Hall of Fame Professional Hockey Player, Coach. For twenty seasons (1947 to 1967), he played at the center and defenseman positions in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his era, Kelly contributed to eight Stanley Cup titles and earned all star honors twelve times. Born Leonard Patrick Kelly, he initially played with the St. Michael's College Majors where he shared the ice with future Maple Leafs teammate and Hall of Fame player Tim Horton. He made his NHL debut during the 1947-1948 season and finished third in the Calder Cup voting. While with the Red Wings, Kelly formed along with Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel and Alex Delvecchio on of the greatest offensive juggernauts in the league's history as he experienced four Stanley Cup championships. He was acquired by Toronto during the 1959-1960 season and went on to play on an additional four Stanley Cup squads. He was the recipient of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy four times and the Jamea Norris Memorial Trophy once. In 1,316 career regular season games, he compiled 281 goals and 542 assists. After retiring as a player, he remained in the sport and served as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings (first head coach 1967 to 1969), Pittsburgh Penguins (1969 to 1973) and Toronto Maple Leafs (1973 to 1977). He was enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969. His uniform number 4 was retired by the Detroit Red Wings in 2019.
Hall of Fame Professional Hockey Player, Coach. For twenty seasons (1947 to 1967), he played at the center and defenseman positions in the National Hockey League with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his era, Kelly contributed to eight Stanley Cup titles and earned all star honors twelve times. Born Leonard Patrick Kelly, he initially played with the St. Michael's College Majors where he shared the ice with future Maple Leafs teammate and Hall of Fame player Tim Horton. He made his NHL debut during the 1947-1948 season and finished third in the Calder Cup voting. While with the Red Wings, Kelly formed along with Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel and Alex Delvecchio on of the greatest offensive juggernauts in the league's history as he experienced four Stanley Cup championships. He was acquired by Toronto during the 1959-1960 season and went on to play on an additional four Stanley Cup squads. He was the recipient of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy four times and the Jamea Norris Memorial Trophy once. In 1,316 career regular season games, he compiled 281 goals and 542 assists. After retiring as a player, he remained in the sport and served as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings (first head coach 1967 to 1969), Pittsburgh Penguins (1969 to 1973) and Toronto Maple Leafs (1973 to 1977). He was enshrined into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969. His uniform number 4 was retired by the Detroit Red Wings in 2019.
Bio by: C.S.
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