Marcel Dionne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marcel Dionne |
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| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dionne in 1987
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| Born | August 3, 1951 Drummondville, Quebec, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings Los Angeles Kings New York Rangers |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 2nd overall, 1971 Detroit Red Wings |
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| Playing career | 1971–1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Marcel Elphège Dionne (born August 3, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was a centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers between 1971 and 1989.
Marcel Dionne was an amazing scorer. He won the Art Ross Trophy in 1979–80 for being the NHL's top scorer. He scored 50 goals or more in a season six times. He also got 100 points or more in a season eight times!
Dionne played for the Canadian national team in two Canada Cup tournaments. He also played in three World Championships. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2017, he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' of all time.
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Marcel Dionne's Early Hockey Days
Marcel Dionne started playing hockey at a young age. He played in the famous Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament in 1962, 1963, and 1964. He played with his youth team from Drummondville.
His first junior season was in 1968 for the Drummondville Rangers. He scored more than two goals per game in the playoffs that year.
In 1969, a new league called the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League started. But Dionne chose to play in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). This league was known for having a higher level of competition. He spent three seasons with the St. Catharines Black Hawks. He became a huge star there. He won scoring titles in 1970 and 1971. He also set a record with 122 points in 43 playoff games.
His junior career ended with a big event in the 1971 Richardson Cup finals. After some trouble in Quebec City, one game had to be played in a neutral place. The rest of the series was cancelled because of safety concerns.
Dionne finished his junior career by breaking the OHA's all-time scoring record. Later, in the 1971 NHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Red Wings picked him second overall. The only player picked before him was Guy Lafleur.
Marcel Dionne's NHL Career
Playing for the Detroit Red Wings
Dionne played his first four seasons with the Detroit Red Wings. He was one of the few star players on a team that struggled. The team did not make it to the playoffs during his time there.
Becoming a Star with the Los Angeles Kings
Dionne was not happy with his team always losing. His agent worked to get him a better deal. The owner of the Los Angeles Kings, Jack Kent Cooke, offered Dionne a lot of money. On June 23, 1975, Dionne was traded to the Kings. He then signed a deal that was the richest in hockey at that time. He became the Kings' most important player.
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Dionne played for the Los Angeles Kings for eleven and a half seasons. He was part of a famous line called the "Triple Crown Line." He played with Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor. Even though Dionne scored many points, the Kings did not have much success in the playoffs. They made the playoffs from 1976 to 1982. However, they only reached the second round three times.
During the 1986–87 season, Dionne helped the Kings' young players. He guided future stars like Luc Robitaille, Jimmy Carson, and Steve Duchesne.
Dionne wanted the team to improve right away or trade him to a team that could win. He was traded to the New York Rangers on March 10, 1987. The Kings actually made the playoffs that season, even after he was traded.
Time with the New York Rangers
Dionne played his last two and a half seasons with the New York Rangers. The Rangers lost in the first round of the playoffs twice. They missed the playoffs once during his time there. Marcel Dionne retired from hockey in 1989.
Life After Hockey
In January 2004, Marcel Dionne was honored with a Canadian postage stamp. He was one of six NHL All-Stars featured in a special collection.
Dionne has homes in Niagara Falls, Ontario and Clarence Center, New York. He has been very active in business since he stopped playing hockey. He owns a diner and a sports memorabilia store. He also buys and sells real estate.
Marcel Dionne's Amazing Achievements
Dionne had an incredible career. In his first season for Detroit in 1972, he set an NHL record for points by a rookie with 77 points. This record has since been broken.
His best season was 1979–80 when he scored 137 points. He was tied with Wayne Gretzky for the most points in the league that season. Dionne won the Art Ross Trophy because he scored two more goals than Gretzky. This was the only time he won this award.
Dionne also won the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1979 and 1980. This award is given to the most outstanding player, as voted by the players. He won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1975 and 1977. This award is for sportsmanship and skill.
Marcel Dionne was the third player ever to score 700 goals in the NHL. He is currently sixth all-time in goals scored, with 731. He is also ranked sixth in total points, with 1,771. He is tenth in career assists with 1,040. When he retired in 1989, he was second in assists, goals, and points. He was just behind Gordie Howe in all those categories.
