Don McKenney Death, Obituary – Don McKenney, Former Bruins captain has reportedly passed away at the age of 88. The Canadian-born hockey player completed his entire professional career with the Boston Bruins, which spanned from 1954 through 1963. During his final two seasons with the Black and Gold, he served as the club captain.
After making his debut with the Bruins in 1954, McKenney went on to tie Leo Labine for the team lead in scoring that season with 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists). In addition, he finished in second place in the voting for the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, which was awarded to the player with the most points in their rookie season. The years 1954 and 1955 were spent by McKenney playing for the Bruins during his professional career.
He continued to lead the team in scoring three more times and finished with 20 or more goals in seven of his nine seasons with the club. He scored a career-high 32 goals in the 1958–1959 season, which was also the season in which he scored the most goals in his career. The year following that, McKenney set a new career high with 69 points, ended first in the league with 49 assists, and was voted to the Third All-Star Team in the National Hockey League. All of these accomplishments led to McKenney’s selection.
McKenney, who was widely regarded as an excellent defensive forward, was presented with the Lady Byng Trophy for Most Gentlemanly Player in the 1959–1960 season. He also finished in the top four of the voting for the Lady Byng Trophy for Most Gentlemanly Player in each of the six consecutive seasons between 1956 and 1962. McKenney won the Lady Byng Trophy for Most Gentlemanly Player in the 1959–1960 season.
McKenney was honored with the role of club captain in 1961 when Fern Flaman resigned from his position as leader of the club. McKenney is the club’s 10th leader. Overall, he suited up for 592 games for the Bruins, during which time he racked up 462 points (tied for 23rd all-time with the Bruins), 195 goals (tied for 21st all-time with the Bruins), and 267 assists (22nd).
After being traded to the New York Rangers in 1962, he spent a combined total of two seasons with the Blue Shirts as a member of the team. After spending his whole career with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Detroit Tigers, he retired from professional baseball.
McKenney had a total of 582 points over the course of his career, scoring 237 goals and adding 345 assists while participating in 798 games over the course of 13 NHL seasons.
Following the conclusion of his playing career, McKenney became an assistant coach on Flaman’s coaching staff for the men’s ice hockey team at Northeastern University. Flaman was the head coach of the club. Before being elevated to the position of head coach for the 1989–1991 season, he continued to serve in that capacity for nearly to twenty years.
In the year 1999, McKenney was officially recognized and inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame at Northeastern University. After that, he put forth the effort necessary to climb the ranks and eventually became a scout for the Colorado Avalanche.