JIM MCKENNY – 3X5 INDEX CARD

Description

James Claude “Howie” McKenny (born December 1, 1946) is a Canadian retired broadcaster and retired professional ice hockey player. He played 604 games between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota North Stars, and was known by the nickname of ‘Howie’ due to his resemblance to Howie Young. McKenny once said that “Half the game is mental. The other half is being mental”.

Drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round of the 1963 NHL Amateur Draft (17th overall), McKenny had difficulty staying in the NHL early in his career and often played forward instead of his usual position on defense. He was called up from the Marlies to play 2 games with the Leafs in the 1965–66 season. He was given two other opportunities to make the Leafs teams in the 1966–67 and 1967-1968 seasons but only played a total of eleven games. However, on Feb. 24, 1968, he did score the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Boston which was the second of his NHL career.^[2] He was not promoted to stay on the Maple Leafs for several years, attributed to a poor attitude, possibly his alcoholism^[1] and his antipathy towards the high-pressure style of coach and GM Punch Imlach.^[3] He played in the minor leagues for the Tulsa Oilers (CPHL), the Rochester Americans (AHL), and the Vancouver Canucks (WHL). McKenny and Don Cherry were roommates when on the road with the Rochester Americans.

Jim McKenny finally became a full-time member of the Toronto Maple Leafs team during the 1969–70 season and became one of the Leafs top defensemen for eight seasons. McKenny has the fifth highest points total for Leafs defencemen, accumulating 327 points (81 goals, 246 assists) in 594 games, behind only Börje Salming, Tomas Kaberle, Tim Horton, and Ian Turnbull.^[4] McKenny was paired frequently with former Marlboro team-mate Brian Glennie, with offensive skills complementing the hard-hitting, defense-oriented style of Glennie. In 1974, McKenny played in the NHL All-Star Game. In 1971, he also appeared in the movie “Face-Off” as the skating stand-in for Art Hindle.

Near the end of his career, McKenny was sent down to the Central Hockey League’s Dallas Black Hawks for the 1977–78 season. Despite the demotion, he was named to the CHL’s Second All-Star Team. On May 15, 1978, McKenny was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for cash and future considerations (the rights to Owen Lloyd), playing in only ten games before retiring from the NHL. He played one season in Europe for Swiss and French teams before retiring completely from hockey.