The life and times of the eight-time Stanley Cup winner

When Boston coach Lynn Patrick was asked who he’d pick between Rocket Richard or Gordie Howe he answered, “Neither! I’ll take Red Kelly!” The only player to have won eight Stanley Cups without playing for Montreal, Red began his life in hockey on the cedar swamps near Port Dover, Ontario, and went on to win accolades and championships as a Detroit Red Wing and Toronto Maple Leaf.

Go back in time with Red as he reminisces about his childhood: the time he nearly drowned; when he brought St. Michael’s College to three provincial championships; and his jump into a career with the NHL where sportsmanlike conduct won him multiple Lady Byng trophies. While playing with the Leafs, he served as member of parliament in Lester Pearson’s government. After retiring in 1967 as a player, Red coached for a decade in the NHL with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. This is a fascinating biography of a life well lived — on and off the ice.

Leonard “Red” Kelly's profile page

David M. Dupuis' profile page

CA

L. Waxy Gregoire's profile page

• Winner, Speaker’s Book Award

“The Red Kelly Story should have been a movie — and might still be one. Unique among athletes, he was a Stanley Cup winner and Member of Parliament at the same time. Red was a gentleman on the ice but a great human off the ice. As would be expected, his amazing story is told with great humility — a triumphant Horatio Alger tale with a Canadian twist.” — Roy MacGregor, bestselling author of Home Team: Fathers, Sons and Hockey, and Wayne Gretzky’s Ghost

“This is a heartwarming story of a dedicated player . . . a must-read for devotees of vintage NHL hockey.” — Publishers Weekly

“It’s hard to believe it took 50 years after his final game for Leonard ‘Red’ Kelly to get his own book . . . Written in the third person, it digs up historical accounts of Kelly’s best games. It also details his marriage to figure skating champion Andra McLaughlin, his Cup-winning seasons, his travels and the low points of his life. Now 89, Kelly tells a tale worth reading.” — The Hockey News

“A timely tome for a hockey icon, who has been part of so many books on other stars, yet never had his own life documented.” — Toronto Sun