Denis DeJordy had an outstanding hockey career that was shadowed by the limited number of teams in the era and having to share time with the likes of Glenn Hall and Ken Dryden. He was a Stanley Cup champion, despite sitting on the bench for the entire 1960-61 playoffs.
He was a Calder Cup champion with the Buffalo Bisons. He should have won a Stanley Cup in 1966-67 with a heavily favoured Chicago Blackhawks team but the Toronto Maple Leafs had other plans.
Junior and Minor Pro
Hockey Card Collection
NHL Career
Rookie Card
Career Stats
Denis DeJordy – Junior and Minor Pro
DeJordy played two years of junior in the OHA with the St. Catherines Teepees, 1957-58 and 1958-59. Denis played the bulk of the games for the Teepees over both campaigns. For the 1959 Memorial Cup, DeJordy joined the Scotty Bowman coached Peterborough Petes to replace injured Jacques Caron. Peterborough fell to the Winnipeg Braves in five games after winning the first of the best of seven series.
Denis DeJordy Collection
In his first year of pro hockey, 1959-60, DeJordy was named Rookie of the Year in the EPHL. He played 69 of 70 regular season games for the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds. The team did not qualify for the post season.
Two years later, 1961-62, Denis made his mark on the American Hockey League, appearing in 69 of 70 regular season games for the Buffalo Bisons. Roger Crozier saw very little action as DeJordy’s backup. Denis also appeared in all of Buffalo’s eleven playoff games as the Bisons lost to the Springfield Indians in the Calder Cup finals. The series looked lopsided at four games to one but the last three games were decided in overtime.
The following season, DeJordy took it to a whole other level in the AHL with the Bisons. He played in 67 of the team’s 72 regular season games and all 13 games in the playoffs. The Billy Reay coached Bisons, led by Art Stratton, John McKenzie and Ed Van Impe, finished first overall in the nine team American Hockey League and won the Calder Cup with a 4-3 victory over the Hershey Bears in the finals.
DeJordy was outstanding for the Bisons in the 1962-63 season. He was awarded the Harry ‘Hap’ Holmes Memorial Award for the goalie with the lowest goals against average. Denis was also awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player.
Still, in the age of the ‘Original 6’, DeJordy found himself back in the minors for the 1965-66 season, this time with the St. Louis Braves of the CPHL. Denis played all 70 games for the Braves during the regular season and all five games in the playoffs. Despite being led by quality players like Art Stratton, Camille Henry and Dennis Hull, the Braves placed fourth in the six team league and fell in the first round of the playoffs to the powerful Oklahoma City Blazers.
Denis returned to the AHL for the 1973-74 season, his final year in pro hockey. He played 42 games for the Baltimore Clippers.
Denis DeJordy – NHL
He didn’t actually get between the pipes in the National Hockey League until 1962-63 but DeJordy had an excellent seat for the 1960-61 Stanley Cup playoffs. Denis backed up Glenn Hall but never left the bench as the Blackhawks captured the Stanley Cup championship over the Detroit Red Wings.
In 1962-63, he eased into his role with the Blackhawks, appearing in five games. His first game for Chicago ended Glenn Hall’s record streak of 502 consecutive games in net. That record, of course, still stands today.
By 1966-67, he was playing the majority of the games for Chicago with the aging Hall acting more as the backup. 1966-67 was the last year of the Original 6 NHL and was the one that got away for the Blackhawks.
Chicago dominated the regular season, finishing first overall, 17 points ahead of second place Montreal. Yet, the third place Toronto Maple Leafs had a different plan and ousted the Blackhawks in the opening round. Toronto, of course, went on to capture the Stanley Cup championship – their last to date.
Playing in 44 games for that 1966-67 Chicago team, DeJordy recorded four shutouts and a 2.46 goals against average. He shared the Vezina Trophy with Glenn Hall. The Blackhawks were led by Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Ken Wharram, Phil Esposito and a host of other NHL stars. Billy Reay was still the man behind the bench.
The following year, DeJordy increased his playing time to 50 regular season games, once again recording four shutouts and posting a 2.71 GAA. He played in all eleven playoff games for Chicago as the team reached the semi-finals before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.
With the arrival of Tony Esposito, Denis was expendable and was shipped to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1969-70 season. In 1970-71, he played in 60 of L.A.’s 78 regular season games. In 1971-72, the Kings and Canadiens swapped goaltenders with DeJordy going to his native Quebec and Rogie Vachon heading to glory in Los Angeles. However, with Ken Dryden thrust into stardom with the Canadiens, Denis played just seven games with Montreal.
In his final two years in the NHL, DeJordy tried for traction with the Detroit Red Wings but it wasn’t meant to be. He played in 24 games in 1972-73 and just one period of hockey in 1973-74. Interestingly, he backed up Roy Edwards. Edwards and Denis played together back with the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds and Edwards also backed up Glenn Hall during that 1960-61 Stanley Cup run, also not leaving the bench.
Interestingly, DeJordy’s 1972-73 Topps hockey card shows him as a member of the New York Islanders expansion franchise. He was not part of the 1972 NHL Expansion Draft. Rather, the Montreal Canadiens traded him to the Islanders over the summer. Before he played a game with the Islanders, Denis was traded to the Red Wings for goalie Arnie Brown.
In 1976-77, DeJordy made an attempt at coaching but it is probably a chapter best forgetten. Denis started the year as head coach of the Laval National in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He made it through 36 games before being replaced by Jacques St. Jean. He did have the fortune over those 36 games to coach future member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, and probably the number one sniper in NHL history, Mike Bossy. Denis spent some time as an assistant coach with the dismal Detroit Red Wings that season, as well. Detroit started the season with Alex Delvecchio as head coach but he was replaced by Larry Wilson midseason.
Denis DeJordy – Rookie Card
The Denis DeJordy rookie card appears as number 37 in the 1961-62 Topps set. It is valued at around four times that of a common card and features him as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. A bit of a jump of the gun with DeJordy not playing his first NHL games until the following season.
Denis Dejordy NHL Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | A | PIM | SO | GAA |
| 1962-63 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.48 |
| 1963-64 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.35 |
| 1964-65 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 30 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2.52 |
| 1966-67 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 44 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.46 |
| 1967-68 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 50 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.71 |
| 1968-69 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 53 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3.14 |
| 1969-70 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.69 |
| 1969-70 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.24 |
| 1970-71 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 60 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3.80 |
| 1971-72 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.74 |
| 1971-72 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.51 |
| 1972-73 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3.74 |
| 1973-74 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.00 |