From Simcoe, Ontario
Leonard Patrick “Red” Kelly is one of the ‘100 Greatest NHL Players’ in history.
Born in 1927 in Simcoe, Ontario
Attended Doan’s Hollow Public School in Port Dover, Ontario
Kelly attended St. Michael’s College School, an all-boys Roman Catholic day school in Toronto.
“They only had natural ice and open-air ponds so you’d play hockey out on the ponds. You’d go out a few miles to the cedar swamp to play by the tracks.“
Red Kelly about his earliest hockey memories
In 1947 19-year-old Kelly joined the Detroit Red Wings directly from St. Michael’s.
Red Kelly becomes one of the National Hockey League’s best-ever defensemen early in his career and a high-scoring center at the end. He won Stanley Cup eight times, four as a defenseman with Red Wings, four as a center with Maple Leafs.
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.
Red Kelly retired as a player
- with 1,316 regular-season games played,
- scoring 281 goals,
- adding 542 assists for 823 points.
As a coach in 742 regular-season games, he
- won 278,
- lost 330,
- tied 134.
Simcoe is a community in Southwestern Ontario, located near Lake Erie. It is the county seat and largest community of Norfolk County.
Simcoe was founded in 1795 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe.
