Larry Keenan

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.

Larry Keenan
Born (1940-10-01) October 1, 1940
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

Playing career

In his NHL career, Keenan appeared in 234 games. He scored 38 goals and added 64 assists. He is 12th in 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

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

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

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1957–58 St. Michael's Buzzers MetJBHL ————— —————
1957–58 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 30112 —————
1958–59 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 4817122924 155490
1959–60 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 4821204134 10810180
1960–61 Toronto St. Michael's Majors OHA 4831386941 202413378
1960–61 Toronto St. Michael's Majors M-Cup ————— 976134
1961–62 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 20000 —————
1961–62 Rochester Americans AHL 5711193012 20000
1962–63 Rochester Americans AHL 6411283924 20110
1963–64 Denver Invaders WHL 6625305522 62244
1964–65 Victoria Maple Leafs WHL 6735205527 125278
1965–66 Victoria Maple Leafs WHL 36818266 142462
1966–67 Victoria Maple Leafs WHL 17410146 —————
1967–68 St. Louis Blues NHL 40128204 184594
1968–69 St. Louis Blues NHL 4659146 124598
1968–69 Kansas City Blues CHL 73140 —————
1969–70 St. Louis Blues NHL 561023338 1676130
1969–70 Kansas City Blues CHL 66280 —————
1970–71 St. Louis Blues NHL 101340 —————
1970–71 Buffalo Sabres NHL 51720276 —————
1971–72 Buffalo Sabres NHL 142022 —————
1971–72 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 141122 —————
1971–72 Richmond Robins AHL 233690 —————
1972–73 Richmond Robins AHL 351518338 31010
1973–74 Richmond Robins AHL 6822375928 51010
NHL totals 233386410228 4615163112

References
  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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