Red Kelly Jersey Retirement

[BenchBrawl]

I'm not a Detroit fan but I find it to be an abomination that Red Kelly's jersey isn't up in the rafters.Can't any of you start a campaign on this (a bit like what happened in Montreal for Emile Butch Bouchard) or something?

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[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

I'm not a Detroit fan but I find it to be an abomination that Red Kelly's jersey isn't up in the rafters.Can't any of you start a campaign on this (a bit like what happened in Montreal for Emile Butch Bouchard) or something?

No?

I think it ought to be up there too... but the team has the right to retire or not retire any number that they want. I think Red's number isn't up there because he was a big time player for Toronto in addition to Detroit.

I guess I just don't really care about whether a guy from the 50s and 60s (legend or not) has his number retired.

 

[burrythebiscuit*]

I'm not a Detroit fan but I find it to be an abomination that Red Kelly's jersey isn't up in the rafters.Can't any of you start a campaign on this (a bit like what happened in Montreal for Emile Butch Bouchard) or something?

We already have a debate with whether or not number 91 should be up there

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Absolutely 4 should be up there. He was the best defenseman in the team's history before Lidstrom came around. Was as important to our dynasty as any other player, is a top 10 defenseman of all time, and is ****ing 88 years old. 4, 13, and 91 all need to go to the rafters at some point soon.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

I wasn't even close to being around. But meh. The least they could do is honor it

Also don't know why Konstantinovs is retired but not up there (Guess its an honor on steroids)

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Red Kelly had a pretty bad ending in Detroit, but a lot of people did under the Norris family. Still most of the honored Detroit numbers went up under Ilitch with him taking down Aurie which is disgraceful. Though no Aurie does make the argument of what it takes to get up certainly different.

What really does in Red Kelly though is he is Leafs royalty that on record identifies himself as a Leafs player first and foremost. Does he deserve the honor? Sure, but there is a reason he was over representing the Leafs in the Winter Classic stuff. That is what he is at heart and we don't put up people that aren't Red Wings at heart.

With that in mind I think you picked the wrong great old time D-man head scratching decision in terms of roster retirement. The fact that Ebbie Goodfellow isn't in the rafters is very hard to understand. He even has the requisite three cups and was a Captain of the team, along with winning the Hart Trophy once.

I think you could hang all of Kelly, Goodfellow and Fedorov. Certainly those are the three most deserving guys not up, well outside of doing the right thing and putting up Aurie's number since his family is clearly incredibly irked over that decision. Then you start talking about Datsyuk and Zetterberg who look like they are coming up short of this honor. Cannot imagine one going up without the other, Pavel is short of the honor and "retiring" and Zetterberg looks like he is going to tapper off to a place where neither guy gets up.

Goodfellow or Kelly going up I could understand. But really I don't want to see anybody hit the rafters until #91 does, at least unless we are debating somebody else like Mrazek or Larkin 20 years from now having possibly surpassed him with nobody having gone up but that seems impossible anyway...

I hope they are just waiting for the new barn on Fedorov or the announce over the summer he will be retired in the final season of the JLA.

 

[FissionFire]

Larry Aurie belongs up there before Red Kelly does

 

[Hammettf2b]

Red Kelly had a pretty bad ending in Detroit, but a lot of people did under the Norris family. Still most of the honored Detroit numbers went up under Ilitch with him taking down Aurie which is disgraceful. Though no Aurie does make the argument of what it takes to get up certainly different.

What really does in Red Kelly though is he is Leafs royalty that on record identifies himself as a Leafs player first and foremost. Does he deserve the honor? Sure, but there is a reason he was over representing the Leafs in the Winter Classic stuff. That is what he is at heart and we don't put up people that aren't Red Wings at heart.

With that in mind I think you picked the wrong great old time D-man head scratching decision in terms of roster retirement. The fact that Ebbie Goodfellow isn't in the rafters is very hard to understand. He even has the requisite three cups and was a Captain of the team, along with winning the Hart Trophy once.

I think you could hang all of Kelly, Goodfellow and Fedorov. Certainly those are the three most deserving guys not up, well outside of doing the right thing and putting up Aurie's number since his family is clearly incredibly irked over that decision. Then you start talking about Datsyuk and Zetterberg who look like they are coming up short of this honor. Cannot imagine one going up without the other, Pavel is short of the honor and "retiring" and Zetterberg looks like he is going to tapper off to a place where neither guy gets up.

Goodfellow or Kelly going up I could understand. But really I don't want to see anybody hit the rafters until #91 does, at least unless we are debating somebody else like Mrazek or Larkin 20 years from now having possibly surpassed him with nobody having gone up but that seems impossible anyway...

I hope they are just waiting for the new barn on Fedorov or the announce over the summer he will be retired in the final season of the JLA.

I would cry like a baby if that happened.

 

[BigDucky]

Does he deserve the honor? Sure, but there is a reason he was over representing the Leafs in the Winter Classic stuff.

And that reason is the Leafs never effed him over the way Detroit did. Kelly shoulda been a Red Wing for life. Given the history though between the player and the team it would be awkward at this point if Detroit decided to retire Red's number.

I also think 6 should be in the rafters since it was already retired before Illitch bought the team. Goodfellow's number is already retired, but it would be nice to see a banner up there with his name on it. There isn't currently anyone up there to represent the Cup wins in 36 and 37, so throwing 6 and an extra 5 up there would be a good way to do that.