Red Kelly

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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.

In Their Own Story

The story of Red Kelly in Toronto is one of quiet revolution on the ice. During the 1960s, while still playing for the Leafs, Kelly served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the York West electoral district from 1962 to 1965. Balancing federal duties with professional hockey, he won two more Stanley Cups during his time in office. His presence on the ice was marked by a unique blend of discipline and playmaking; in 1961 alone, he secured his fourth Lady Byng Trophy as the NHL's most gentlemanly player. Even after retiring from playing following the 1967 Cup win, his connection to the franchise remained unbroken. He returned years later as head coach, succeeding John McLellan on August 20, 1973. His coaching tenure saw the team reach the playoffs in all four seasons, though they were eliminated in the quarterfinals each time. A bizarre but memorable moment occurred during the 1975–76 series against Philadelphia, where Kelly promoted "pyramid power" to counter the Flyers' superstitions, hanging a plastic pyramid model in the clubhouse and having captain Darryl Sittler stand beneath it for exactly four minutes before games.

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.