Red Kelly on To Tell The Truth

Never Too Late To Retire Red Kelly's Jersey In Detroit

I recently got a comment on my Red Kelly feature that really caught me off guard. Here's what "anonymous" said:

As a Wings fan and someone who enjoys digging into sports history, it baffles me that the Wings haven't retired his number. He's easily the second-best d-man they've ever had, a key component of their dynasty, and a top ten d-man all time.

I had to double check to make sure the commenter was correct. Of course the Detroit Red Wings retired Red Kelly's jersey, didn't they? He truly is one of the all time greats. Surely they must have.

And of course they have not. When Red Kelly was traded to Toronto in February of 1960, Marc Reaume immediately took the jersey. Since then the likes of Tim Friday, Jim Leavins, Jeff Sharples, Rick Zombo, Mark Howe, Jamie Pushor, Uwe Krupp, Jamie Rivers, Cory Cross, Kyle Quincey and Jakub Kindl have worn the jersey Kelly made famous.

Kelly was the dominant defenseman prior to the emergence of Doug Harvey in Montreal. Kelly was an instrumental part of a dynasty that saw the Red Wings win four Stanley Cups between 1950 and 1955. In my books he is one of the top 50 players in hockey history, and one of the top 10 defensemen.

How could they not put #4 up in the rafters after all this time?

Now in Detroit's defense, there are a few other Red Wings who could easily be in line for such an honour, too. Marcel Pronovost. Norm Ullman. Larry Aurie and Vladimir Konstantinov have had their numbers removed from circulation but not truly honoured. And from much more recent memory how about Sergei Fedorov?

Kelly did not leave Detroit on the best of terms. But neither did Ted Lindsay or Terry Sawchuk, thanks to the tyrannical boss Jack Adams. But that should all be water under the bridge by now, you'd think.

Perhaps the reason the Detroit Red Wings have not fully honoured Kelly is because he went on to star with the Maple Leafs for seven more seasons and winning four more Stanley Cups. The Leafs honoured him long ago. And then he went on to coach them later, too. Perhaps Red Kelly is better associated with the Leafs than the Wings?

That should not matter. Red Kelly's contributions to a Detroit hockey dynasty should be better remembered. Retiring his number 4 is long over due.

Better Times Ahead In Toronto?

Frank Mahovlich and Red Kelly celebrate better times in Toronto's long hockey history

Will better days be ahead for Brian Burke's Maple Leafs this season? That question is on my mind tonight as I settle into my Toronto hotel room after an exhausting day of travel and visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame (join me on Facebook for photos).

Sorry Leafs fans, but I don't think so. I really like the additions of John Michael Liles and Cody Franson, and a full season of Keith Aulie will make the blue line that much better. Liles will really help the power play. He's well known for quick starts, so expect to hear lots about him early in the season.

But this group of forwards is weak. Injury prone Tim Connolly is not much of a consolation prize in the Brad Richards derby. The Leafs better hope a) he can stay healthy and b) he and Phil Kessel connect quickly. Nikolai Kulemin is a very underrated player.

I'm also not much of a believer in Ron Wilson anymore, so expect a penalty kill and goals against total near the worst in the league, again. As much as everyone wants to like James Reimer in net, the fact is he is an unproven entity still. Playing behind a weak team does not bode well for his chances.

I really like Brian Burke, but I am surprised he has not made more notable progress so far. I think the Leafs will have an okay year, maybe stay in the race for 8th later into the season this time around. But ultimately they will come up short again.

And that - Brian Burke, and especially Ron Wilson - should no longer be acceptable.

Tomas Kaberle - The Next Red Kelly?

Jeff Domet at CBC Sports has an interesting idea:

Is it crazy to think that Kaberle can transform from an all-star defencemen into a top-line centre in the National Hockey League, and quickly?

It's been done before.

Hockey Hall of Famer Red Kelly was an all-star defenceman for Detroit in the 1950s, winning four Stanley Cups for the Red Wings. Once Kelly arrived in Toronto in the 1960s, Maple Leaf GM/head coach Punch Imlach asked him to switch to centre.

Like Kelly, Kaberle is a great playmaker, who has stellar vision on the ice. Kaberle is also an underrated skater who could keep up with the speedy Kessel.

Kelly recalls the day he made the switch:

After I signed (with the Leafs), I told Punch (Imlach), 'I've been off skates for ten days or so. I'd hate to make a mistake out there and cause a goal,' and Punch said, 'Red, how would you feel about playing centre?' I said, 'Great! No problem.' I didn't care where I played as long as I was playing hockey. He said, 'If we're going to win the Stanley Cup, we 're going to have to go through Montreal. I need somebody to check Beliveau.' He said, 'How would you feel if I started you against Beliveau?' I just said, 'Fine. Great. Love it!'"

The fact that Kelly so seamlessly made the transition was an amazing feat. I've long said any player who can play both forward and defense at a high level is personal favorite of mine. To be able to understand the game, think the game and master the game from two very different vantage points is a true rarity.

It was a little more common in the olden days (think Dit Clapper, Ebbie Goodfellow, Goldie Prodgers, Cowboy Tom Anderson), but in the modern era Kelly is joined by the likes of Mark Howe, Doug Mohns, Jimmy Roberts, and Reg Fleming. Wendel Clark was drafted as a defenseman but played in the NHL as a winger.

There is a long list of goons who really could not play much at either position but they were just there to fight. The best of that list was probably Marty McSorley who became a pretty good defenseman with Los Angeles.

Most recently we've the likes Mathieu Dandenault, Brent Burns and Dustin Byfuglien swing back and forth. Sergei Fedorov, Sami Kapanen and Phil Housley are among those who experimented out of position, but only briefly. There is a long list of others in this category, but all were too brief to be considered as masters of both ends of the ice.

I have no idea whether Tomas Kaberle would be able to make the transition. I would certainly be interested in watching him progress. Imagine that - I might actually look forward to CBC's force-feeding of Leafs games this year!