The story is as familiar as 1967 is historic to NHL development. Caron was a minor-league goalie, doomed to play for Springfield during the 1960s after finishing junior with Peterborough. He retired at one point and moved to Toronto to take a job as a machinist, but when news of expansion made headlines he returned to the game.
The L.A. Kings did indeed claim him, and he got into his first NHL game in 1967-68. Just three games later the following year he became depressed and retired again, only to come back when he had a chance to play for St. Louis.
After ten more games with Vancouver, he moved on again to the minors, leaving Syracuse in early 1977 after a contract disagreement. But for a third time he came out of retirement after a trade sent him to Binghampton, and in 1980 he retired to his cattle and horse farm in Noranda. Two years later, he was hired as an assistant coach in Hartford, a job he had to abandon after suffering severe emotional and mental stress that needed hospital treatment.
