Ronald Caron (December 19, 1929 – January 9, 2012) was a Canadian executive in the

National Hockey League (NHL) The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

for the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues.

Early life

Caron was born in

Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadia ...

(now

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

, Quebec), on December 19, 1929. He was a graduate of the University of Ottawa."The Montreal Canadiens mourn the passing of Ronald Caron", Montreal Canadiens press release, Tuesday, January 10, 2012.
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Hockey career

Montreal Canadiens

Caron began his career in professional ice hockey as a part-time

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

with the

Montreal Junior Canadiens The Montreal Junior Canadiens were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Junior Hockey League from 1933 to 1961, and the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961 to 1972. They played out of the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. History The ...

in 1959. The team promoted him to head scout in 1968. He succeeded

Al MacNeil Allister Wences MacNeil (born September 27, 1935) is a former National Hockey League player and coach. He was the first native of Atlantic Canada to serve as a head coach in the NHL. Career He played parts of eleven seasons in the National Hockey ...

as head coach of the Montreal Voyageurs for the 1970–71 campaign, but was replaced by

Floyd Curry Floyd James "Busher" Curry (August 11, 1925 – September 16, 2006) was a Canadian ice hockey right winger. Curry was born in 1925 in Chapleau, Ontario and raised in Kirkland Lake by his parents Dalton and Mable Curry. He played junior hockey wit ...

during the season. He was appointed the Voyageurs' general manager the following year. Within the next ten campaigns, he served the team as assistant general manager and director of recruitment and player personnel.

St. Louis Blues

Caron was the general manager of the St. Louis Blues from 1983 until 1994. During his tenure, he was involved in bringing players like Doug Gilmour, Brett Hull, and Adam Oates to St. Louis. Before he was hired by St. Louis, he worked for the Montreal Canadiens as their head scout. He won six

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

rings with Montreal during the 1970s as the assistant general manager. He was nicknamed "The Old Professor" for his remarkable memory of hockey events.

Death

Caron died on January 9, 2012, at 82 at his home in Montreal.Ron Caron dies; former Blues GM
, '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' (January 10, 2012)

Awards

* Stanley Cup Champions 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

References

1929 births 2012 deaths Montreal Canadiens executives Montreal Canadiens scouts Ice hockey people from Gatineau St. Louis Blues executives Stanley Cup champions {{Canada-icehockey-bio-stub