Cy Denneny
| Cy Denneny | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1959 | |||
 | |||
| Born |
December 23, 1891 Farran's Point, ON, CAN | ||
| Died |
September 10, 1970 (aged 78) Ottawa, ON, CAN | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) | ||
| Weight | 168 lb (76 kg; 12 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Toronto Shamrocks Toronto Blueshirts Ottawa Senators Boston Bruins | ||
| Playing career | 1914–1929 | ||
Cyril Joseph Denneny (December 23, 1891 – September 10, 1970) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association. His brother Corbett Denneny also played in the NHL.
Early life
Cy Denneny was born in Farran's Point, Ontario, near Cornwall, Ontario. He was the son of James Israel Denneny who was a top lacrosse player in the late 19th century and was descended from the Dennenys of County Monaghan, Ireland.
Playing career
Denneny played senior hockey in Cornwall, starting with the Cornwall Sons of England of the Lower Ottawa Valley hockey league in 1909–10. His professional playing career began with the Toronto Ontarios/Shamrocks of the National Hockey Association (NHA) in 1914. (The name of the team changed during the season) He had tried out for the Montreal Canadiens in 1912 but failed to make the team and he returned to senior hockey. He was traded to the Ottawa Senators in 1916 and he would play with the Senators until 1928. He was member of four Senators Stanley Cup-winning teams; in 1920, 1921, 1923 and 1927. With the Senators during the 1917–18 season, Denneny set an NHL record by opening the season with four straight multi-goal games. Though the record still stands, it was tied in 2013 by San Jose Sharks' forward Patrick Marleau.[1] Denneny was sold to Boston in 1928, where he would be the playing-coach of the Bruins' 1929 Stanley Cup-winner.
In 1929, Denneny retired to become an NHL on-ice official. In 1932, he re-joined the Senators as head coach, but the team was in decline due to financial difficulties which forced management to sell top players in order to survive. The team finished last and Denneny was not retained as coach.
Denneny was one of the top scorers in the NHL from 1917 through 1925. While leading the league in scoring during the 1923–24 NHL season, he did so by recording 22 goals and one assist for a total of 23 points, the lowest winning total in NHL history.[2] When he retired, he was the all-time top scorer in NHL history. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959. In 1998, he was ranked number 62 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. He was the first and remains the fastest player in NHL history to score 200 goals (181 GP). During a six-week span in the 1920–21 NHL season, Cy and his brother Corbett (Toronto St. Patricks), each scored six goals during a game—a feat accomplished by only five other players in the history of the NHL.
Playing Style
Despote not being a swift skater, Denneny had one of the most deceptive and accurate shots in the league, which enabled him to achieve his scoring feats so rapidly.[3] He was one of the first known players to use opposing defencemen as screens,[4] and would beat goaltenders with head fakes and subsequently with shots that often would not even leave the ice.[5] Denneny was also one of the very first players to use a curved blade, which he used to take high-rising shots as well as "sinkers" that would fool goaltenders.[3][6] He was a very physical player who often acted as a bodyguard for his more passive linemates, Jack Darragh and Frank Nighbor.[4]
Personal life
Denneny was married twice. His first wife Melvina died and Denneny remarried. He was the father of two daughters with his second wife Isobel. After Denneny retired from hockey, he worked for the Canadian federal government. He retired from civil service in 1959. He died on September 10, 1970 and is buried in Ottawa's Pinecrest Cemetery.[7]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1909–10 | Cornwall Sons of England | LOVHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1910–11 | Cornwall Internationals | LOVHL | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1911–12 | Cornwall Internationals | LOVHL | 8 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1912–13 | Russell Athletics | LOVHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1913–14 | Cobalt Mines | COMHL | 9 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1914–15 | Russell HC | LOVHL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1914–15 | Toronto Shamrocks | NHA | 8 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1915–16 | Toronto Blueshirts | NHA | 24 | 24 | 4 | 28 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Ottawa Senators | NHA | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1917–18 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 20 | 36 | 10 | 46 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1918–19 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 18 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 58 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1919–20 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 16 | 6 | 22 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1919–20 | Ottawa Senators | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1920–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 34 | 5 | 39 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||
| 1920–21 | Ottawa Senators | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 | ||
| 1921–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 22 | 27 | 12 | 39 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1922–23 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 23 | 11 | 34 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1922–23 | Ottawa Senators | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 1923–24 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 22 | 22 | 2 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1924–25 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 29 | 27 | 15 | 42 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 36 | 24 | 12 | 36 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1926–27 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 42 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 1927–28 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 44 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1928–29 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NHA totals | 42 | 33 | 4 | 37 | 117 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||||
| NHL totals | 328 | 248 | 85 | 333 | 301 | 25 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 23 | ||||
| St-Cup totals | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 26 | ||||
NHL coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Division rank | Result | ||
| Boston Bruins | 1928–29 | 44 | 26 | 13 | 5 | 57 | 1st in American | Won Stanley Cup |
| Ottawa Senators | 1932–33 | 48 | 11 | 27 | 10 | 32 | 5th in Canadian | Missed playoffs |
| NHL Total | 92 | 37 | 40 | 15 | ||||
See also
References
- ↑ CANUCKS TRAVEL TO SAN JOSE TO FACE RED HOT SHARKS, MARLEAU http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=414611
- ↑ Dryden, Steve (2000). The Hockey News: Century Of Hockey. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. p. 26. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
- 1 2 "Cy Denneny biography". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
- 1 2 Weir, Glenn; Chapman, Jeff; and Weir, Travis. Ultimate Hockey (1999) p. 161-163
- ↑ The Montreal Gazette - February 6th, 1934
- ↑ Montreal Gazette - February 3, 1943
- ↑ "Hockey Hall of Famer dies at 78". Toronto Star. September 11, 1970. p. 15.
External links
- Cy Denneny's biography at Legends of Hockey
- Cy Denneny's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Cy Denneny at Find a Grave
| Preceded by Babe Dye |
NHL Scoring Champion 1924 |
Succeeded by Babe Dye |
| Preceded by Newsy Lalonde |
Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators (Original Era) 1932–1933 |
Succeeded by George Boucher |
| Preceded by Eddie Gerard |
Ottawa Senators captain (Original Era) 1923–26 |
Succeeded by Georges Boucher |
| Preceded by Art Ross |
Head coach of the Boston Bruins 1928–29 |
Succeeded by Art Ross |