Maple Leaf Great Red Kelly passes away at 91
Former Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings legend Red Kelly passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 91.
Kelly spent the first 13 years of his NHL career as a member of the Red Wings before moving back to the GTA, spending the final seven years of his legendary career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Over the course of his 20 seasons, the man nicknamed Red for his hair colour would win a total of eight Stanley Cups, while also taking home four Lady Byng Trophies and one Norris Trophy. In 1969, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and his no. 4 jersey has been retired by both the Maple Leafs and Red Wings.
A Toronto Maple Leafs Legend
Born on July 9, 1927, in Simcoe, Ontario, Kelly, would break into the NHL with Red Wings for the 1947-48’. In his first season, at the age of 20, Red would put up 20 points in 60 games.
While his production took a slight dip in his sophomore season as Kelly recorded only 16 points, he would show his true greatest the following year.
In 1949-50 Kelly netted 15 goals and 40 points, leading all NHL blueliners in points for the first time and would continue to do so until the 1954-55′ season. Although Montreal’s Doug Harvey would overtake Kelly as the league’s highest-scoring defensemen, Kelly remained as Detroit’s top point getting defensemen until 1958.
During his tenure in Detroit, Kelly was a key member of the Red Wings dynasty that featured the likes of Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Sid Abel who captured four Stanley Cups (50’, 52’, 54’, 55’) and made a name for himself as a prolific defenseman, before his time as a Red Wing ended during the 1959-1960 season, after he was acquired by Toronto.
As a member of the Maple Leafs, Kelly transitioned from defense to forward, and became a staple for the Leafs in the middle of the ice.
Kelly’s offensive numbers would continue to rise as a forward, and in his first full season wearing blue and white, Kelly netted a career-high 70 points (20 goals, 50 assists). The following season (1961-62′), Kelly once again scored 20 or more goals, and, alongside Johnny Bower, Dave Keon and Frank Mahovlich captured the Stanley Cup. It was his fifth Stanley Cup overall, and first of four as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs (62’, 63’, 64’, 67′).
In 1967, after 1,316 regular season games, Red Kelly hung up his skates at the age of 40. He finished his NHL career with 823 points (281 goals, 542 assists) and added another 92 points (33 goals and 59 assists) in 164 playoff contests. Kelly, a 12-time All-Star, was named to the Order of Canada in 2002 and 100 Greatest NHL Players list in 2017.
At the conclusion of his playing days, Kelly transitioned into coaching, first serving as the bench boss for the expansion LA Kings in their first two seasons (1968-1969). After a short stint in Hollywood, Kelly would man the bench for the Pittsburgh Penguins (1969-1973), and later the Toronto Maple Leafs (1973-1977). In 742 games behind an NHL bench, Kelly recorded a .465 win percentage. (Info from Wikipedia)
While Red is most famously known for being one of the NHL’s greatest players ever, he also did a lot for his community as well, representing the riding of York West as a Liberal MP in the House of Commons from 1962-1965.
Red Kelly will forever be remembered for being talented and versatile on the ice, and for his work off of it.