Doc Romnes broke into the NHL at a time when there were but two American Born players in the league. Fortunately for him, the Chicago Blackhawks Team which he joined, got off to a bad start and Romnes got a chance at Center and played regularly thereafter.

Romnes played high school hockey in White Bear Lake and St. Paul, as well as a year at St. Thomas College, before joining the professional St. Paul Saints in 1927. It was after three years with the Saints that he made the jump to the big time. Romnes played in the Stanley Cup finals on four different occasions: 1930-31, 1933-34, and 1937-38, all with Chicago, and 1938-39 with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a winner in 1933-34 with fellow enshrinee Taffy Abel and in 1937-38 with enshrinees Cully Dahlstrom and Mike Karakas. The saga of the 1937-38 team stands out particularly in Romnes career because of his uncharacteristically violent encounter with Toronto defenseman Red Hoerner who broke his nose in five places. Ironically both were teammates in Toronto the following year when Romnes scored the winning goal in the Leafs only victory over the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals. In all of Romnes regular and playoff career he drew 46 penalty minutes in 403 games. In 1935-36 he won the Lady Byng Trophy scoring 13 goals and 25 assists along with six penalty minutes in the then full forty-eight game schedule. The Lady Byng Trophy is awarded to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.

After the 1940 season, Romnes retired and coached Michigan Tech until 1945. He led the Kansas City Plamors to the United States Hockey League Championship and Playoff Title in 1945-46 and then coached the University of Minnesota varsity from 1947 until 1952.