Stories about the old Professor, Ron Caron, and his legendary feats of memory abound in the NHL. Like this one, from Cliff Fletcher, from back in the day when both were apprenticing in the Montreal Canadiens organization and long before they made a series of trades - involving Brett Hull, Doug Gilmour and others - that shook the foundations of the league some 20 years ago.
"I've never known anyone who, 30 years after the fact, could shout across the table at me and say, 'Cliff, do you remember on Oct. 2, 1957, when we sat and watched the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers play?' And I'd say, 'Yeah sure, Ron, I remember.'
"They threw away the mold after they made Ron Caron. He was a unique individual, as intense competitor as I've ever seen. I've never met anyone else quite like him - gregarious, likeable, someone who loved to sit around and tell stories."
Caron always was a talker - and that hasn't changed, although the volume levels are a little muted; the energy levels aren't quite what they once were. Now 77, and retired, Caron is struggling with the effects of post-stroke spasticity. According to the website, Post-Stroke Help, in the aftermath of a stroke, many people experience an uncontrollable tightness in the arms or legs that can cause pain and restrict movement, something that Caron is experiencing in both his right arm and leg right now.
Caron broke in with the Habs, became GM of the Blues in 1983 under then owner Harry Ornest and was asked to do something no other manager of the era had to do - work with a budget. The Blues used to travel by commercial flights and if they could save a dollar by detouring to Peoria, so be it - they would do it. Under the circumstances - that they were competitive for most of that era and always made the playoffs - was an extraordinary achievement. Caron once traded Gilmour and Mark Hunter out of St. Louis for Mike Bullard, effectively turning Calgary into a Stanley Cup contender. In 1988, he sent them Rick Wamsley and Rob Ramage for a prospect, Brett Hull, that wasn't seeing much ice time under then coach Terry Crisp. Calgary didn't win that year, but they won the next year. Hull, meanwhile, went on to establish Blues teams records in most of the important offensive categories.
Caron suffered a stroke about three years ago; he was staying at Serge Savard's hotel, the Chateau Champlain, when he and Joe Micheletti, a former Blues player, went out for a smoked meat sandwich.
"I only had three blocks to go to my hotel, but Joe didn't like the way I was walking," said Caron. "He said, 'you'll never cross Dorchester like this; we'll take a cab.' That was a Friday night. He called the doctor, who said, 'I think he's had a stroke.' That's no fun.
"By Saturday, they'd admitted me to Montreal General. I went in and stayed two weeks."
Caron had indeed suffered a stroke and now resides in a extended-care facility in the Montreal suburb of Westmount.
The walls of his private room are decorated with his baseball memorabilia; Caron was always as immersed in major league baseball as he was in hockey, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of both sports. There are pictures of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and others from his beloved Yankees. He also has photos of the Canadiens' 1970, '71 and '72 teams as well. Even now, he can remember details of the deals he made, the players he scouted, the juniors he watched. He is a living, breathing database, able to dredge up a name and a story from the past, despite his health issues.
Post-stroke spasticity is a treatable condition that manifests itself as excess muscle activity, tightness of muscles and often disfiguring muscle contractions. One of most challenging group of symptoms is the inability to coordinate the limbs.
In Caron's case, the physiotherapy that he receives five times a week is helping him slowly - slowly - get back to normal.
"I have doctors all over the place; it costs me a fortune," he said, in that absolutely unmistakable voice of his. "I have a chance to get back to normal, with my right hand and my right leg. They give me Botox every month and a half and it helps. I walk 300 feet a day, every day. I'm feeling OK. I'm a cheerful guy."
Cheerful, upbeat, volatile - he was all those things. One time Caron and his Winnipeg Jets' counterpart John Ferguson Sr. were so mad at each other that they were wrestling in the press box at Winnipeg Arena, in full view of the assembled masses.
"I watch a little bit of hockey still," said Caron, of his day-to-day life. "I have visitors. I've had Sam Pollock once, which is one more time than anybody else has. He lives in Toronto now. The last guy I met at the hotel was Jacques Martin. I gave him his first job after he won the Memorial Cup. He said, 'Cheer up, you'll be all right.' He saw me recently. He said, 'Are you still the same?' I said, 'Yeah, but I'm doing better. I'm doing OK.'"