Celebrating The Great Life Of Red Kelly

Another day, another true sports great, Leonard “Red” Kelly, age 91, has died, however this is a celebration if you will, of his great life.

Mr. Kelly almost surely is the only major North American major sports league  figure to play on as many as 4 title winning teams (Red played on the Red Wings’ Stanley Cup winners in ’50,’52, ’54 and ’55 as a defenseman and then on 4 Leafs Cup winners (’62-’64) and the last Toronto Maple Leafs crown in 1967, as a center. Truly incredible!) with two different franchises.

He won the first Norris Trophy, an award given to the (voted) top defenseman, in a given NHL season, among many great individual honors.

As a center with Toronto, he helped develop the great career of winger, Frank Mahovlich, who like Kelly served in the Canadian Government and played on more than one title winner with two different franchises. (the same 4 as Kelly with Toronto and two with the Montreal Canadiens).

Red was married to Andra McLaughlin a skating great, who survives him.

I have included her performance on an NBC show in 1955 and the retirement ceremony in Detroit this year of Kelly’s #4. What took so long I ask, however, this is a celebration of Red Kelly’s great life. Enjoy!

Click below to view Andra McLaughlin’s performance on the NBC show, “Your Hit Parade,” which originally aired on Christmas Eve (December 24th) 1955.