FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 24, 2016
QUEEN’S PARK – Woodhouse Township-born NHL legend Leonard ‘Red’ Kelly was honoured by the Ontario Legislature earlier today.
Kelly was applauded by MPPs in the Legislature and then mingled with MPPs at a reception in the speaker’s quarters. Kelly is widely known for taking part in eight Stanley Cup championships – four with the Detroit Red Wings on defence and four as a centre for Toronto Maple Leafs. Kelly was also MP for York West from 1962-65. He is the only Canadian who served as a MP while being a professional hockey player. He is also a member of the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“With farms along Red Kelly Line (aka St. John’s Road), our families have known each other for years,” Barrett said after the reception. “When I was five years old, Red Kelly taught me how to skate on the Backus Mill pond.”
His appearance was in conjunction with the release of Kelly’s biography, The Red Kelly Story, when he was in Simcoe on the weekend. Barrett was disappointed the book has sold out already, but another printing is in the works.
-30-
For more information, contact MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org