Read from the Archive: “Marcel Dionne: The King Is The Portrait Of An Obscure NHL Superstar”:
One of the most underappreciated stars of all time, Marcel Dionne was the first true star to dawn a Los Angeles Kings sweater.
As Rick Sadowski wrote back in 1985, he was also an obscure character.
Read from the Archive: “Marcel Dionne: The King Is The Portrait Of An Obscure NHL Superstar”:
Marcel Dionne is getting older. Maybe better, too.
“To get up in the morning and still feel like you can do it…that may be more rewarding than anything,” says the Los Angeles Kings’ 33-year-old center. “I think now it’s a challenge for me to see what I can do these next few years. I’ve always enjoyed a good challenge.”
Oh, and have the Kings challenged him, and tried his patience and messed up his mind, for the better part of 10 seasons.
Since motoring out of Detroit in the summer of 1975, when he became the first big-name Nation-al Hockey League player to take advantage of the riches of free agency, Dionne has never had the fortune to play on anything resembling a Stanley Cup contender.
This has been the knock for the previous years, unjustified as it is. Because he’s played on a mere seven playoff teams, the cynics suggest Dionne isn’t a winner, that he’ll never be one no matter how many assists he collects, no matter how many points he pockets.
He’s strictly a one-way player, they say, forgetting how he still kills penalties, that he once set a record for scoring 10 shorthanded goals in a season, that his plus-minus figures are always in the black.
Dionne’s been reaching one milestone after another in recent weeks, and with 607 career goals (fourth on the all-time list, three behind Bobby Hull), 825 assists (tied for fifth with Alex Delvecchio) and 1,412 points (35 behind third-place Stan Mikita) several more will be scaled before his extraordinary career is over.
And yet there’s always that albatross hanging over his powerfully-built chest, always that label.
Why, even his teammates have kidded him from time to time. Last year, before Dionne went out and played in his 1,000th career game, some smart guy offered congratulations, then grinned and asked how many of those games he had helped win.
Great kidders, these Kings.
Of course, Dionne didn’t endear himself to his detractors a few seasons back, when, stung by more criticism following the King’s first-round exit at the hands of the New York Rangers, he stopped talking to members of the media. Not that he didn’t remain cordial, once telling a writer who had whisked past his locker without nod-ding, “Just because I’m not talking to you doesn’t mean you can’t say hello.”
Dionne is an emotional man, a proud man, a perfectionist. When he’s up, he’s really up. When he’s down, you’ll have to dig deep to find him. And that label. Now that bugs him. sticks deep in his belly. It’s never affected his work, but he is human and it hurts.
“I’ve done a lot of things in my career, but it’s always, ‘Well…well…’I know what they say,” Dionne reflects. “When you win, you get lots of attention. Everbody knows what you’re doing, and they think it’s great.
“Well I’ve seen guys who never get attention. Some of these people…they don’t know what it’s like. I mean, you look at our team now, at the young guys we’ve got now. They’re starting with something. Good management, good coaches. I started with bleep.”
He pauses for a moment, catches his breath, then smirks. Actually, he really doesn’t curse the fates anymore and doesn’t want to leave his listener with a false impression.
“Look, it could be a lot worse somewhere else,” Dionne says. “I love what I’m doing. I know how fortunate 1 am to make a good living, not that I think I don’t earn it. And I love living in California. And I’ve got a wonderful family and a lot of very dear friends. That helps pick me up. What else could I ask for?”
Anyway, life around the Forum has taken a turn for the better. Finally the King’s front office actually seems to know what it’s doing, seems’ to know how to go about getting what it wants.
For a professional such as Dionne, who seemed so depressed when previous managements would make one foolish move after another, this has made a big impact. Why, if he scores another goal tomorrow, chances are it will actually help the game.
“There’s meaning now,” he says, “It’s a lot more rewarding because we’ve been playing so well. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing that red light go on, but people think the only thing we care about are the numbers and that’s not true. That’s why we play this game. It’s supposed to be fun. and when you’re winning it’s a hell of a lot more fun.”
Hey, and Dionne is producing the big numbers again. Some things never change. After another of his relatively slow starts, he was leading the Kings in scoring with 24 goals and 29 assists through 37 games, on pace for his seventh 50-goal season, for his eighth 100-point season.
Dionne missed them both last year, settling for 37 goals and 92 points, after which some folks who seemed to forget he also had missed 14 games with an ankle injury began to wonder if his best games were now behind him.
This bothered him, too. There’s one thing about this man no one can deny: He’s been a model of consistency since growing up in Drum-mondville, Que., and being drafted second overall (behind Guy Lafleur) by the Red Wings in 1971.
The Flower owns five Stanley Cup rings and was the player to watch when he was in his prime. But now Lafleur’s retired, wearing a three-piece suit and shaking hands, and Dionne’s still playing as well as ever.
So is it time now, just maybe, to give the guy who’s played second and third fiddle all these years his due? He’s certainly paid his dues.
“I’ve never compared myself to anybody,” Dionne says. “I’ve never put myself in Lafleur’s league. Why, I used to watch him from the bench, marvel at the things he could do. It was a sad day when he retired and a little part of me died with him. But it makes you think, makes you wonder how much longer you can go on.”
Dionne has another year to go on his contract and, based on his present performances, should be able to play up to his high standards for many years to come.
“When people ask me how much longer I want to play, I can’t answer them,” he says. “I’ll play as long as I feel good doing it. I’m at the stage now where I just take one year at a time and go from there.”
When Dionne does retire to the comfort of a rocking chair—and what a sad day that will be—he’ll have a thousand memories to recall, but for him none will be more satisfying than passing Maurice Richard with his 545th career goal last season.
“That’s one I can say I pointed to,” he says. “The Rocket has always been special. That’s how it is for anyone growing up in Quebec.
“But records and stats really don’t mean anything until after your career is over. Even then they’re only nice to look at. All I know is the game has changed an awful lot since I first started playing, and I just feel fortunate to have lasted as long as I have.
“Anyway, Wayne Gretzky’s going to pass us all pretty soon, so what difference does it make?”
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