Larry Keenan

Larry Keenan
Born (1940-10-01) October 1, 1940 (age 84)
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 177 lb (80 kg; 12 st 9 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Toronto Maple Leafs
St. Louis Blues
Buffalo Sabres
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1961–1974

Christopher Lawrence Keenan (born October 1, 1940) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left wing. He played in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, and Philadelphia Flyers between 1962 and 1971.

Playing career

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In his NHL career, Keenan appeared in 234 games. He scored 38 goals and added 64 assists. He is 12th in the Blues all-time playoff scoring with 15 goals in 46 playoff games. He was called up for a pair of games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1961-62 before spending six years in the AHL and WHL. When the league expansion in 1967 made journeymen a desirable commodity, Keenan found himself back in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues. He formed a hard-working forward line with Terry Crisp and Jim Roberts.[1]

Keenan scored the first-ever goal in St. Louis Blues history on October 11, 1967, against Cesare Maniago of the Minnesota North Stars.[2][3] He was also on the ice for Bobby Orr's famous 1970 Stanley Cup Finals clinching goal—a scoring play that began when Orr pinched at the blue line and blocked Keenan's attempt to clear the zone with a pass to Red Berenson.[4]

Keenan was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on November 4, 1970, along with Jean-Guy Talbot for Bobby Baun. His career ended prematurely due to injuries.

Life after NHL

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Keenan went on to become president of the North Bay Trappers midget AAA and led the club for 23 years from 1986 to 2009.[5] Keenan and manager Art Tiernay operated the club since the Great North Midget League was formed in 1986.

Personal

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Keenan grew up with three sisters.[6] His son Cory played junior hockey for the Kitchener Rangers as a defenceman. Cory was drafted in the sixth round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the Hartford Whalers, and ended up playing professionally in Europe.[7] Cory was on the 1990 Memorial Cup all-star team.[8] On June 29, 2023, his grandson (also named Larry) was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings to play at defense;[9] he was the 117th draft pick of 2023, a higher selection than the projected 200th pick.[10]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1957–58 St. Michael's Buzzers MetJBHL — — — — — — — — — —
1957–58 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 3 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
1958–59 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 48 17 12 29 24 15 5 4 9 0
1959–60 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 48 21 20 41 34 10 8 10 18 0
1960–61 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 48 31 38 69 41 20 24 13 37 8
1960–61 Toronto St. Michael's Majors M-Cup — — — — — 9 7 6 13 4
1961–62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1961–62 Rochester Americans AHL 57 11 19 30 12 2 0 0 0 0
1962–63 Rochester Americans AHL 64 11 28 39 24 2 0 1 1 0
1963–64 Denver Invaders WHL 66 25 30 55 22 6 2 2 4 4
1964–65 Victoria Maple Leafs WHL 67 35 20 55 27 12 5 2 7 8
1965–66 Victoria Maple Leafs WHL 36 8 18 26 6 14 2 4 6 2
1966–67 Victoria Maple Leafs WHL 17 4 10 14 6 — — — — —
1967–68 St. Louis Blues NHL 40 12 8 20 4 18 4 5 9 4
1968–69 St. Louis Blues NHL 46 5 9 14 6 12 4 5 9 8
1968–69 Kansas City Blues CHL 7 3 1 4 0 — — — — —
1969–70 St. Louis Blues NHL 56 10 23 33 8 16 7 6 13 0
1969–70 Kansas City Blues CHL 6 6 2 8 0 — — — — —
1970–71 St. Louis Blues NHL 10 1 3 4 0 — — — — —
1970–71 Buffalo Sabres NHL 51 7 20 27 6 — — — — —
1971–72 Buffalo Sabres NHL 14 2 0 2 2 — — — — —
1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 14 1 1 2 2 — — — — —
1971–72 Richmond Robins AHL 23 3 6 9 0 — — — — —
1972–73 Richmond Robins AHL 35 15 18 33 8 3 1 0 1 0
1973–74 Richmond Robins AHL 68 22 37 59 28 5 1 0 1 0
NHL totals 233 38 64 102 28 46 15 16 31 12

References

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  1. ^ "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Larry Keenan". www.legendsofhockey.net. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015.
  2. ^ Ercit, Jordan (October 8, 2010). "Keenan's franchise value". The Nugget. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  3. ^ Rutherford, Jeremy (October 2014). 100 Things Blues Fans Should Know & do Before They die. ISBN 9781623682835.
  4. ^ Schwartz, Larry. "Orr's great goal". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  5. ^ "Keenan steps down from Trappers, Kile taking over | North Bay Nugget". www.nugget.ca. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015.
  6. ^ "Read recent and archived obituaries and memorial notices from Postmedia Obituaries".
  7. ^ "Cory Keenan". hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Larry Keenan". www.legendsofhockey.net. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015.
  9. ^ Robinson, Tim (June 29, 2023). "Red Wings Go For Defense in Draft's Second Day". Detroit Hockey Now. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  10. ^ "Getting to know the Detroit Red Wings No.117 Pick Larry Keenan - Detroit Sports Nation". detroitsportsnation.com. June 29, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
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