Family, friends and many of hockey's most luminous names bid farewell to Red Kelly at the NHL great's funeral Friday.
The eight-time Stanley Cup champion played 20 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, winning four Stanley Cups with each team. He died at 91 on May 2, exactly 52 years after helping the Maple Leafs win their most recent Stanley Cup in 1967.
Honorary pallbearers at the funeral included Frank Mahovlich, Darryl Sittler, Lanny McDonald, Bob Baun, Dick Duff, Ron Ellis, Dave Keon, Eddie Shack and Jim Gregory.
"He was a hero to us all," said McDonald, who played for Kelly when he coached Toronto in the 1970s. "We all looked up to him ... how he lived his life. He showed us the way. ... Red never swore. It was, 'Wholly smollerinos ... son of a sea cookin' bottle washer.' That's the kind of gentleman he was, through in through."
Also attending were Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan and General Manager Kyle Dubas, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and former Toronto captain Wendel Clark.
"As much as he loved the game and he gave great service to the game and to this country ... family was always first," Bettman said.
U.S. falls in opener
Matus Sukel scored early in the first period and Slovakia went on to beat the U.S. 4-1 on home ice in Kosice, a stunning result on the opening day of the world hockey championship.
Alex DeBrincat had a goal off assists from fellow NHLers Patrick Kane and Jack Eichel to pull the Americans into a tie midway through the period, but they couldn't score again against Patrik Rybar.
