DENNIS DESROSIERS

Dennis Desrosiers was the first player ever drafted by the original Saginaw Gears hockey team in the International Hockey League. He scored a record 60 goals during his first season (1972-73) at the age of 23 and was the team’s first all-star. The rugged 5-11, 195-pound right winger who was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, and grew up in New Liskeard, Ontario, was a huge fan favorite for the Gears. “Rosie” played 709 total games throughout his 15-year career, recording 383 goals and 363 assists for a total of 746 career points. He scored a league record 38 points in 19 playoff games against Flint, Muskegon and Toledo one year. The hard-skating icer, a key member of the Gears’ Turner Cup championship team in 1976-77, also played for the Clinton Comets in the Eastern Hockey League, the New Haven Nighthawks in the American Hockey League, and the Flint Generals of the IHL. Desrosiers was also noted as a fiery competitor during his career as he accumulated 2,096 penalty minutes. He coached the Saginaw Generals and Saginaw Hawks (130-95-6-15) and was an assistant coach with the Saginaw Wheels. He also coached the Flint Generals (84-67-11), Cincinnati Cyclones (130-108-0-23), Birmingham Bulls (119-92-24), Kalamazoo Wings (37-31-0-6) and the Saginaw Spirit (27-90-8-11) for a combined career coaching record of 527-483-49-55. An avid golfer, Desrosiers also played fast pitch softball in Saginaw for a number of years. He is an active supporter of youth hockey in Saginaw and coached one year of high school hockey at Bridgeport High School. He currently is a co-owner of the Saginaw Golf Center.