Marc Denis
Marc Denis ( born August 1, 1977 in Montreal, Quebec ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender and current trainer, who during his active career, among other things for the Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens in the National Hockey League played. He currently works as a commentator and analyst at the Canadian television station Réseau des sports.
Career
Marc Denis began his career in 1994 in the Canadian Junior Football League QMJHL at the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. With them he played in 1997 at the Memorial Cup, the main ice hockey trophy in Canadian junior hockey. In 1996 he received the Marcel Robert Trophy as the player of the QMJHL, best combined athletic and academic success and the Trophée Jacques Plante as the best goalkeeper of the QMJHL. He also won the 1997 election as one of the best goalkeepers in the Canadian Hockey League, as well as the best goalkeeper in the World Youth Championship.
As early as 1995 he was selected 25 of the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL Entry Draft in 1995 in the first round of position and thus became the first player to chose the Avalanche after their move from Quebec to Denver in the draft. Parallel to his stakes in the QMJHL he graduated in the 1996/97 season his first NHL game.
The following two years he played for the farm team of Colorado, the Hershey Bears in the AHL. In the season 1999/2000 he was the reserve goalkeeper in Colorado behind his idol Patrick Roy. In June 2000 he was transferred to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he played as a substitute goalkeeper behind Ron Tugnutt the next season.
In the following years, Denis was able to establish itself as number one in Columbus, but never reached the playoffs. In 2004 he became world champion with the Canadian National Team.
After his contract expired in the summer of 2006, he opted for a team change. Denis signed a three -year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He started as the clear number one in the 2006/07 season, but poor performance meant that he had to share the post later when goalkeeper Johan Holmqvist. The Lightning qualified for the playoffs at the end, but Denis had just done with 17 wins against 18 defeats a small contribution. As coach John Tortorella had obviously lost confidence in him, he was taken at the start of the playoffs from the squad and replaced by the inexperienced Karri Rämö.
At the start of the 2007/ 08 Denis was back in the squad of Lightning, but was only number two behind Holmqvist and could not convince with good performances in the first three months. End of December 2007, he was eventually released only on the waiver list and when he was obliged by any other NHL team, the farm team, the Norfolk Admirals, sent to the AHL. The following season Denis spent mostly at the Hamilton Bulldogs, where he held the position of master goalkeeper. Before he finished his playing career in the summer of 2009, he completed an encounter in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens. In the season 2010/11 the Canadians took over the duties of the goalkeeper coach at the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
Since 2011, Denis has worked as a commentator and analyst at French-language Canadian television stations Réseau des sports, where he comments on, among others, the games of the Montreal Canadiens.
Awards and achievements
- World Champion 2004
- Junior World Champion in 1996 and 1997
- Best goalkeepers in the World Youth Championship 1997
- CHL Goaltender of the Year 1997
- Calder Cup win with the Hershey Bears in 1997
- QMJHL First All -Star Team in 1997
- Trophée Jacques Plante 1997 ( best goalkeeper of the QMJHL )
- CHL First All -Star Team in 1997
- Trophée Marcel Robert 1996