Denis Herron

Denis Bernard Herron (born June 18, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Kansas City Scouts, and Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League from 1972 to 1985. He won the William M. Jennings Trophy with Rick Wamsley in 1982.

Playing career Herron played junior hockey with the Trois-Rivières Ducs of the Quebec Junior Hockey League. He had a good junior career and in 1972, he was named to the Second All-Star Team with the Trois-Rivières Ducs. In 1972, Herron was drafted 40th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. In his first season, he split his time between the Penguins, and the Hershey Bears of the AHL. In 1974, Herron played for three teams. He played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Hershey Bears and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. Next season, Herron played the first half of the season with the Pens and the Bears before being traded to the Kansas City Scouts. He played 22 games with them that season and spent another year in Kansas City before becoming a free agent.

While playing for Kansas City, Herron put himself on a diet consisting of high-protein milkshakes in an effort to gain size and strength. In January 1976, he was taken to Baptist Hospital in Kansas City after suffering a kidney stone believed to have been a result of the milkshakes. (Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, pp. 193–194)

He was signed by Pittsburgh again and played with them for the next three years. In 1978, Herron made an appearance with Team Canada in the World Championships where he won a bronze medal.

In 1979, the Penguins traded him to the Montreal Canadiens. He remained with the Canadiens for the next three years where he shared goaltending duties. In 1981, Herron was awarded the Vezina Trophy with teammates Michel Larocque and Richard Sevigny. In 1982, Herron shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with fellow netminder Rick Wamsley.

In 1983, Herron returned to Pittsburgh for the third time in his career. He remained there until 1986, when he retired.

Personal life Herron is the third of six children born to a mechanic with the Imperial Tobacco Company and a stay-at-home mother.

He is married to Debbie Pike, of St. Lambert Quebec and has two daughters, Elissa and Mandi.

His brother Ronald was also a professional goalie, having played in France, and his niece Catherine Herron tended nets for the women's Marlet team at McGill University. She also won the 2012 Clarkson Cup as a backup goaltender for the Montreal Stars of the CWHL

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1969–70 Trois-Rivières Ducs QMJHL 2 0 1 0 96 10 0 6.25 .853 — — — — — — — — 1970–71 Trois-Rivières Ducs QMJHL 33 — — — 1,980 136 0 4.12 .886 7 — — 420 23 1 3.29 .898 1971–72 Trois-Rivières Ducs QMJHL 40 — — — 2,400 160 2 4.00 .898 4 — — 200 19 0 5.70 .886 1972–73 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 18 6 7 2 967 55 2 3.41 .879 — — — — — — — — 1972–73 Hershey Bears AHL 21 — — — 1,185 63 0 3.19 — 4 — — 240 16 0 4.00 — 1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 5 1 3 0 260 18 0 4.15 .885 — — — — — — — — 1973–74 Salt Lake Golden Eagles WHL 9 6 2 1 530 32 0 3.62 — — — — — — — — — 1973–74 Hershey Bears AHL 17 10 4 1 967 52 0 3.22 — 4 4 0 242 7 0 1.73 — 1974–75 Hershey Bears AHL 12 2 7 2 615 45 0 4.39 — — — — — — — — — 1974–75 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 3 1 1 0 108 11 0 6.11 .859 — — — — — — — — 1974–75 Kansas City Scouts NHL 22 4 13 4 1,280 80 0 3.75 .896 — — — — — — — — 1975–76 Kansas City Scouts NHL 64 11 39 11 3,620 243 0 4.03 .889 — — — — — — — — 1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 34 15 11 5 1,920 94 1 2.94 .910 3 1 2 180 11 0 3.67 .903 1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 60 20 25 15 3,534 210 0 3.57 .901 — — — — — — — — 1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 56 22 19 12 3,208 180 0 3.37 .892 7 2 5 421 24 0 3.42 .891 1979–80 Montreal Canadiens NHL 34 25 3 3 1,909 80 0 2.51 .907 5 2 3 300 15 0 3.00 .891 1980–81 Montreal Canadiens NHL 25 6 9 6 1,147 67 1 3.50 .878 — — — — — — — — 1981–82 Montreal Canadiens NHL 27 12 6 8 1,547 68 3 2.64 .912 — — — — — — — — 1982–83 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 31 5 18 5 1,707 151 1 5.31 .838 — — — — — — — — 1983–84 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 38 8 24 2 2,028 138 1 4.08 .885 — — — — — — — — 1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 42 10 22 3 2,193 170 1 4.67 .875 — — — — — — — — 1985–86 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 3 0 3 0 180 14 0 4.67 .848 — — — — — — — — 1985–86 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL 27 10 11 4 1,510 86 0 3.42 .892 — — — — — — — — NHL totals 462 146 203 76 25,608 1579 10 3.70 .889 15 5 10 901 50 0 3.33 .894

International Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1978 Canada WC 5 3 1 0 255 12 0 2.82 —

Awards and achievements Selected to the QMJHL Second All-Star Team in 1972. Vezina Trophy winner in 1981 (shared with Michel Larocque and Richard Sevigny). William M. Jennings Trophy winner in 1982 (shared with Rick Wamsley).