| Connie Dion | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1918-08-11)August 11, 1918 Saint-Rémi-de-Tingwick,Quebec, Canada | ||
| Died | November 7, 2014(2014-11-07) (aged 96) Asbestos, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) | ||
| Weight | 140 lb (64 kg; 10 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Right | ||
| Played for | Detroit Red Wings | ||
| Playing career | 1937–1954 | ||
Joseph Conrad Étienne Dion (August 11, 1918 – November 7, 2014) was a Canadian professionalice hockey player who played two seasons in theNational Hockey League (NHL) for theDetroit Red Wings between 1943 and 1945. One of thirteen children, Dion got his start as agoaltender with theJunior Verdun Maple Leafs in 1937 and had his first full season as a senior with the team the following year. After several seasons in theQuebec Senior and Professional Hockey Leagues, he was recruited by the Red Wings in 1943 as a potential replacement forJohnny Mowers, who had enlisted to fight inWorld War II. He spent two years with the team, earning a win-loss-tie record of 23–11–4 and taking part in the most lopsidedshutout (15–0) in NHL history as the goalie for the winning side.
After being traded down to theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) in 1945, Dion continued to play professional hockey for nearly a decade, primarily with theBuffalo Bisons and earned the Harry Hap Holmes Memorial Award in 1950 by being the goaltender with the lowestgoals against average in the league. He retired from active competition in 1954 and moved toAsbestos, Quebec, where he was active in the local ice hockey and golf scenes. The arena in Asbestos, Aréna Connie Dion, is named in his honor.
Dion was born on August 11, 1918, inSaint-Rémi-de-Tingwick,Quebec[1] and had twelve siblings: six brothers and six sisters.[2] He got his start as an ice hockeygoaltender with theJunior Verdun Maple Leafs of theQuebec Junior Hockey League in 1937 and was selected as one of the goaltenders for the 1938Memorial CupAll-Star team. He also played one game with the senior Maple Leafs that season.[3] He served briefly in theCanadian Army inCornwall, Ontario, and also worked as anasbestos miner forJohns Manville before quitting that job to play professional hockey.[4]
Dion had his first full season in ice hockey as a senior as a member of theLachine Rapides of theQuebec Provincial Hockey League in 1938–39 and joined the league'sSherbrooke Red Raiders the following year. With the Red Raiders, he took part in two playoff games for the1940 Allan Cup but lost them both after allowing 16 goals. Reporting to the Army forWorld War II service, he suited up for theCornwall Flyers of theQuebec Senior Hockey League (QSHL) for three seasons (the team was renamed Cornwall Army in 1942). He was traded to theWashington Lions of theAmerican Hockey League in 1941, but did not report.[1]
In 1943 Dion, after being discharged from the army, was among those selected to help replaceVezina Trophy-winning goalieJohnny Mowers of theNational Hockey League'sDetroit Red Wings, who had enlisted in the army to fight in World War II.[4] He played a total of 38 NHL games with the Red Wings between 1943 and 1945, exiting the league with a record of 23–11–4 and having allowed 119 goals. He recorded a 15–0 shutout against theNew York Rangers on January 23, 1944, two days before being signed as afree agent with Detroit.[1] This remains, as of 2015, the most lopsided shutout in NHL history.[5] He also took part in all five of Detroit's games in the1944 Stanley Cup playoffs, where the Red Wings were eliminated four games to one in the opening round by the eventual runner-up, theChicago Black Hawks. Dion spent much of the 1944–45 season, meanwhile, with the Red Wings' AHL affiliateIndianapolis Capitals. In August 1945, after the Red Wings decided to replace Mowers permanently withHarry Lumley,[4] Dion was traded to theSt. Louis Flyers of the AHL, and then to the league'sBuffalo Bisons just over two months later. He remained with the Bisons through 1951 and won the Harry Hap Holmes Memorial Award in 1950, given annually to goaltenders with the lowestgoals against average (GAA) in the AHL. He was also selected to the league's Second All-Star Team three times.[3]
During his time with the Bisons, Dion appeared intermittently for other teams including theHouston Huskies (1947–48) andLouisville Blades (1949–50) of theUnited States Hockey League, and theNew York Rovers (1948–49) of the QSHL (during theEastern Hockey League's season-long hiatus). He took the 1951–52 season off before returning with theSherbrooke Saints of theQuebec Major Hockey League in 1952. He finished his career with theGlace Bay Miners of theMaritime Major Hockey League in 1953–54.[3] During his playing career he stood 5 feet, 4 inches (163 centimeters) and weighed 140 pounds (64 kilograms),[1] making him the second-shortest player in NHL history, behindRoy Worters.[6]
