Dave Semenko—The Policeman

Dave Semenko never accumulated as many penalty minutes as other enforcers, or at the same pace as Oiler pugilists like Kevin McClelland or Marty McSorley.  His reputation was enough. During the 1980s, Semenko was a notorious tough guy, and many scrappers in the NHL chose not to incite his wrath.

Semenko was a larger-than-life cult hero throughout the NHL, and fans still debate whether or not he is the all-time toughest. Even the great heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali squared off in the ring against Semenko.

Semenko was famous for being the protector of Wayne Gretzky and the other Oiler stars. Oiler players got room and respect on the ice because opponents never dared arouse Semenko's wrath.

Semenko was an Oiler before Gretzky, Mark Messier, Kevin Lowe or Paul Coffey signed with the club. A former member of the rough-and-tumble Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League, the Oilers signed the Winnipeg native in 1977, when the team was still a fixture in the World Hockey Association. He scored 16 goals, accumulated 298 penalty minutes in his two WHA seasons with the club, and was the last player to score in WHA history.

Semenko took his fearsome reputation to the NHL when the Oilers joined that league in 1979. He remained with the team until 1986-87, when the Oilers traded him to the Hartford Whalers. He enjoyed his busiest season in 1981-82, when he racked up 194 penalty minutes.

Semenko was a key reason why the Oilers won Cups in 1984 and 1985. During the 1984 playoffs, he earned 10 points in 19 games, heady numbers for an enforcer.

After playing in Hartford for most of the 1986-87 season, Semenko moved to Toronto to play for the Leafs for the 1987-88 campaign. He retired after that season with 1,175 career penalty minutes.

In 1996, he became an assistant coach with the Oilers, and then joined the scouting staff.

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