Red Kelly

Red Kelly
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1969
Red Kelly with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Born	(1927-07-09) 9 July 1927 (age 89) Simcoe, Ontario
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position	Defence (1947–1960) Centre (1960–1967)
Shot	Left
Played for	Detroit Red Wings Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1947–1967

Leonard Patrick "Red" Kelly, CM (born 9 July 1927) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach in the NHL. He played on more Stanley Cup winning teams (eight) than any player who never played for the Montreal Canadiens, and is only player to have never played for the Canadiens to be part of two of the nine dynasties recognized by the NHL in its history. On January 1, 2017, in a ceremony prior to the Centennial Classic, Kelly was part of the first group of players to be named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He was also a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto-area riding of York West from 1962 to 1965, while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kelly attended secondary school in that community, then attended St. Michael's College School. He grew up listening to Foster Hewitt's broadcasts of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and was particularly inspired by the style of their hard-charging defenceman, Red Horner. Kelly also attended Doan's Hollow Public School in Port Dover. However, while playing junior hockey for the St. Michael's Majors, he was encouraged to refine his style by his coach, former Leaf great Joe Primeau.

Although the Majors were usually a talent pipeline for the Maple Leafs, the NHL club passed on Kelly after a scout predicted he would not last 20 games in the NHL, and the 19-year-old joined the Detroit Red Wings in 1947. In 1954 he was runner-up for the Hart Memorial Trophy and won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman, the first time the trophy was awarded and also won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1951, 1953 and 1954 as the NHL's most gentlemanly player.