Friday

Denis Dejordy

When Denis Dejordy debuted in his first NHL game, he instantly became the answer of one of the most famous hockey trivia questions. That's because his first game was November 7, 1962, and it was the first time anyone other than the great Glenn Hall had tended the Chicago years. Hall of course played in an unthinkable  502 straight games!

Denis only got into 11 games in his first two years because of Hall's dominance. But Dejordy was no slouch either, as his years in the AHL suggest. He was a AHL All Star, MVP and top goalie in two years prior to arriving in Chicago.

Dejordy finally got a chance to play more regularly in 1964-65. He got into 30 games, and despite a 16-11-3 record including 3 shutouts and a 2.52 GAA, it wasn't enough. He was sent to the minors for the entire 1965-66 season.

Dejordy was recalled in 1966-67 and split the schedule with Hall, and the two shared the Vezina Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the league. Denis had a nice 22-12-7 record with 4 shutouts and 2.46 GAA Over the next two years Denis became more and more the number one goalie, playing over 50 games in each year, posting respectable though not outstanding numbers.

Early in the 1969-70 the Hawks traded Dejordy once Tony Esposito arrived and took over the number one job. He was traded with Gilles Marotte and Jim Stanfield to Los Angeles for Bill White, Bryan Campbell and Gerry Desjardins. He became the Kings number one goalie, but the team was very poor, and so were Dejordy's stats as a result.

Dejordy was traded to to Montreal during the 1971-72, but only got into 7 games as he became a backup to the great Ken Dryden.

In 1972-73 he was dealt to Detroit, playing 24 games, though struggling with a weak "Dead Wings" team. He only played one NHL game in 1973-74, despite starring in the minor leagues with the Baltimore Clippers. In fact, once again Dejordy became an all star at the AHL level, just like had over a decade earlier.

Denis retired after that season, having amassed a 124-127-51 record in 316 NHL games, including 15 shutouts.

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