John Henry Kelley (July 10, 1927 – September 16, 2020) was an American
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
coach and a member of the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Kelley was the first general manager and head coach of the
New England Whalers of the
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...
(WHA). During
the 1972-73 season, he won the
Howard Baldwin Trophy The Howard Baldwin Trophy was presented annually to the World Hockey Association's coach of the year.
It was named in honour of New England Whalers co-founder Howard Baldwin. The trophy was renamed Robert Schmertz Memorial Trophy in 1974 in honour ...
as the WHA coach of the year, and also led the Whalers to the
Avco World Trophy. He previously served as head coach at
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...
, leading the Terriers to back-to-back NCAA hockey championships in 1971 and 1972. In his 10 year coaching career at Boston U (1962–71), he compiled a .720 winning percentage and won six
Beanpot Tournaments.
Kelley, who was born in
Medford, Massachusetts, also played his college hockey at Boston U, participating in the NCAA Hockey Tournament in 1951 and 1952. At the time of his graduation, he was the school's all time leading scorer among defensemen. He then took over as coach at
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanth ...
in 1955. After leaving the Whalers, he later worked in the front offices of the
Detroit Red Wings and
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
. His son is television writer and producer,
David E. Kelley.
Honors
In 2010, he was elected as an inaugural inductee into the
World Hockey Association Hall of Fame in the coaching category.
Head coaching record
College
WHA
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Jack
1927 births
2020 deaths
American ice hockey coaches
Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey coaches
Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players
Colby Mules men's ice hockey coaches
Detroit Red Wings personnel
Hartford Whalers executives
Ice hockey coaches from Massachusetts
Ice hockey players from Massachusetts
New England Whalers coaches
Pittsburgh Penguins people
Sportspeople from Medford, Massachusetts
United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
World Hockey Association coaches