One of Red Kelly’s earliest hockey memories as a child growing up in Simcoe, Ontario, is playing hockey on the open-air ponds “a few miles to the cedar swamp by the tracks.”

He went on to play for St. Michael’s College School from 1943 to 1947, and played on the winning Memorial Cup Team in 1946-47.

In the 1950s, while playing for the Detroit Red Wings, he won four Stanley Cup Championships and was elected to eight All-Star teams. He won the Lady Bing trophy three times and in 1954 was chosen as the first recipient of the James Norris Memorial Trophy for outstanding defenseman in the league.

In the 1960s, Red played forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs and won four more Stanley Cup Championships, another Lady Byng Trophy and the Lady Bickle Award.

Red was elected and served two terms as a member of Parliament (MP) representing York West. In 1964 he represented the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, at the Tokyo Olympics, and later at the World Congress on Recreation at Osaka.

Red became the first coach of the L.A.Kings, winning the Sportsman’s Award, “Athlete of the Half Century” in 1967. He went onto be Coach and General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and later coached the Toronto Maple Leafs for four years.

Red was elected to the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1974, the Detroit Red Wings Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.

In 1980 he was honoured with the Encyclopedia Britannica’s Achievement in Life Award for Achievement in Sports and in 1989 Red was the recipient of the Canadian Society of New York Sports Award. In 2002 Red received the Order of Canada.

After retiring from hockey, Red founded and served as President of CAMP Systems of Canada from 1977 to 1997.

Red and his wife, Andra McLaughlin Kelly, a former World Free Skating Champion, current live in Toronto. They have four children and four grandchildren.