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Dennis Riggin
Former Hamilton Junior, pegged as a standout goalie, suffered career-ending injury Dennis Riggin may have enjoyed a long career in hockey, but an eye injury cut this former Hamilton player’s career short. Born in Kincardine in April of 1936, Riggin started playing organized hockey when he was six years old. After juvenile and Junior B hockey, this goalie played with the Windsor Spitfires in OHA Junior A competition before suiting up with the Hamilton Tiger Cubs for the 1953-54 season. Riggin stayed in net with the Tiger Cubs for three seasons, and was a standout in net. He was awarded the Dave Pinkney Trophy for the 1953-54 season as the league’s best goalie. Riggin also was called up to play with the OHA Senior Hamilton Tigers for a short spell during this time. In 1955, he went west to play with the Edmonton Flyers of the WHL, and remained with the club, plus a year with the Calgary Stampeders. He played nine games with the Detroit Red Wings, who owned his rights during the 1959-60 season, and played three more seasons with Edmonton. Riggin was quick to point out the influence of his coaches along the way. “I’ve been lucky with my coaches,” he stated in a Canadian Press interview in 1960. “My father, Mel, played Junior A goal in Ontario and taught me the fundamentals. Jimmy Skinner, who coached us at Windsor and Hamilton, finished the job. “Of course, I was lucky when I was sent to Edmonton with Bud,” (coach Bud Poile) he continued. “He doesn’t push at you all the time as some coaches do. He seems to understand that some days aren’t as good as other days in goal.” Riggin had been pegged as the successor to NHL great Terry Sawchuck for netminding duties with Detroit, but his career was cut short due to an eye injury suffered during a practice session late in the 1958-59 season. Surgery saved his sight, but his career in hockey was never the same. He continued with the Flyers, and was on several First and Second All-Star teams. He played with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL for the 1962-63 season, and joined the Red Wings for nine games during the season, and returned to Edmonton for the 1962-63 season before having to retire due to his injury. Riggin’s son Pat continued the family
tradition, and was also awarded the Pinkney Trophy when playing
for the London Knights in 1977. The younger Riggin also played
11 seasons in the NHL between 1979 and 1988 with Atlanta, Calgary,
Washington, Boston, and Pittsburgh.
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