Alan Eagleson
Robert Alan Eagleson (born April 24, 1933) is a Canadian lawyer, poitician, hockey agent and promotor, famous for his role in promoting the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, the Canada Cup (now the World Cup of Hockey), and his representation of famous hockey players such as Bobby Orr. He was also the first executive director of the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) from 1967 until he was forced to resign in 1992.
His reputation suffered when he was accused by courts in both the United States and Canada of racketeering, fraud and embezzling player pension funds, particularly those raised from the ticket sales of the 1972 Summit Series. He was also accused of acting contrary to the interests of his clients in favor of a hockey team whose management he favoured, such as the Chicago Black Hawks. He was eventually disbarred and sentenced to 18 months in jail on the criminal charges, of which he served six months. As of 2005, he is the only person ever to have resigned after being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and the only individual to be stripped of his Order of Canada.
However, defenders of Eagleson point out that during his tenure as executive director of NHLPA, both salaries and pension benefits increased exponentially, offering real security to players that had not existed prior to that time. During the criminal proceedings against him, several players who he had supposedly defrauded were amongst his biggest supporters. Moreover, prior to Eagleson's involvement, Canadian professionals had never participated in international hockey, an involvement that has now grown into involvement in the World Hockey Championship, the World Cup of Hockey, and the Winter Olympic Games.
During one of the Summit Series games in Moscow, Eagleson garnered international attention by attempting to assault one of the referees, at which point he was seized by soldiers of the Soviet army. The Canadian players and the few Canadian fans rallied to his defence to prevent him from being arrested, providing one of the most memorable off-ice moments of the series.
Eagleson was also active in politics for many years. He served in the Ontario legislature as the Progressive Conservative Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the Toronto riding of Lakeshore from 1963 to 1967, as a fundraiser and, in the late 1960s, president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
In the 1963 federal election, he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the riding of York West. He was defeated by hockey player Red Kelly who ran for the Liberals.