Red Kelly

Eight-time Stanley Cup champion and former MP for York West.

Leonard Patrick "Red" Kelly (July 9, 1927 – May 2, 2019) was a Canadian professional hockey player and coach. Kelly won eight Stanley Cups, four each with Detroit and then Toronto. He achieved more cup victories than any other player who never played for the Montreal Canadiens. He was also one of the only two players to have never played for the Canadiens and to be part of two of the nine dynasties recognized by the National Hockey League (NHL) in its history. In 2017, Kelly was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.

Quick Facts

Hall of Fame: 1969
Born: 9 July 1927
Birthplace: Simcoe, Ontario, Canada
Died: 2 May 2019
Place of death: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Position: Defence; Centre
Shoots: Left
Played for: Detroit Red Wings; Toronto Maple Leafs

Lore & Background

While still playing in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he also served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto-area York West electoral district from 1962 to 1965. During that time, he also won two more Stanley Cups. Starting in 1967, he retired as a player to become the head coach of the expansion Los Angeles Kings. He would coach another ten years in the NHL, with a stop-over in Pittsburgh and ending with the Leafs in June 1977.

Reader's Guide

Kelly was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1962 federal election in the York West electoral district, the first Liberal party member to do so since 1935. He defeated Conservative incumbent John Hamilton, 30,762 to 27,060 votes. He was easily re-elected in the following year's election (1963), beating his Progressive Conservative opponent, future NHL agent Alan Eagleson, by an almost 13,000 vote margin. The victory meant that he was now part of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson's newly elected Liberal government. Kelly continued to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs during his terms as a Member of Parliament and won two more Stanley Cups in that time.

Did You Know?

Kelly won the inaugural James Norris Memorial Trophy in 1954 as the NHL's top defenceman.
He won the Lady Byng Trophy four times: 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1961.
Kelly was runner-up to Chicago's Al Rollins for the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1954.
He played much of the 1958–59 season with a broken ankle, a closely guarded team secret.
Kelly was fired as head coach of the Maple Leafs on June 17, 1977, ending 30 consecutive years at ice level in the NHL.