 kg]
Drafted by Edmonton Oilers
Round 1 #13 overall 2001 NHL Entry Draft
BY THE NUMBERS
| Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI |
| 2002-03 | 19 | EDM | 59 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 5 | 14 | 50 | 12.0 | 712 | 12:04 |
| 2003-04 | 20 | EDM | 71 | 12 | 22 | 34 | -7 | 14 | 87 | 13.8 | 1025 | 14:26 |
| 2005-06 | 22 | EDM | 81 | 19 | 58 | 77 | -5 | 64 | 178 | 10.7 | 1375 | 16:59 |
| 2006-07 | 23 | EDM | 64 | 13 | 40 | 53 | -7 | 40 | 122 | 10.7 | 1087 | 16:59 |
| 2007-08 | 24 | EDM | 74 | 20 | 51 | 71 | -9 | 34 | 184 | 10.9 | 1375 | 18:35 |
| 2008-09 | 25 | EDM | 72 | 23 | 43 | 66 | 1 | 32 | 185 | 12.4 | 1343 | 18:39 |
| 2009-10 | 26 | EDM | 22 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 7 | 8 | 57 | 12.3 | 395 | 17:56 |
| 2010-11 | 27 | EDM | 47 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 3 | 18 | 100 | 14.0 | 859 | 18:17 |
| 2011-12 | 28 | EDM | 69 | 10 | 26 | 36 | -13 | 43 | 137 | 7.3 | 1214 | 17:36 |
| 2012-13 | 29 | EDM | 38 | 9 | 11 | 20 | -6 | 16 | 82 | 11.0 | 597 | 15:42 |
| 2013-14 | 30 | TOT | 75 | 13 | 30 | 43 | -15 | 24 | 138 | 9.4 | 1197 | 15:58 |
| 2013-14 | 30 | EDM | 55 | 9 | 17 | 26 | -13 | 20 | 94 | 9.6 | 884 | 16:05 |
| 2013-14 | 30 | OTT | 20 | 4 | 13 | 17 | -2 | 4 | 44 | 9.1 | 313 | 15:38 |
| 2014-15 | 31 | DAL | 76 | 11 | 21 | 32 | -8 | 16 | 140 | 7.9 | 1037 | 13:38 |
| 2015-16 | 32 | DAL | 75 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 3 | 20 | 155 | 8.4 | 983 | 13:06 |
| 2016-17 | 33 | DAL | 15 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -1 | 0 | 30 | 13.3 | 216 | 14:25 |
| 11 yrs | EDM | 652 | 142 | 335 | 477 | -44 | 303 | 1276 | 11.1 | 10867 | 16:40 | |
| 3 yrs | DAL | 166 | 28 | 50 | 78 | -6 | 36 | 325 | 8.6 | 2236 | 13:28 | |
| 1 yr | OTT | 20 | 4 | 13 | 17 | -2 | 4 | 44 | 9.1 | 313 | 15:38 | |
| Career | 838 | 174 | 398 | 572 | -52 | 343 | 1645 | 10.6 | 13415 | 16:00 |
PLAYOFFS
| Season | Age | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | S | S% | TOI | ATOI |
| 2002-03 | 19 | EDM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 0 | 7 | 0.0 | 77 | 12:46 |
| 2005-06 | 22 | EDM | 24 | 6 | 11 | 17 | -3 | 14 | 47 | 12.8 | 386 | 16:06 |
| 2015-16 | 32 | DAL | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 2 | 41 | 2.4 | 200 | 15:24 |
| Career | 43 | 7 | 14 | 21 | -9 | 16 | 95 | 7.4 | 663 | 15:25 |
NOTABLE
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Within about 20 minutes of the Oilers selecting Hemsky 13th overall from the Hull Olympiques at the 2001 Entry Draft in Florida, media relations man Bill Tuele hustled him over to Jim Matheson and me for an interview. Here was this rosy-cheeked kid without a single hair on his face. He made Ryan Nugent-Hopkins look like Grizzly Adams.
Hemsky blushed as he struggled to put words together. He looked about 15. Hemsky had put up 197 points in just 121 games over two seasons with Hull. I remember looking at him and thinking, “How?” It didn’t take long to get an answer. The ability to get to full speed in three strides, a just-try-to-stop-me nose for the net, inside-outside moves that put opponents in knots and a sneaky wrist shot, that’s how. Oh, and he didn’t blink when games got physical and opposing D-men targeted him, which was often.
Calgary Flames’ defenseman Robyn Regehr, most notably, made it his mission in hockey life to run at and cheap-shot Hemsky every chance he got. So much so, there’s a YouTube clip out there of the mugging highlights. It’s here. Regehr, who had about 40 pounds on Hemsky, had him blowing snot bubbles so many times I lost count. I can, however, count the times the abuse convinced Hemsky to bail when he could hear Regehr coming – none, zero, zip.
THE STORY
NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 07: Ales Hemsky #83 of the Edmonton Oilers in action against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on February 7, 2014 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Oilers 2-1 in overtime.
Hemsky’s most prolific season in Edmonton was 2005-06, when he had 77 points. He had 71 in 2007-08. Hemsky’s biggest problem was staying healthy enough to play a whole season, or close to it. No surprise, given his high-speed forays into the greasy areas. During his tenure in Edmonton, Hemsky played 75 or more games just once in those 11 seasons. He paid the price without question.
Hemsky scored 142 regular season goals for the Oilers and added six more in the run to the 2006 Stanley Cup final. Two moments stand out for me. First, there the goal he scored to beat the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth game of the first round in 2006. It’s here. Then, there’s the ridiculous play Hemsky finished off against the Dallas Stars. It’s here. If you were there, you’ll never forget it.
Some old hockey dogs like me used to nag about Hemsky’s aversion to breaking a single bead of sweat when it came time to practice. Last on the ice, first off. That was Hemsky. When the national anthems were over and the puck hit the freeze, though, Hemsky was all-in. Brilliant when rushing the puck, determined to get where he had to go, no matter what. What a talent he was here.
This series will look at the top 100 Edmonton Oilers from the NHL era 1979-80 to 2014-15, starting with 100 and working up.
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