Dionne is known as the highest-scoring player who never won the Stanley Cup.
He was also the last active player in the NHL who was part of the 1972 Summit Series. Even though he didn't play in that series, he played for Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup and the 1981 Canada Cup. In the 1976 Canada Cup, he played on a line with hockey legends Bobby Hull and Phil Esposito. He was also on the ice when the winning goal was scored in that tournament. In the 1981 team, he played on a line with Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur.
Dionne also won bronze medals at the Ice Hockey World Championships in 1978, 1983, and 1986. In 1978, he was named the best forward at the tournament.
Dionne is third in the NHL for having the most seasons with 100 or more points. He had eight such seasons. Only Wayne Gretzky (fifteen) and Mario Lemieux (ten) had more.
Marcel Dionne was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1998, The Hockey News ranked him number 38 on their list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. He was the highest-ranked player on that list who had not won a Stanley Cup. He never made it past the second round of the playoffs. When the Los Angeles Kings finally reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1993, Dionne called Dave Taylor to congratulate him.
The arena in Drummondville, where he grew up, was renamed Centre Marcel Dionne in his honor after he retired.
Marcel's younger brother, Gilbert Dionne, also played in the NHL. Gilbert won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
Before the 1993–94 season, Dionne helped promote a new hockey team, the South Carolina Stingrays. He helped teach the rules of hockey to new fans in the southern United States.
Today, Marcel Dionne lives in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He owns a company called Marcel Dionne Enterprises. He sometimes plays for the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team, even though he never played for the Sabres during his career. He is also a special ambassador for the Los Angeles Kings team.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1967–68 | Drummondville Rangers | QJHL | 48 | 34 | 35 | 69 | 45 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 4 | ||
| 1967–68 | Drummondville Rangers | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 5 | ||
| 1968–69 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 48 | 37 | 63 | 100 | 38 | 18 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 8 | ||
| 1969–70 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 54 | 55 | 77 | 132 | 46 | 10 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 10 | ||
| 1970–71 | St. Catharines Black Hawks | OHA | 46 | 62 | 81 | 143 | 20 | 15 | 29 | 26 | 55 | 11 | ||
| 1971–72 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 78 | 28 | 49 | 77 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 77 | 40 | 50 | 90 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 74 | 24 | 54 | 78 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 80 | 47 | 74 | 121 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 40 | 54 | 94 | 38 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1976–77 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 53 | 69 | 122 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 2 | ||
| 1977–78 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 70 | 36 | 43 | 79 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 59 | 71 | 130 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1979–80 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 53 | 84 | 137 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1980–81 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 58 | 77 | 135 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 1981–82 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 78 | 50 | 67 | 117 | 50 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 56 | 51 | 107 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 66 | 39 | 53 | 92 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 46 | 80 | 126 | 46 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1985–86 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 80 | 36 | 58 | 94 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 67 | 24 | 50 | 74 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | New York Rangers | NHL | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1987–88 | New York Rangers | NHL | 67 | 31 | 34 | 65 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | New York Rangers | NHL | 37 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Denver Rangers | IHL | 9 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1,348 | 731 | 1,040 | 1,771 | 600 | 49 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 17 | ||||
International Play
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Canada | CC | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | |
| 1978 | Canada | WC | 10 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1979 | Canada | WC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1981 | Canada | CC | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| 1983 | Canada | WC | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 | |
| 1986 | Canada | WC | 10 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | |
| Senior totals | 50 | 26 | 17 | 43 | 24 | |||
Awards and Honours
OHA Awards
- 2× Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy winner – 1969–70, 1970–71 (for being the OHA's top scorer)
- OHA Second All-Star Team – 1969–70
- OHA First All-Star Team – 1970–71
NHL Awards and Recognition
- 2× Lady Byng Trophy winner – 1974–75, 1976–77 (for sportsmanship and skill)
- 2× Lester B. Pearson Award winner – 1978–79, 1979–80 (voted best player by his fellow players)
- Art Ross Trophy winner – 1979–80 (for leading the league in points)
- 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
In Spanish: Marcel Dionne para niños
- 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
