Today in Sports History: Dan Kelly

February 10, 1989

Dan Kelly passes away

Of the 10 numbers either retired or “honored” by the St. Louis Blues, there is one I miss the most, although I never saw him play.

He was the one from which I learned hockey.  On cold winter nights, when I was supposed to be doing homework, I was paying more attention to the radio.  This was in the day before you could watch every single game on T.V., or even before games could be watched over the Internet. 

Dan Kelly was one of the premier hockey broadcasters of all time, if not the best.  His trademark, “He shoots, he scores,” was loud, drawn out, and came from a natural enthusiasm. 

Kelly began broadcasting for the Blues in their second year.  Before that, he was becoming well known in Canada for his work on Hockey Night in Canada. 

He was the broadcaster for 16 Stanley Cup Finals from 1969 until 1988.  In addition, he did the play-by-play for the 1988 hockey Olympic games held in Calgary. 

While in St. Louis, Kelly also handled play-by-play duties, on a certain level, for the Missouri Tiger’s football (he could call a mean football game), St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball, as well as working for NBC and CBS. 

Dan Kelly was born September 17^th, 1936 in Ottawa.  He died on this day in 1989 from lung cancer in his home near St. Louis.  He would be awarded the NHL’s Lester Patrick award, and as a tribute, the press box in St. Louis still bears his name.