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 1943 to 1957 and was captain for eight seasons.

Disappointed and heart sick at the idea of not playing for his favourite team, Montréal who owned his rights eventually traded him to Toronto for defencemen Frank Eddols.

A move that contributed to the falling out between Conn Smythe who was away fighting the war with the 48th Highlanders in Europe, and Frank Selke who was left behind to manage the team, resulting in the latter eventually leaving the Leafs organization for the Canadiens.

[5] Ted's father, Gordon Kennedy, was killed in a hunting accident eleven days before he was born and his mother, Margaret, was left to raise a family of four children.

[7] In Port Colborne, Kennedy was childhood friends with Elmer Iseler, who found fame as a choir conductor[8] and Don Gallinger who became infamous when he was banned for life by the NHL for gambling while playing with the Boston Bruins in 1948.

[10] His nickname "Teeder" is a short form of his real name which was used by other neighbourhood boys because they could not pronounce "Theodore" and was overheard by a local reporter with the Welland Tribune.

"Apps used to hit the defence at top speed and Gordie Drillon would come along and pick up the garbage", said Irvin, whereas Kennedy would "go into the corners and get the puck out to their wings.

[35][50] Toronto newspapers of the day in reporting the trade described the 17-year-old Kennedy as "a rangy youngster whose record in the OHA is exceptionally good", that he was "highly recommended by other hockey men" and was a "high-scoring right-winger".

[28][53] Nevertheless, interim manager Frank Selke had made the trade while Conn Smythe, owner of the Leafs, was away in service in World War II and Eddolls was one of his prized prospects.

Stewart, who was the all-time NHL goal scoring leader until Maurice Richard overtook him in the 1952–53 season,[58] advised when facing the goaltender to "either draw him out, or pick the corner.

[60][61][62] In a January 8 game at Maple Leaf Gardens against the Boston Bruins, the mayor of Port Colborne presented Kennedy and Don Gallinger with gold watches on behalf of his town's citizens.

In the third period, with just twenty-two seconds remaining and everyone anticipating overtime, Ted Kennedy banked a backhand shot off the goalpost which then rebounded off goaltender Bill Durnan's pads and into the net to win the game 1–0.

[71] Conn Smythe realized the importance of finding the right line-mates for Kennedy, telling coach Hap Day in September 1945, "we must get something really rapid to team up with this guy and we'll be set for a decade with a first rate front line."

Gone from the team was Sweeney Schriner, Lorne Carr, Bob Davidson, Mel Hill, Elwin Morris, Babe Pratt, Billy Taylor and new additions were Harry Watson, Jimmy Thomson, Gus Mortson, Garth Boesch, Joe Klukay, Don Metz, Vic Lynn and Howie Meeker.

After Toronto lost the opening game by a one-sided 6–0, Canadien goaltender Bill Durnan was quoted in a Montreal newspaper as saying, "How did the Maple Leafs manage to get into the playoffs?

[108][116] The 1947–48 season brought Max Bentley to Toronto from Chicago in what has been called the biggest trade in NHL history as the Leafs gave up five regular players for the league's scoring leader.

First, with Toronto down 2–1 and the Bruins having the better of the play, he out-fought two Boston players for possession to get the puck to Bentley who in turn set up Lynn for the tying goal.

They then rode open cars through a cascade of multi-coloured paper and ticket tape through Toronto's business district to arrive at a civic reception at City Hall.

[141] The 1950 playoffs were overshadowed by an on-ice mishap in the opening game between Toronto and Detroit, in which the Red Wings' young star player, Gordie Howe, was seriously injured.

[147][148][149][150] Howe sustained a concussion, facial fractures, and a lacerated right eyeball, and doctors had to perform emergency procedures on him at the hospital to save his life.

First, he prevented a goal by clearing a puck that was heading into the Toronto net, then, just fifty seconds later at the other end of the rink, he intercepted a clear-out pass from Montreal's Calum MacKay and scored to win the game.

[179] In a game in Boston in January of the 1952–53 season Kennedy suffered a separated shoulder in a scuffle with Milt Schmidt of the Bruins and underwent surgery.

At the conclusion of the season, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy,[185] for most valuable player, and would be the last Maple Leaf to win the award until Auston Matthews in 2022.

[200] Kennedy continued for a short time after retirement as a salesman with Canadian Building Materials, with whom he had worked for during his hockey career in the off-season, but soon left the company.

"[211] In July 1984, Kennedy was one of the stewards for the Queen's Plate, who ruled against an appeal by Larry Attard riding Let's Go Blue that he was interfered with by the winning horse Key To The Moon.

[11][213] In 1987, Kennedy appeared along with Leaf defenceman of the 1970s, Jim McKenny, in an educational video for the Ontario Government on the dangers to athletes of drug and alcohol abuse.

"[223] Brian Burke, the Leafs' general manager at the time of Kennedy's passing, issued a statement, reading "He truly was a man of great class and he was one of the most accomplished leaders in our team's long history.

[223] The National Hockey League family mourns the passing and cherishes the memory of Teeder Kennedy, the embodiment of Maple Leaf success.

The list, with the intention of minimizing subjectivity, was compiled using voting for the Hart and Smythe trophies for most valuable player during the regular season and playoffs respectively.

The April 27, 1998, issue of Sport Illustrated published "The Best Ever on the Draw", a poll of NHL experts of the top ten players of all time for skills on the faceoff, and Kennedy was ranked at #1.