Ted Kennedy (ice hockey)
![Four hockey players, two sitting and two standing behind them, smiling triumphantly.](/Images/godic/202502/15/Toronto_Maple_Leafs_Players_19464815.jpg")
![Hall of Famer Nels Stewart was Kennedy's coach and mentor and played a major role early in his career.](/Images/godic/202502/15/Nels_Stewart4815.jpg")
![Frank Selke (left), shown here as GM of Montreal, signing Elmer Lach. Earlier as GM of Toronto Selke had made one of his greatest trades acquiring Kennedy's rights from Montreal. A dispute with President Conn Smythe over the trade caused Selke to leave the Leafs for Montreal and he then built the Leaf rival into a powerhouse.](/Images/godic/202502/15/Elmer_Lach_and_Frank_J._Selke4815.jpg")
![Foster Hewitt's radio broadcasts made Kennedy famous across Canada](/Images/godic/202502/15/Foster_Hewitt4815.JPG")
Theodore Samuel "Teeder" Kennedy (December 12, 1925 – August 14, 2009) was a professional ice hockey centre who played his entire career with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1942 to 1957 and was captain for eight seasons. He was the first player in NHL history to win five Stanley Cups and is the last Maple Leaf to win the Hart Trophy for most valuable player. He was an essential contributor to the Maple Leafs becoming what many consider as the National Hockey League's first dynasty. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. He has been called the quintessential Maple Leaf and by some the greatest player in the team's history.