Cy Denneny

Cy Denneny
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1959
Born	(1891-12-23)December 23, 1891 Farran's Point, ON, CAN
Died	September 10, 1970(1970-09-10) (aged 78) Ottawa, ON, CAN
Height	5 ft 07 in (1.70 m)
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.^{[citation needed]}

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 remains the fastest player in NHL history to score 200 goals (181 GP).

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.^[3]

Career statistics

NHL coaching record

See also

• List of players with five or more goals in a National Hockey League game

References

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