Watching the CTV Ottawa story on legendary Ottawa junior hockey coach Brian Kilrea turning 90 got me thinking about Willie Wise.
The connection? When Willie was majority owner and de facto general manager of the Royals, and thought he knew everything there was to know about running a major junior team, Kilrea, then coach/gm of the 67’s, nicknamed him ‘Willie Dumb’.
Willie became the ‘Village Scoundrel’ in the spring of 1992 when he moved the club to Newmarket, where it had a one-season run before being sold to the Ciccarelli brothers who re-located it to Sarnia and re-branded it as the Sting.
It was said that the brothers paid $950,000 for the team with most of the money used by Willie to pay off the team debt.
Willie landed in the United States and re-invented himself as a banker/investment tycoon. He lived in the fast lane. (Private jet, show girls, island hide-away, $1,000 bottles of wine). At least until the feds caught up with him and charged him with running a Ponzi operation that defrauded hundreds of folks, many of whom lost their life savings. Depending on who you defraud, sometimes jail is the safest place to be. The feds claimed Willie blew $50 million (of other people’s money) financing his extravagant lifestyle.
He got a 21-year sentence. At least twice what he’d get in Canada.
At the time, I reached out to the federal prosecutor in Texas who was handling the case. He said he was looking at 15-25. Being more familiar with the slap-on-the-wrist Canadian justice system, I remarked that 25 months wouldn’t be too hard on him.
“Twenty-five months? Son, this isn’t Canada. I’m looking at 25 years,” he said. “And restitution, too.”
Willie has been moved around a lot, not unusual for non-violent white collar con men in the federal system. My crack researcher tells me he is now housed in a low security lock-up in Wisconsin.
He’s been chipping away at his huge restitution bill with $25 coming out of his prison work allowance every three months. (Hopefully, he’s not dispensing legal advice).
There’s light at the end of the incarceration tunnel. He could be released in 2030. He will be 79.
THIS AND THAT: Former Royal Scott Arniel off to a great start as new head coach of the Winnipeg Jets. He served three seasons as an associate coach. … Jason Cirone, who played with the Royals (1987-90) passed away Oct. 2 at age 53. He spent seven of his post-Royals years with the Italian national team. He played in four world championships and the 2006 Winter Olympics. He was a 1989 third-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets. … Just a thought, but has anybody found the hidden agenda the Liberals claimed Stephen Harper was keeping under wraps? … Listened to a Liberal cabinet telling a television interviewer that the possibility of Pierre Poilievre becoming prime minister keeps him awake at night. In the real world, things like the cost of heating a home, sky-high rents, not being able to find a family doctor and the cost of buying groceries keep a lot of breadwinners awake at night.
Rookie goaltender Billy Smith made 42 saves, 19 in the third period – to lead Cornwall Royals to a 4-3 over the Rangers in Drummondville on Oct. 9, 1969. It was the team’s first regular season game in the freshly-minted Quebec Junior Hockey League. Forward Garry Herrington made team history with the Royals’ first goal in the ‘Q’, scored at 2:57 of the first period.
Smith would be drafted by Los Angeles Kings and end up with the New York Islanders, where he back-stopped the Isles to four Stanley Cups and punched his Hall of Fame ticket.
The Perth native – whose brothers Jack and Gordie played for the Royals – treated his goal crease as sacred space and became famous for wielding his goal stick to ‘protect’ it. This earned him the moniker, ‘Battlin’ Billy’.
ALSO IN OCTOBER 1969: In its Throne Speech, the Liberal federal government promised to lower the voting age to 18 from 21. … St. Joseph’s Villa held its official opening. … Insp. Ed Osler, who started out walking the beat on a seven-person Cornwall police force, retired as inspector of detectives after 33 years. He was the nephew of hockey legend Newsy Lalonde, a Cornwall native. … The McConnell Medical Centre was under construction. It was owned by a group of 12 city doctors. … About 100 St. Lawrence High School students staged a one-day walk-out to protest a new rule that banned smoking on school property. One sign accused the school of operating a “Fascist Education System”. The group called itself “Students for Educational Democracy”. … Cornwall’s newest family restaurant – The Red Barn – opened on Brookdale Avenue. … The 1969 edition of the Simpson-Sears Christmas catalogue was delivered to city homes. … Alexandria’s police officers had a new contract that paid first-constables $6,500 a year. … Police believed a Montreal gang was behind overnight thefts at men’s clothing stores in Alexandria and Cornwall. In the city, Kastner’s was cleaned out of 200 suits and 10 sports jackets. Proulx’s Men’s Wear in Alexandria lost 200 suits, 30 sports jackets and 115 top coats. … Shirley Jean Sutherland, daughter of NDP national leader T. C. Douglas, was arrested by the FBI in Los Angeles and charged with conspiracy to supply the Black Panthers with grenades. … Cornwall native Pierre Guindon, field-goal kicker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, was sixth in league scoring with 14 field goals. … Bobby Orr of the Bruins led the NHL scoring race, with Phil Goyette of the Blues second. … The Leafs named Dave Keon captain.
TRIVIA: This former Cornwall Royal was inducted into the Order of Canada earlier this year. 1) Doug Gilmour, 2) Dr. Fred Arthur, 3) Jim Kyte, 4) Roy Myllari, 5) Dr. Graeme Nicolson.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Buffalo Bob was host of the popular kids TV show Howdy Doody which ran from 1947-1960. His name was Bob Smith and because he was from Buffalo, took on the nickname Buffalo Bob. He died in 1998.
QUOTED: “In America anyone can become president. That’s the problem!” – Comedian George Carlin
