Marcel Dionne

Marcel Elphège Dionne (born August 3, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers between 1971 and 1989. A prolific scorer, he won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer in 1979–80, and recorded 50 goals or more in a season six times, and 100 points or more in a season 8 times during his career. Internationally Dionne played for the Canadian national team at two Canada Cups and three World Championships. Dionne was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2017 Dionne was named one of the ' 100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.

Early life

Dionne was born on August 3, 1951, in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada to Gilbert Sr. and Laurette Dionne. He was the oldest of eight children, and his youngest brother Gilbert was 19 years his junior. Growing up, his father worked as a foreman at a steel plant while his mother ran a corner store and beauty salon with her children's help. Due to limited finances, Dionne's extended family pitched in to help cover the costs of his hockey equipment. He played baseball as a youth as well, but chose to focus solely on hockey due to lack of prospects for Canadian baseball players.

Playing career

Junior career

Dionne played in the 1962, 1963 and 1964 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with his Drummondville youth team. During his pee-wee career, Dionne garnered wide-spread attention from hockey teams and fans. He would often find dollar bills stuffed in his gloves from fans, and his parents received a letter from the Montreal Canadiens informing them to "take special care of young Marcel." Another letter also invited Dionne to attend one of their junior camps, but he chose to move to St. Catharines and learn English. His short stature earned him the nickname "little beaver," a reference to a popular midget wrestler. Dionne's first junior season was in 1968 for the Drummondville Rangers of the former Quebec Junior Hockey League, in which he scored over two goals a game in Drummondville's losing effort in the Memorial Cup playoffs.

When the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League formed in 1969, Dionne departed to play in the Ontario Hockey Association, then regarded as a higher-calibre level of competition, spending the next three seasons with the St. Catharines Black Hawks. He became the league's preeminent star, winning scoring titles in 1970 and 1971 and adding a record 122 points in 43 playoff games. He attended St. Catharines Collegiate during this time.

Dionne's scoring feats were marred by one of the most infamous events in Canadian junior hockey during the 1971 Richardson Cup finals against the Quebec Remparts. Following a riot in Quebec City after the penalty-filled fourth game of the series in which Dionne's Black Hawks' team bus was attacked by the mob, the fifth game was played at a neutral site, and the remainder of the series was not played due to fears of further violence.

Dionne was drafted in the first round, second overall, by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1971 NHL amateur draft.

Professional career

Detroit Red Wings (1971–1975)

Following the draft, Dionne signed a rookie contract with the Red Wings for a record-breaking amount with various bonuses. While the exact terms were not released, his bargaining agent Alan Eagleson said: "If Marcel gets as many goals as I think he can, he'll be paid like a super-star...No matter what he does, he's got the best contract in the history of the league for a rookie." It was speculated that the amount was $50,000 with incentive clauses which could add another $15,000 to $20,000. Despite having a self-proclaimed "poor training camp," Dionne was named to the Red Wings opening roster for the 1971–72 season. He made his NHL debut on October 9, 1971, in the teams season opener against the Minnesota North Stars. He recorded his first career NHL goal on October 16, 1971, in a 9–2 loss to the St. Louis Blues. While the Red Wings began the season with a losing 2–5-0 record, Dionne scored three goals and two assists. Dionne spent the majority of his rookie season playing on a line with Bill Collins and Nick Libett. By January, Dionne earned more on ice responsibility and was part of the Red Wings' power-play and penalty kill unit. While playing in this dual role, Dionne ranked third on the team in scoring and 22nd in the league. Dionne set numerous personal and league-wide milestones in March. He recorded his first career NHL hat-trick on March 19, 1972, in a 7–6 win over the Montreal Canadiens. He then assisted on four goals the following game to tie with Rick Martin of Buffalo Sabres for 13th place on the NHL scoring list. Dionne added two goals and two assists the next day to break the NHL record for most points by a rookie. He finished the regular season as the Red Wings' leading scorer with 28 goals and 49 assists and finished third in Calder Memorial Trophy voting as the NHL's top rookie. During the offseason, Dionne signed a three-year contract extension with the Red Wings and was the youngest player on Team Canada at the Summit Series.

