Denis Herron

Denis Herron
Denis Herron
Born	June 18, 1952 (age 74); Chambly, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey goaltender (retired)
Years active	1972–1986
Known for	NHL goaltender for Montreal Canadiens, Kansas City Scouts, Pittsburgh Penguins; Vezina Trophy and William M. Jennings Trophy winner

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Denis Herron, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 28 November 2025

Denis Bernard Herron (born June 18, 1952) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who competed in the National Hockey League from 1972 until 1985. During his NHL tenure, he played for the Montreal Canadiens, Kansas City Scouts, and Pittsburgh Penguins. In 1982, Herron shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with Rick Wamsley.

Playing career

Herron's hockey journey started with the Trois-Rivières Ducs in the Quebec Junior Hockey League, where he was named to the Second All-Star Team in 1972. Selected 40th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1972 NHL Draft, he divided his rookie year between Pittsburgh and their AHL team, the Hershey Bears. In 1974, Herron played for Pittsburgh, Hershey, and the Salt Lake Golden Eagles. The next season began with appearances for both Pittsburgh and Hershey before he was traded to the Kansas City Scouts. He spent two seasons with Kansas City prior to entering free agency.

While playing in Kansas City, Herron adopted a diet focused on high-protein milkshakes to build strength, which unfortunately resulted in a kidney stone that required hospitalization in 1976.

After rejoining Pittsburgh, Herron remained with the Penguins for three seasons. He also represented Team Canada at the 1978 Ice Hockey World Championships, where he helped secure a bronze medal.

In 1979, Herron was traded from Pittsburgh to the Montreal Canadiens, where he shared goaltending responsibilities over three campaigns. In 1981, he earned the prestigious Vezina Trophy along with teammates Michel Larocque and Richard Sevigny. The following year, Herron and Rick Wamsley jointly received the William M. Jennings Trophy.

Herron returned to Pittsburgh in 1983 for his third tenure and stayed until retiring in 1986.

Personal life

Denis Herron is one of six siblings, born to a father who worked as a mechanic for Imperial Tobacco Company and a mother who was a homemaker. He is married to Debbie Pike from St. Lambert, Quebec, and they have two daughters named Elissa and Mandi.

His brother Ronald also pursued a professional goaltending career in France. Additionally, his niece Catherine Herron played as a goaltender for McGill University's women's Marlet team and served as backup goalie for the Montreal Stars, winning the 2012 Clarkson Cup in the CWHL.

Regular season and playoffs

1976–77 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL34|||15|||11|||5|||1,920|||94|||1|||2.94|||.910 Playoffs: GP3 W1 L2 MIN180 GA11 SO0 GAA3.67 SV%.903 1977–78 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL60 W20 L25 T15 MIN3534 GA210 SO0 GAA3.57 SV%.901 |- 1978–79 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL56 W22 L19 T12 MIN3208 GA180 SO0 GAA3.37 SV%.892 Playoffs: GP7 W2 L5 MIN421 GA24 SO0 GAA3.42 SV%.891 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1979–80 Montreal Canadiens NHL34 W25 L3 T3 MIN1909 GA80 SO0 GAA2.51 SV%.907 Playoffs: GP5 W2 L3 MIN300 GA15 SO0 GAA3.00 SV%.891 |- 1980–81 Montreal Canadiens NHL25 W6 L9 T6 MIN1147 GA67 SO1 GAA3.50 SV%.878 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1981–82 Montreal Canadiens NHL27 W12 L6 T8 MIN1547 GA68 SO3 GAA2.64 SV%.912 |- 1982–83 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL31 W5 L18 T5 MIN1707 GA151 SO1 GAA5.31 SV%.838 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1983–84 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL38 W8 L24 T2 MIN2028 GA138 SO1 GAA4.08 SV%.885 |- 1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL42 W10 L22 T3 MIN2193 GA170 SO1 GAA4.67 SV%.875 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" 1985–86 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL3 W0 L3 T0 MIN180 GA14 SO0 GAA4.67 SV%.848 |- 1985–86 Baltimore Skipjacks AHL27 W10 L11 T4 MIN1510 GA86 SO0 GAA3.42 SV%.892 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

			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
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

Named to the QMJHL Second All-Star Team during the 1972 campaign.
Awarded the Vezina Trophy in the 1981 season, sharing the honor with Michel Larocque and Richard Sevigny.
Recipient of the William M. Jennings Trophy in the 1982 season, jointly with Rick Wamsley.

References

Herron finds room at the inn; Ian MacDonald. The Gazette. Montreal, Que.: Dec 23, 2004. pg. C.3

Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, Troy Treasure, 2018, Balboa Press

External links