Due to my absence in Penticton the past 5 days, I have been unable to comment on the passing of Teeder Kennedy.Teeder Kennedy was one of the great Stanley Cup warriors, an absolutely essential cog to the Toronto Maple Leafs dynasty from 1945 through 1951 where the Leafs won 5 out of 7 Stanley Cup championships.
There was no Conn Smythe trophy for the playoff MVP back then, but when the Society of International Hockey Research formed a committee of experts to retroactively acknowledge the playoff MVPs, Teeder Kennedy was duly noted as one of the greatest players in NHL playoff history.
Kennedy was awarded MVP status three times, in 1945, 1947 and 1948. He was properly singled out for his tireless effort, his timely goal scoring and as the heart and soul of the Leafs. Think Doug Gilmour, only Kennedy, the 1955 Hart Trophy winner, played for the Leafs for 14 years and with a whole lot more playoff success.Without a doubt, Teeder Kennedy is one of my favorite players of all time, even though I never got the chance to see him play. When naming the greatest Toronto Maple Leaf player of all time, Kennedy is always near the top of my consideration list, with Syl Apps right there, too.
Here's my Teeder Kennedy biography, and with my favorite passage being:
Universally known as Teeder, Kennedy was the ultimate Leaf. While he was a horrendous skater, he made up for it with his competitive zeal that would make him arguably the greatest leader in franchise history, and maybe in hockey history. He led by example, fearlessly battling some of hockey's all time greats. He could shoot and pass and stickhandle with the best of them, yet was a proud defensive player and a superior faceoff specialist.Here are three must see articles remembering Ted Kennedy:
Frank Orr, Toronto Star
David Shoalts, Globe and Mail
John Vessoyan, Welland Tribune
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