Due to the Summit Series, Dionne missed the entire training camp and returned to Detroit three days before the 1972–73 season opener. The Red Wings began the season with a six-game win streak before losing four straight games. Following the fourth consecutive loss, head coach Johnny Wilson mandated a two-hour bag skate. However, both Wilson and general manager Ned Harkness felt that Dionne was not giving enough effort. Following the skate, Harkness told the media, "If he keeps it up and doesn't start working, he might find himself playing in the minors." While Harkness later said he was misquoted, Dionne expressed his frustration that he spoke to the media instead of having a conversation with him. On December 2, Dionne scored one goal and three assists in his 100th career NHL game. This tied him with Richard Martin and Fred Stanfield for seventh place in league scoring. However, his earlier conflicts with management continued into December and resulted in a suspension. Following a 7–0 loss to the Minnesota North Stars on December 9, Wilson mandated a morning practice before their game against the Vancouver Canucks. After Wilson called out Dionne for a perceived lack of effort, he told him to "go home and stay there until he felt he could come back and make a contribution to the team." Due to a miscommunication as to the meaning of that order, Dionne assumed he had been suspended and missed their game that night. However, the Red Wings claimed he had not been suspended until he failed to show for that evening's game. Immediately following their game against the Canucks, Harkness handed out a press released that said that Dionne was “suspended indefinitely (without pay) for failing to report for the game.” Despite this statement, Dionne was reinstated the following day after a discussion with the coaching staff. After rejoining the team, Dionne scored his second career hat-trick against the Canadiens on February 22, 1973. By the end of February, he had amassed 36 goals and 76 points. Dionne finished the regular season tied with Dennis Hull for 11th in league scoring with 90 points. His 167 total career points were the most ever collected by an NHL player through their first two seasons.

While Dionne arrived at the Red Wings' 1973 training camp eight pounds overweight, head coach Ted Garvin said he was more concerned about his moodiness. His attitude and poor start to the 1973–74 season resulted in a temporary suspension before his 11th game. At the time, he had collected seven assists and no goals. After he was reinstated, Dionne told members of the media that he asked to be traded "for the benefit of the team...and for the good of the other players." Despite Dionne verbalising his unhappiness in Detroit, the Red Wings were hesitant to trade him due to the poor results of their trade of centreman Garry Unger. In between the trade talks, Dionne broke his 22-game goalless streak on November 29 against the St. Louis Blues. The Red Wings also fired Garvin and replaced him with Alex Delvecchio. In December 1973, Eagleson warned the Red Wings that they could lose Dionne to the World Hockey Association (WHA) if they did not trade him. However, Dionne denied asking for a trade and finished the season with the Red Wings. Dionne's offensive output improved in the second half of the season and he ended January with 13 goals and 26 asssits over 15 games. By the end of February, he had amassed 61 points through 59 games. However, Dionne suffered a knee injury in March during a game against the New York Rangers and missed several games to recover.

During the 1974 offseason, Delvecchio spoke to Dionne about returning to training camp at a healthy weight, and was disappointed when Dionne arrived at camp 15 pounds overweight. Despite this, Dionne was appointed captain of the Red Wings at the start of the 1974–75 season, and he changed his jersey number to 12. At the age of 23, he was the second-youngest captain in the NHL that season, behind 22-year-old Jim Schoenfeld. Delvecchio gave Dionne the captaincy in an effort "to give him more responsibility." In this new role, he was praised by both teammates and management for his positive attitude while also leading the league with 12 points over five games. However, his lack of goals worried fans and he was sent medallions and jewelry to try and help him break the streak. Dionne scored seven goals and 20 assists through November, and tied with Bobby Clarke for seventh place in league scoring by mid-December. He finished the season ranked third in league scoring and became the first player in NHL history to score 10 short-handed goals in one season. He was also fifth in voting for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player.

Los Angeles Kings (1975–1987)

As a free agent, Dionne and his agent fielded offers from the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, and New York Islanders. However, his agent felt that the Red Wings were deterring offers as they wanted "a couple of regulars and a super-star for Marcel." Despite being offered a six-figure contract from the Oilers to join the WHA, he agreed to a $1.5 million contract with the Kings. In an effort to avoid arbitration, the Kings offered the Red Wings Terry Harper, Dan Maloney, cash, and draft picks in exchange for Dionne. However, after Harper failed to appear at the Red Wings' training camp, an injunction was requested to prohibit Dionne from joining the Kings. A judge ultimately rejected the injunction, and Dionne was able to continue participating in the Kings' training camp. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, head coach Bob Pulford assigned Dionne to a weight loss regimen which included skating extra laps with plastic sheets around his stomach.

Dionne started the 1975–76 season centering a line with Gene Carr and Mike Murphy. While the Kings started the season with back-to-back loses, Dionne helped them win their next four consecutive games. He quickly accumulated five goals and six assists for 11 points through six games. By the end of October, he had maintained an eight game goal streak for 10 goals overall and 14 assists. During the streak, Dionne recorded his fifth career hat-trick and set a Kings franchise record with 11 shots on net in one game. While he found success offensively, he also received criticism from coaching staff and hockey pundits for his lack of defensive mindedness. On March 27, 1976, Dionne scored his 37th goal of the season to tie a franchise record for most goals in a single season. He then surpassed the record set by Mike Corrigan with his 38th goal on March 31, against the St. Louis Blues. Dionne finished the regular season with a franchise-leading 40 goals and 54 assists en route to the 1976 Stanley Cup playoffs. While the Kings beat the Atlanta Flames in the preliminary round of the playoffs, they fell to the Boston Bruins in seven games. After the Kings were shut out by the Bruins in Game 1, Dionne scored his first two postseason goals in Game 2 to help the Kings even their quarterfinal series. He scored a hat-trick the following game to lead the Kings to a 6–4 win and a 2–1 series lead. Dionne finished the series leading the team with six goals, but the Kings were ultimately eliminated from playoff contention.

