Forbes Taylor Kennedy (August 18, 1935 – May 26, 2026) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played 603 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with five teams between 1956 and 1969, recording 70 goals and 108 assists for 178 points and 888 penalty minutes. Kennedy led the NHL in penalty minutes during the 1968–69 season. After his playing career ended Kennedy became a coach for several seasons.
| Forbes Kennedy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
August 18, 1935 Dorchester, New Brunswick, Canada | ||
| Died |
May 26, 2026 (aged 90) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Chicago Black Hawks Detroit Red Wings Boston Bruins Philadelphia Flyers Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1956–1970 | ||
Playing career
editKennedy was born in Dorchester, New Brunswick, and raised in Prince Edward Island. Despite his small frame (5'8'', 150 lbs.), he was often the most penalized player on the ice.
He spent the following season with the WHL's San Francisco Seals before the team was relocated and renamed for absorption into the NHL, becoming the California Seals.
Kennedy's most infamous game was marked by a violent incident in the 1969 Stanley Cup playoffs in Boston, as teammate Pat Quinn delivered a massive hit to Bruins star Bobby Orr, knocking him unconscious. Kennedy responded to the incident by partaking in four fights before punching a linesman and getting ejected from the game.[1] He received a lengthy suspension and his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs ended.
Post-playing career
editAfter retiring, Kennedy began a long coaching career when he coached the Cape Breton Metros of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League in their first year of existence from 1969 to 1970, and then coached the Halifax Junior Canadians from 1970 to 1971. He was brought in to coach the Summerside Crystals of the PEI Junior Hockey League from 1971 to 1972 and 1972 to 1973 before leaving for the Los Angeles Sharks of the WHA to try to resume his playing career. That did not work out for Kennedy due to injuries so he ended his playing career and went back to coaching with the Winston-Salem Polar Twins of the Southern Hockey League. Kennedy returned home a few years later to PEI and coached junior hockey for many years.
On January 16, 2012, Kennedy was honoured by the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League with a "Forbes Kennedy Night" and he was presented with a plaque in recognition of his service to the team that he coached from 2004 to 2007.[2]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1951–52 | Charlottetown Abbies | PEIHA | 6 | 16 | 8 | 24 | 20 | 6 | 23 | 14 | 37 | 21 | ||
| 1952–53 | Halifax St. Mary's | MMHL | 11 | 16 | 11 | 27 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952–53 | Halifax St. Mary's | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 25 | ||
| 1953–54 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | QJHL | 54 | 19 | 19 | 38 | 43 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 1954–55 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | QJHL | 46 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 118 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1955–56 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | QJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1955–56 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 19 | ||
| 1955–56 | Montreal-Shawinigan | QHL | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956–57 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 69 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1957–58 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 70 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 135 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 1958–59 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 67 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 149 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 30 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1959–60 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 21 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1960–61 | Spokane Comets | WHL | 70 | 23 | 38 | 61 | 165 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1961–62 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1961–62 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 58 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 124 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Edmonton Flyers | WHL | 23 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1962–63 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 49 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 95 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 52 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 50 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | San Francisco Seals | WHL | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | California Seals | WHL | 71 | 25 | 41 | 66 | 91 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1967–68 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 73 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 130 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 | ||
| 1968–69 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 59 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 195 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | ||
| 1969–70 | Buffalo Bisons | AHL | 19 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1969–70 | Omaha Knights | CHL | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| NHL totals | 603 | 70 | 108 | 178 | 988 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 64 | ||||
References
edit- ↑ "Forbes Kennedy punches linesman George Ashley". YouTube. March 24, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ↑ Kennedy humbled by Bruins’ award - Sports - The Journal Pioneer
- ↑ Meltzer, Bill (May 26, 2026). "Flyers Family Mourns Forbes Kennedy". Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Forbes Kennedy Obituary | 1935 - 2026 | The Guardian". theguardian.remembering.ca. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Forbes Kennedy at IMDb