Denis Dupere

Denise Dupere was born in Jonquiese, Quebec in June 21, 1948. Aside from playing in the NHL, Dupere could also claim fame in the fact that he was a cousin of professional wrestling legend Mad Dog Vachon.

Dupere was a penalty killing specialist and extraordinary faceoff expert for over 400 NHL games with 4 organizations. A large left winger at 6'1" 200lbs, Dupere was a very clean player, picking up only 66 penalty minutes in his 8 year NHL career.

Originally recruited by the New York Rangers, he was traded to Toronto to complete the Tim Horton trade. He spent most of his first two pro seasons in the CHL, but did play in 20 games with the Leafs in 1970-71.
By 1971-72 he had made the NHL on a regular basis. He enjoyed three seasons with the Leafs, including scoring 36 points in just 61 games in 1972-73. However when expansion came callin in 1974, the Washington Capitals snatched up the journeyman. Dupere's stay in Washington was short but successful. He scored 20 goals and 35 points in 53 games before he was traded to St. Louis where he added 3 more goals and 9 more points. Dupere would join Kansas City the next season and would move to Colorado when the franchise relocated and became the Rockies.

Dupere's stay in Colorado wasn't overly heartwarming. The team refused to trade Dupere, instead they banished him to the minors and told him they would terminate his contract at the end of year. Dupere did get recalled though, and made the most of his new lease on life. With the Rockies looking for a playoff spot and with scoring star Wilf Paiement in a slump, Dupere scored 20 points in 15 games to finish the season. The Rockies made the playoffs where Dupere scored 1 goal in the team's 2 games. Dupere's late season heroics earned him a verbal agreement with ownership over a new one-way deal, however the team was sold to new owners before a contract could be officially signed. The new owners refused to grant Dupere a one way contract, so he retired from hockey.

Dupere, who had a good wrist shot, scored 80 goals and 179 points in 421 NHL games. He rounded out his hockey career by playing and coaching in France.