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If you stroll by venerable Maple Leaf Gardens this time of year, you can almost hear Toronto Maple Leafs super fan John Arnott of yesteryear from his seat high above the ice holler “Come o-n-n-n, Teeder.”
Why this time of year? Well, tonight the NHL will hand out its hardware.
And when Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals climbs onto the stage at the Elgin Theatre in downtown Toronto to accept the Hart Memorial Trophy, another season will have passed since Ted (Teeder) Kennedy became the last Maple Leaf, 53 years ago, to receive the trophy, awarded to the player deemed most valuable to his NHL team.
The 82-year-old Kennedy lives in an assisted living retirement home in his hometown of Port Colborne, Ont. He remains a private man and his confidants closely guard the condition of his health. But like any person in his or her ninth decade, Kennedy has his good and bad days.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Teeder Kennedy in 1957. (Turofsky)
“He is a terrific person,” said NHL senior vice-president Jim Gregory, who visits Kennedy regularly. “I just can't say enough about the guy. We're talking about a guy here who to me is all about hockey and the way the game should be played.
“I had the good fortune of being hired by [former Maple Leafs owner] Conn Smythe and Ted was his favourite.”
That wasn't always the case.
Kennedy originally was property of the rival Montreal Canadiens. In 1941, at 16, he went to Montreal's training camp and was expected to remain in Quebec to play for the junior Montreal Royals. But Kennedy was homesick and returned to Ontario to continue his hockey career.
A year later, Frank Selke, who was the Leafs' interim general manager while Smythe was serving in the Second World War, sent Frank Eddolls to the Canadiens in exchange for Kennedy.
When Smythe returned, he was furious to learn of the trade. But Kennedy quickly won him over with his determined play and ferocious fore-checking.
Smythe later called Kennedy “the greatest competitor in hockey” and created the J.P. Bicknell Memorial Cup (a Leafs team merit award) to honour him. Kennedy was given the award in 1953 and again in 1955, when he also captured the Hart Memorial Trophy.
“He had such determination,” Gregory said. “He worked so hard to get the most out of his ability. He was a details guy. He never left anything to chance.”
To illustrate Kennedy's knack for the particulars, Gregory recalled a story when he was the Leafs' GM in the 1970s and Roger Neilson was the head coach. Neilson fretted over his players' poor performance in the faceoff circle. So Gregory, who like Kennedy was born in Port Colborne, asked Neilson whether he wanted to bring in someone to help.
Neilson asked his boss, “Who?” When Gregory replied “Kennedy,” Neilson didn't believe him.
“So I picked up the phone in front of Roger and called Ted, and he agreed to come down to help,” Gregory said. “Roger was blown away.”
But before Kennedy took to the ice, he showed up at the Gardens for a meeting with Neilson and Gregory.
“He said, ‘I'll be happy to do this, but there is one thing,'” Gregory said. “‘This just can't involve the centremen. It has to involve all five guys. Everyone has to be in tune. Everybody has a job to do. This is a team.' Neilson couldn't believe his ears.
“Roger went bouncing out of the room,” Gregory said. “He was so excited.
“But that was the kind of person Ted was when he played. He was so detailed.”
Kennedy won four Stanley Cup championships in 14 seasons with the Maple Leafs, playing primarily on the KLM line with Vic Lynn and Howie Meeker.
Kennedy retired after winning the 1954-55 Hart Trophy because he didn't think his legs could take another season, but he did return to play 30 more games in 1956-57.
He coached the junior Peterborough Petes the next season before giving way to another hockey legend-in-the-making, Scott Bowman.
Kennedy was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966.
