Denis Joseph Carey (born 11 November 1970) is an Irish former hurler who played as a left wing-forward at senior level for the Kilkenny county team.

Carey began his hurling career at club level with Young Irelands. He broke onto the club's top adult team as a 17-year-old in 1988 and enjoyed his first success in 1992 when the club won the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship title and promotion to the top flight of Kilkenny hurling. Carey later won Kilkenny Senior Championship medals as captain in 1996 and 2002. He made numerous championship appearances in three different grades of hurling for the club before retiring after a 25-year club career in 2013.

At inter-county level, Carey was part of the successful Kilkenny minor team that won the All-Ireland Championship in 1988 before later the All-Ireland Championships with the under-21 team in 1990. He joined the Kilkenny senior team in 1988. From his debut, Carey was ever-present as a forward and made a combined total of 138 National League and Championship appearances in a career that ended with his last game in 2005. During that time he was part of five All-Ireland Championship-winning teams – in 1992, 1993, 2000, 2002 and 2003. Carey also secured ten Leinster Championship medals and four National Hurling League medals. He announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on 1 June 2006.

Carey's granduncle, Paddy Phelan, won four All-Ireland medals with Kilkenny. His aunt, Peggy Carey, won four All-Ireland medal with the Kilkenny camogie team. Carey's brother, Martin, was sub goalkeeper on the Kilkenny team for a number of years.

Carey has been described as "GAA's first superstar" and a "hurling legend". During his playing days he won nine All-Star awards, as well as being named Texaco Hurler of the Year on two occasions. He has been repeatedly voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including on the Kilkenny Hurling Team of the Century in 2000 and on a special Leinster Hurling Team (1984-2009). Carey's omission from the Hurling Team of the Millennium was seen as controversial at the time.

In retirement from playing, he became involved in team management and coaching. At club level he has trained the Young Irelands junior hurling team, while he has also served as hurling coach at Carlow Institute of Technology. Carey's business and personal life has also been the subject of significant coverage.