During the offseason, Dionne was chosen to represent Team Canada in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup. Due to an overabundance of centremen, Canada's head coach Scotty Bowman chose to convert Dionne into a right winger. After witnessing Dionne's success in this position, Kings head coach Bob Pulford chose to keep him as a winger for the 1976–77 season. In this new role, Dionne and his linemates Tom Williams and Butch Goring became one of the highest-scoring lines that season. By the end of November, Dionne ranked third in league scoring with 13 goals and 23 assists. While he was occasionally benched by Pulford due to his defensive deficiencies, Dionne still ended December with 20 goals and 53 points. Despite his offensive success, Dionne was left off the original roster for the 1977 NHL All-Star Game. He was eventually personally added by Wales Conference All-Stars coach Scotty Bowman. Following the All-Star Game, Dionne recorded his second hat-trick of the season to reach 40 goals and tie the Kings' franchise record for most goals in a single season, which he had set the previous year. In March, Dionne broke the Kings' franchise goal record and reached 100 points for the second time in his career. He finished the 1976–77 regular season with a career-high 53 goals and 69 assists for 122 points, while playing mostly as a right winger. In recognition of his efforts, Dionne became the first Los Angeles Kings player to be named to the NHL All-Star team at the end of the season. He also received the 1977 Seven Crowns of Sports award as the NHL's most consistent player and his second Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

During Dionne's tenure with the Los Angeles Kings, he played six seasons with the famed " Triple Crown Line", centring Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor. Dionne signed a six-year, $3.6 million contract with the Kings before the start of the 1980–81 season. On January 7, 1981, Dionne recorded two goals and an assist against the Hartford Whalers to become the fastest NHL player to reach 1,000 points. He accomplished this feat in 740 games, 83 games faster than the previous record holder Phil Esposito.

On December 7, 1985, Dionne scored his 500th goal with the Kings organization to help the team beat the Winnipeg Jets. Dionne was traded to the New York Rangers upon his request on March 10, 1987. The Kings sent Dionne, Jeff Crossman, and a third-round pick to the Rangers in exchange for Bobby Carpenter and Tom Laidlaw.

New York Rangers (1987–1989)

Dionne played his remaining two and a half seasons there, where the Rangers lost in the first round of the playoffs twice and missed the playoffs once. He retired in 1989.

Retirement and legacy

In January 2004, Dionne was featured on a Canadian postage stamp. As part of the NHL All-Stars Collection, Dionne was immortalized along with five other All-Stars.

Dionne has maintained a large business and investment portfolio since his playing days, owning the Blue Line Diner in Niagara Falls, operating a sports memorabilia store in Buffalo and buying and selling real estate.

Dionne was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1998, he was ranked number 38 on ''The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest-ranking player to have not won a Stanley Cup since 2001 when No. 14-ranked Ray Bourque won with the Colorado Avalanche.

The Centre Civique arena in Drummondville was renamed Centre Marcel-Dionne in his honour in 1980.

Prior to the start of the 1993–94 season, Dionne helped to create local interest in the ECHL's newest franchise, the South Carolina Stingrays. With the help of some young players, Dionne gave an on-ice demonstration of the rules of hockey to the southern audience.

Personal life

Dionne married St. Catharines native Carol Gaudet in Troy, Michigan in April 1974. They have three children together, two sons and one daughter. After he retired, the Dionne's settled in Buffalo and his sons, Drew and Garrett, played Junior B hockey for the Niagara Falls Canucks.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

''Triple Crown'', Ted Mahovlich, p.209,

Awards and honours

OHA

* 2× Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy winner – 1969–70, 1970–71
* OHA Second All-Star Team – 1969–70
* OHA First All-Star Team – 1970–71

NHL

* 2× Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner – 1974–75, 1976–77
* 2× Lester B. Pearson Award winner – 1978–79, 1979–80
* Art Ross Trophy winner – 1979–80
* 8× NHL All-Star – 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985
* 2× NHL first team All-Star – 1976–77, 1979–80
* 2× NHL second team All-Star – 1978–79, 1980–81
* Named best forward at the Ice Hockey World Championships – 1978
* Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame – 1992

See also

* List of NHL statistical leaders
* Notable families in the NHL
* List of NHL players with 1,000 points
* List of NHL players with 500 goals

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dionne, Marcel
1951 births
Living people
Art Ross Trophy winners
Canadian ice hockey centres
Denver Rangers players
Detroit Red Wings captains
Detroit Red Wings draft picks
Detroit Red Wings players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Drummondville Rangers players
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey people from Drummondville
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winners
Lester B. Pearson Award winners
Lester Patrick Trophy recipients
Los Angeles Kings players
National Hockey League All-Stars
NHL first-round draft picks
National Hockey League players with retired numbers
New York Rangers players
St. Catharines Black Hawks players
20th-century Canadian sportsmen