Cy Denneny

Cy Denneny
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1959
Born	(1891-12-23)December 23, 1891 Farran's Point, ON, CAN
Died	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. 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. 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.

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.

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

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

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