Teeder Kennedy
No other acquisition in Toronto Maple Leafs history compares to this one when applying a cost-benefits analysis. Theodore “Teeder” Kennedy is today remembered as one of the greatest Toronto Maple Leafs ever and arguably the teams’ greatest captain, and he was acquired for next to nothing.
As hard as it is to fathom, Kennedy almost ended up wearing the red white and blue of the arch enemy, the Montreal Canadiens.
During Kennedy’s youth in Port Colborne, Ontario, the Habs had wooed and signed Kennedy, and he had attended a Canadiens training camp. However, Kennedy had a bad impression of Montreal management and Leafs GM Frank J. Selke was able to secure Kennedy’s rights on February 28th, 1943, in exchange for the journeyman defenceman, Frank Eddols.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, with Kennedy now in the fold, established the NHL’s first true Stanley Cup dynasty. Kennedy, with the help of Syl Apps and Max Bentley, captured the Stanley Cup in 1947, 1948, 1949, and 1951. This edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs was the first team to ever win three consecutive Stanley Cups.
Kennedy was a dogged two-way centerman who was a mediocre skater, but he made up for this shortcoming with excellent puck handling and playmaking abilities. Kennedy’s teammates described him as a player of unequaled determination and tenacity. Some have said that he may have been the greatest face-off man in the history of the NHL.
When Syl Apps retired in 1948, Kennedy was a natural and popular choice to replace him as Maple Leafs’ captain. In all, Kennedy played 14 seasons for the Buds, finally retiring in 1957.
Kennedy has gone down in hockey history as one of the most popular Maple Leafs ever and along with Max Bentley and Red Kelly, he was included in nhl.com’s list of the100 greatest NHL players of all-time.