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Hall of Famers

Hall of Famer

MARCEL DIONNE

Inducted in 1997, 2005

Member Details

Date of Birth: August 1, 1951
Place of Birth: Drummondville, Quebec
Sport: Ice Hockey
Member Category: Athlete

Career Highlights

1971

Broke NHL rookie scoring record with 28 goals and 49 assists in his first season

1975, 1977

Lady Byng Award

1979, 1980

Lester B. Pearson Award

1980

Art Ross Trophy

1997

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame

Hall of Famer MARCEL DIONNE
Sport

Story

Marcel Dionne is perhaps hockey's greatest unsung hero. In his 18 NHL seasons, he never once found himself on a Stanley Cup winning team, a fact which often overshadows his spectacular performance on the ice and his numerable individual achievements. Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 1971, Dionne set an NHL rookie scoring record of 28 goals, 49 assists, and 77 points in his first season. He continued to shine as one of the league's highest scorers throughout the rest of his career with the Red Wings, the L.A. Kings, and the New York Rangers. In his 12 years with the Kings, Dionne collected over 100 points in each of seven seasons, and 90 in three others. He scored more than 50 goals in six seasons and won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer in 1979-80. Most of his production came while playing on the famed Triple Crown line also featuring Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer, the highest-scoring threesome in the league for several years running. Upon his retirement in 1989, Dionne's scoring record was second only to that of Gordie Howe. In 1,348 games, he scored 731 goals, 1,040 assists, and 1,771 points, yet for all those numbers, he and the Kings were never able to go very far in the playoffs. Dionne accomplished these fantastic feats with little fanfare but with an abundance of class, dignity, and humility. He won the Lady Byng award as most gentlemanly player in 1975 and 1977, and the Lester B. Pearson award as the league's most outstanding player in 1979 and 1980. Dionne was inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame twice, the first time in 1997 as an individual, the second time in 2005 as a member of the newly-inducted Team Canada '72 team.