Donald H. McKenney, a long-time resident of Braintree, Mass., has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for his many contributions to the men's ice hockey program.
In 1970, McKenney joined the hockey program as an assistant to newly hired head coach Fern Flaman and served as his right hand man and chief recruiter for 19 years. With Flaman's retirement in 1989, the Huskies quickly segued to McKenney, who was the obvious choice to take over as the team's new leader. After serving as head coach for the next two seasons (1989-91), he retired with 21 years of devotion to the University.
McKenney was no stranger to Boston hockey fans when he emigrated to Huntington Avenue in 1970. A Smith Falls, Ontario native, McKenney skated 13 years in the professional ranks before ending his playing in 1969. He was a nine-time NHL All-Star and won the 1970 Lady Byng Award, the league's highest honor of sportsmanship. He tallied 237 goals in his pro career and was recognized as one of the craftiest forwards in the NHL.
McKenney was a teammate of Flaman's with Boston, skating for the Bruins from 1954-62. He led the Bruins in scoring several times and won the prestigious Lady Byng while playing in the Hub. When he left Boston in 1962, his 462 points were good for fifth on the Bruins all-time scoring list. McKenney also played for the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs, earning a Stanley Cup ring with Toronto's 1964 championship team.
McKenney was an integral part of the most successful decade in NU hockey history. In the '80s the Huskies produced three 20-win seasons, earned a pair of NCAA bids, advanced to one Final Four, and won an ECAC title, a Hockey East Championship and four Beanpots. However, McKenney may have done his finest work in the '70s. Crisscrossing the tundra of our neighbors to the North, year after year, he utilized his NHL connections to slowly build a Northeastern recruiting network. That system was one of the best of its time and continues to function today.
After leaving NU, McKenney served as a Colorado Avalanche scout for several years. He and his wife Margaret have raised three Northeastern graduates: daughters Valerie and Deborah, and son Scot, who starred for the Husky hockey team.
