Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews underwent a surgical procedure on Thursday to removes screws in his leg that were placed there after he broke it in the US National Development Program as a 16-year-old.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun said that the screws in his leg were causing Matthews chronic back pain. The 21-year-old missed time with back issues in 2015 while playing in Switzerland and in his second season with the Leafs, so it was decided to remove the screws after the season in hopes that it will alleviate any back issues going forward.
According to a tweet from Leafs PR, the procedure is not expected to disrupt Matthews summer on-ice program and his readiness for training camp this September.
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Hockey Hall of Famer Leonard ‘Red’ Kelly has passed away at the age of 91. Kelly played 21 NHL seasons, 13 for the Detroit Red Wings and eight for the Maple Leafs, winning eight Stanley Cups.
“The entire Toronto Maple Leafs organization mourns the passing of Red Kelly,” Toronto Maple Leafs President & Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan said in a press release. “For those of us who were lucky enough to have known or encountered Red, we will all miss his sharp mind and keen intellect. He was a gentleman but a fierce competitor. Above all, he was a family man, and he will be missed by his hockey family. Our deepest sympathies go out to Andra, their children, grandchildren, and the entire Kelly family.”
The entire Toronto Maple Leafs organization is deeply saddened today to learn of the passing of Red Kelly.
A family man and a fierce competitor, Red played eight seasons with the Leafs and won four Stanley Cups in Toronto.
Kelly won a Norris Trophy and four Stanley Cups as a member of the Wings but was moved to center by Leafs coach Punch Imlach when he joined the Leafs in 1960. The Simcoe, ON native, scored 20 or more goals three times with Toronto and won four more Cups in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967.
“Red was the ultimate hockey renaissance man who seemingly could do it all." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a press release. "He was a champion boxer during his school days at St. Michael’s College, yet he won the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly conduct on the ice four times. For three years, he was simultaneously a player for the Maple Leafs and a member of the Canadian Parliament."
After retiring at the end of the ‘67 season, Kelly became head coach of the expansion Los Angeles Kings and later coached the Pittsburgh Penguins before rejoining the Leafs as their bench boss from 1973-1977.
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