Dion moved toAsbestos, Quebec, after the conclusion of his hockey career and became involved in the local minor hockey movement, often in the capacity of a referee.[7] He helped establish an arena in the city, the Centre Récréatif d'Asbestos, in 1954, which was later renamed Aréna Connie Dion. Since 1991, the Asbestos Minor Hockey Association has held an annual tournament at the arena in his honor.[8] He also became involved in golf, designing several courses and helping lay foundations for the sport in Asbestos.[9] He had a local tournament named after him in this sport as well, the inaugural edition of which was held in 1973.[10] He was married to Muriel Flanigan, who died in 2011 and had four sons, Paul, Skip, Bob, and Mickey, and one daughter, Carol-Ann.[11] He died on November 7, 2014, at the age of 96 at the Centre de Santé et Service Sociaux in Asbestos, following two weeks of hospitalization.[7]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | ||
| 1937–38 | Verdun Junior Maple Leafs | QJHL | 12 | — | — | — | 720 | 22 | 2 | 1.83 | 4 | — | — | 240 | 11 | 0 | 2.75 | ||
| 1937–38 | Verdun Maple Leafs | QSHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1937–38 | Verdun Junior Maple Leafs | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 300 | 14 | 2 | 2.80 | ||
| 1938–39 | Lachine Rapides | QPHL | 38 | — | — | — | 2280 | 126 | 2 | 3.32 | 6 | — | — | 360 | 20 | 0 | 3.33 | ||
| 1939–40 | Sherbrooke Red Raiders | QPHL | 41 | — | — | — | 2460 | 130 | 4 | 3.17 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 480 | 22 | 1 | 2.75 | ||
| 1939–40 | Sherbrooke Red Raiders | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 120 | 16 | 0 | 8.00 | ||
| 1940–41 | Cornwall Flyers | QSHL | 34 | — | — | — | 2040 | 122 | 1 | 3.59 | 4 | — | — | 240 | 14 | 0 | 3.50 | ||
| 1941–42 | Cornwall Flyers | QSHL | 37 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 2200 | 127 | 1 | 3.30 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 310 | 19 | 0 | 3.68 | ||
| 1942–43 | Cornwall Army | QSHL | 5 | — | — | — | 280 | 14 | 0 | 3.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1943–44 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 26 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 1560 | 80 | 1 | 3.08 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 300 | 17 | 0 | 3.40 | ||
| 1944–45 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 720 | 39 | 0 | 3.25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1944–45 | Indianapolis Capitals | AHL | 39 | 19 | 14 | 6 | 2340 | 121 | 3 | 3.10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 300 | 18 | 0 | 3.60 | ||
| 1945–46 | St. Louis Flyers | AHL | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 480 | 40 | 0 | 5.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945–46 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 34 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 2040 | 84 | 1 | 2.47 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 730 | 35 | 1 | 2.88 | ||
| 1946–47 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 61 | 33 | 17 | 11 | 3660 | 166 | 6 | 2.72 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 240 | 13 | 0 | 3.25 | ||
| 1947–48 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 43 | 26 | 15 | 2 | 2580 | 155 | 2 | 3.60 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 480 | 28 | 0 | 3.50 | ||
| 1947–48 | Houston Huskies | USHL | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 420 | 30 | 0 | 4.29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1948–49 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 68 | 33 | 27 | 8 | 4080 | 213 | 4 | 3.13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1948–49 | New York Rovers | QSHL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1949–50 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 34 | 15 | 15 | 4 | 2040 | 92 | 3 | 2.71 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 120 | 1 | 0 | 5.50 | ||
| 1949–50 | Louisville Blades | USHL | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 240 | 27 | 0 | 6.75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1950–51 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 63 | 35 | 24 | 4 | 3840 | 259 | 1 | 4.05 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 273 | 19 | 0 | 4.18 | ||
| 1952–53 | Sherbrooke Saints | QMHL | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 820 | 38 | 1 | 2.78 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 430 | 21 | 0 | 2.93 | ||
| 1953–54 | Glace Bay Miners | MMHL | 18 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 1079 | 85 | 0 | 4.73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 350 | 181 | 129 | 40 | 21,060 | 1130 | 20 | 3.22 | 35 | 15 | 20 | 2143 | 124 | 1 | 3.47 | ||||
| NHL totals | 38 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 2280 | 119 | 1 | 3.13 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 300 | 17 | 0 | 3.40 | ||||
