Ron Caron, one of the most influential and colorful personalities in Blues history, has passed away at the age of 82. Caron died in Montreal on Monday evening after an extended illness.
Arriving from Montreal, Caron was the Blues' general manager from 1983 to 1993, engineering deals that involved some of the most prominent players in franchise history, players such as Brett Hull, Adam Oates, Brendan Shanahan and Rob Ramage. He retired in 1994 to serve as a consultant but returned as the Blues' general manager in 1996 before giving way to Larry Pleau.
In between, "The Professor" entertained reporters and tantalized fans with colorful "meat on the burner" analogies, explosive passion and stories of his glorious past as a head scout and executive with the Canadiens.
"I can definitely say — and I mean this in only a most special and kind way — that the good Lord broke the mold when he made Mr. Caron," former Blues star and coach Brian Sutter said. "And when he did, the Big Guy upstairs said, 'We're never going to do that again.' He was a very special man."
Caron was part of six Stanley Cup winners in Montreal during the 1970s. When he came to St. Louis, he helped navigate the franchise through its most difficult days, a proposed move to Saskatoon, a fractured change of ownership, financial hardships and competitive calamity. For instance, in 1983 when Caron arrived, the Blues did not even participate in the NHL entry draft.
"He certainly persevered in St. Louis, with the things we went through," Sutter added. "I look back now and, you talk about teams now like Phoenix having trouble, we went through some unbelievable things. He did a heck of a job."
Caron helped keep the Blues viable, relying on his player-development acumen. He often shuffled established veterans elsewhere for promising — and cheaper — talent, and he caulked cracks with role-playing veterans.
Nothing epitomized Caron's transactions like a trade on March 7, 1988, when he sent All-Star defenseman Rob Ramage and veteran goaltender Rick Wamsley to Calgary for enigmatic, young Brett Hull.
At the time, the 24-year-old son of Hall of Famer Bobby Hull was playing infrequently for the Flames, out of favor with coach Terry Crisp. Caron boldly predicted Hull would score 50 goals in a season for the Blues and Hull exceeded those lofty expectations. He scored as many as 86 in a season, scored more than 50 five times and became the face of the franchise. Hull went on to get 571 of his 741 career goals in St. Louis.
During a conversation in 1998, Caron suggested the deal also qualified him to be a popular figure in Calgary.
"I felt it would be good for the Blues to bring the 'Golden Brett' here, with the name and his charisma," Caron recalled. "I talked to (Calgary executive) Cliff Fletcher as the trade deadline approached and I asked him, 'Do you want to win the Stanley Cup? If you do, I have the players that will help you win a Stanley Cup.'
"With the additions of Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley, Calgary won the Stanley Cup that year. That's the only Stanley Cup in the history of the franchise."
Sutter, who coached the Blues from 1988-89 through 1991-92, is one of an illustrious group to get their first head coaching jobs under Caron's watch. The list includes Jacques Demers, Jacques Martin and Joel Quenneville.
Caron also was legendary for his demonstrative tirades in press boxes and postgame dressing rooms. In 1991, he was fined and banned from the press box in Detroit for the remainder of the playoffs for scuffling with Red Wings goaltender Glen Hanlon.
The incident occurred after Detroit enforcer Bob Probert was given a double-minor penalty for slashing Blues defenseman Garth Butcher and punching goaltender Vincent Riendeau. Caron felt Probert deserved a stiffer penalty. Incensed, he left a private box to traverse the arena's perimeter and protest Probert's actions. In the press box as a healthy scratch, Hanlon took offense and the two wound up tussling.
