3. Red Kelly
Most current members of Leafs Nation will likely know Red Kelly as the historic figure who coached the Buds during the mid to late 70s when the Toronto Maple Leafs enjoyed a brief era of Stanley Cup contention. Kelly might also be remembered as the odd ball bench boss who employed “Pyramid Power” in an effort to push his underdog Leafs past the Philadelphia Flyers, AKA “Broad Street Bullies,” in a quarter-final series when the Flyers were at the height of their nefarious powers.
Few Leafs fans of today are able to remember Kelly’s heyday as a player. Those who can will quickly inform you that Kelly was a superstar and one of the greatest NHL defencemen ever. Kelly initially plied his trade for the Detroit Red Wings and later for the Buds.
Kelly was a solid defensive defenceman, but he, along with Doug Harvey of the Montreal Canadiens, was revolutionizing the role of the blueliner from stay at home defender to puck-rushing, playmaking, offensive contributor. Bobby Orr would complete this transition in the late 60s, but Kelly was in the vanguard of this movement.
Kelly only became available because Red Wings general manager Jack Adams had wanted to trade him to the New York Rangers after learning that Kelly had been hiding an injured ankle. When Kelly refused the trade, Leafs coach Punch Imlach convinced Kelly to join the Buds instead of hanging up his blades as was Kelly’s plan at the time.
On February 10, 1960, Adams agreed to trade Kelly to Leafs for the miniscule price of marginal defenceman Marc Reaume, a player who only played 47 games for the Wings before settling in to the role of career minor leaguer. With Kelly in the fold, the Toronto Maple Leafs were now poised to form the second great Leafs dynasty. On a team that already boasted stalwart defenders such as Tim Horton and Allan Stanley, Kelly was able to switch to forward, a role that was easier on his bum ankle, and this Buds juggernaut captured four more cups in the 1960s.
Thanks, Jack. And a belated Merry Christmas.