Red Kelly was the top Defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings for years, helping them win four Stanley Cups, with Kelly earning six Fist Team All-Star Selections and the first-ever Norris Trophy in the process.  Kelly struggled during the 1958-59 season and disclosed to a reporter the year after that he had played with a broken ankle.  This breach of intelligence angered Jack Adams, Detroit's General Manager, and he traded him to the New York Rangers, who Kelly refused to report.  Kelly did accept a trade to Toronto, which happened late in the 1959-60 Season.

Kelly brought his winning pedigree to the Leafs, and he moved from Defense to Center, allowing his playmaking skills to flourish.  He won the Lady Byng in 1961 (his fourth), and the year after, he was a large part of Toronto’s three consecutive Stanley Cups.  Kelly played until 1967, winning a fourth Cup to equal the amount he captured as a Red Wing.

Kelly went on to coach for the Los Angeles Kings, the year after he retired.

He entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969, and the Maple Leafs would add him to their honored banners in 2006.  His number 4 (shared with Hap Day) would be part of the mass retirements in 2016.

The Detroit Red Wings signed red Kelly in 1947, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had passed on him, hung their head in shame for that decision for 13 years.