Cy Denneny
Five-time Stanley Cup champion and NHL all-time leading scorer upon retirement.
Cy Denneny was a Canadian ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League from 1917 to 1929 for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, and previously for the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association from 1914 to 1917. He won the Stanley Cup five times—four with Ottawa and once with Boston—and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959. Denneny was one of the top scorers in the NHL from 1917 through 1925 and, upon retirement, was the all-time top scorer in NHL history.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Left wing
- Played For
- Toronto Shamrocks / Toronto Blueshirts / Ottawa Senators / Boston Bruins
- Shoots
- Left
- Height Ft
- 5
- Height In
- 7
- Weight Lb
- 168
- Birth Date
- 1891-12-23
- Birth Place
- Farran's Point, Ontario, Canada
- Death Date
- 1970-09-10
- Death Place
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Career Start
- 1914
- Career End
- 1929
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Denneny was sold to Boston in 1928, where he would be an assistant playing-coach of the Bruins' 1929 Stanley Cup-winner.
Reader's Guide
Denneny's significance lies in his scoring prowess and pioneering playing style. Despite not being a swift skater, he had one of the most deceptive and accurate shots in the league, enabling him to achieve scoring feats rapidly. He was one of the first known players to use opposing defencemen as screens and to beat goaltenders with head fakes and low shots. He also used a curved blade to produce high-rising shots and 'sinkers' that fooled goaltenders. Denneny was a physical player who often acted as an enforcer for his linemates. He led the NHL in scoring during the 1923–24 season with 22 goals and one assist, the lowest winning total in NHL history. When he retired, he was the all-time top scorer in NHL history. He was the first and fastest player to score 200 NHL goals, doing so in 181 games. In 1998, The Hockey News ranked him number 62 on its list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
Did You Know?
- Denneny set an NHL record in 1917–18 by opening the season with four straight multi-goal games, a record tied in 2013 by Patrick Marleau.
- He was the first and fastest player in NHL history to score 200 goals, reaching the mark in 181 games.
- During a six-week span in the 1920–21 NHL season, Cy and his brother Corbett each scored six goals in a game, a feat accomplished by only five other players in NHL history.
- Denneny was one of the first players to use a curved blade and to use opposing defencemen as screens.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Players 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced