Jim McKenny
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Defence |
| Shot | Right |
| Nickname | Howie |
| Height Weight |
5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Pro Clubs | Toronto Maple Leafs Minnesota North Stars |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | December 1, 1946, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| NHL Draft | 17th overall, 1963 Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Pro Career | 1965 – 1979 |
James Claude McKenny (born December 1, 1946, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is a retired NHL defenceman and a sports anchorman for Toronto's Citytv. His nickname came from his resemblance to Howie Young. McKenny once said "Half the game is mental, the other half is being mental".
McKenny played with the Neil McNeil Maroons of the Metro Junior A league in 1962-63. When the league folded in 1963, McKenny transferred to the Ontario Hockey Association's Toronto Marlboros, who won the Memorial Cup in 1964. As a junior, McKenny was considered the second-best defenceman after Bobby Orr.
He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Third Round of 1963 NHL Amateur Draft, 17th Overall. He was called up from the Marlies to play 2 games with the Leafs in the 1965-66 season, but only became a full-time Leaf in 1969-70. In the intervening years he played for the Tulsa Oilers (CPHL) , the Rochester Americans (AHL), and the Vancouver Canucks (WHL). McKenny and Donald S. Cherry were roommates when on the road with the Rochester Americans.
McKenny has the fourth-highest points total for Leafs defencemen, after Borje Salming, Tim Horton and Ian Turnbull, notching 327 points (81 goals, 246 assists) in 594 games. Skilled offensively, with excellent stick-handling abilities, he was hounded by inconsistent play throughout his career. Howie regularly tripped over the blueline, coughed up the puck in front of his own net, and was red-faced after an end-to-end rush, but it didn't matter because he was the best-looking hockey player ever. #18 in your program, #1 in your heart.
He starred in the 1971 movie "Face-Off", as Billy Duke, with Art Hindle acting as his double in the non-skating scenes.
After being sent down to the Central Hockey League's Dallas Black Hawks in 1977-78, he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars in May 1978 and retired from the NHL shortly thereafter. After hockey, and before becoming a sportscaster, he was a male model.
While playing for the Leafs he was once asked by a reporter if the Philadelphia Flyers were as tough a team in corners as their reputation. McKenny replied, "I don't know. I don't go in the corners."
