Cy Denneny
Encyclopedia
Cyril Joseph Denneny 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.
, 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
.
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. He 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 the head coach, but the team was in decline due to financial difficulties, and had to sell top players to survive. The team finished last and Denneny was let go.
Cy Denneny was one of the top scorers in the NHL from 1917 through 1925. When Denneny led 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.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
who played for the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
and Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and the Toronto Blueshirts
Toronto Blueshirts
The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blue Shirts were a professional National Hockey Association team that played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
of the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
. His brother Corbett Denneny
Corbett Denneny
Charles Corbett "Corb" Denneny was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played professionally from 1912 to 1931, including nine seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Arenas, Toronto St. Pats, Hamilton Tigers and Chicago Black Hawks. Corbett also played for the Vancouver...
also played in the NHL.
Early life
Cy Denneny was born in Farran's PointFarran's Point, Ontario
Farran's Point is an underwater ghost town in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of Ontario's Lost Villages, which were permanently flooded by the creation of the St...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, near Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
. He was the son of James Israel Denneny who was a top lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
player in the late 19th century and was descended from the Dennenys of County Monaghan
County Monaghan
County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
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/ShamrocksToronto Ontarios
The Toronto Ontarios was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey Association from 1912 to 1915 based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
of the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA) in 1914. (The name of the team changed during the season) He had tried out for the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
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. He 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 the head coach, but the team was in decline due to financial difficulties, and had to sell top players to survive. The team finished last and Denneny was let go.
Cy Denneny was one of the top scorers in the NHL from 1917 through 1925. When Denneny led 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
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1959. In 1998, he was ranked number 62 on The Hockey News
The Hockey News
The Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
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 Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1911–12 | Cornwall Internationals | LOVHA | 8 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1912–13 | Russell Athletics | LOVHA | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1913–14 | Cobalt O'Brien Mines | CoMHL | 9 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1914–15 | Russell H.C. | LOVHA | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1914–15 1914–15 NHA season The 1914–15 NHA season was the sixth season of the National Hockey Association and played from December 26, 1914 until March 3, 1915. Each team played 20 games. The Ottawa Senators won the NHA championship in a two game, total goal playoff against the Montreal Wanderers... |
Toronto Shamrocks | NHA National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League... |
8 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 43 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1915–16 | Toronto Blueshirts Toronto Blueshirts The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blue Shirts were a professional National Hockey Association team that played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada... |
NHA | 24 | 24 | 4 | 28 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators (original) The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934... |
NHA | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1917–18 | Ottawa Senators | NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
20 | 36 | 10 | 46 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1918–19 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 18 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 55 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 9 | ||
| 1919–20 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 16 | 6 | 22 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 1920–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 34 | 5 | 39 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 15 | ||
| 1921–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 22 | 27 | 12 | 39 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1922–23 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 21 | 10 | 31 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1923–24 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 21 | 22 | 1 | 23 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 1924–25 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 28 | 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 Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the... |
NHL | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 326 | 246 | 85 | 331 | 290 | 43 | 21 | 8 | 29 | 51 | ||||