Alan Eagleson
| Alan Eagleson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 24, 1933 St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Lawyer (disbarred) |
| Known for | defrauding NHL players association |
| Awards | Order of Canada (revoked) |
| Ontario MPP | |
|---|---|
|
In office 1963–1967 |
|
| Preceded by | New riding |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Lawlor |
| Constituency | Lakeshore |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
Robert Alan Eagleson (born April 24, 1933) is a disbarred Canadian lawyer, convicted criminal in two countries, former politician, hockey agent and promoter. Clients that he represented included superstars Bobby Orr and Darryl Sittler, and he was the first executive director of the NHL Players Association (NHLPA), which was initially lauded for improving the bargaining power of National Hockey League (NHL) players. He is also well known for providing the opportunity for professional players to compete in international hockey, by promoting the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, and the Canada Cup (now the World Cup of Hockey). However, Eagleson was convicted of fraud and embezzlement and briefly imprisoned, after it was revealed that he had abused his position for many years by defrauding his clients and skimming money from tournaments. After his convictions, he was removed as a member of the Order of Canada and resigned from the Hockey Hall of Fame where he had been inducted in the builder category.
Eagleson graduated in law from the University of Toronto and soon became a prominent lawyer in Toronto. He first became involved with hockey as an advisor to Bob Pulford, a player with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was quickly realized that any attempt to create a union would be easier to achieve with Leafs players as his base of power. That led to other members of the Leafs becoming clients, most notably defenceman Carl Brewer, who hired Eagleson as his agent.
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