Russ Conway, former Eagle-Tribune sports editor and hockey writer, dies at 70
Conway was also recognized for his investigative journalism. In 1992, he was nominated as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in beat reporting for stories that exposed corruption at the highest levels of professional hockey.
Conway started at The Eagle-Tribune as a co-op student from Northeastern University. Among his duties was covering the up-and-coming Boston Bruins. It was an assignment that Conway cherished, beginning in 1967, as he built relationships with members of the team, particularly a young defenseman named Bobby Orr whose birthday was only a month apart from Conway’s.
“It’s a sad day,” said Orr on Tuesday afternoon upon hearing the news. "He was a friend to all of us. He’s going to be missed.”
Conway’s relationship with Orr, which continued after his Hall-of-Fame career with the Bruins had ended, was integral in Conway looking into stories of retired hockey players not receiving proper benefits. Conway's meticulous reporting uncovered illegal activity in the NHL Players Association by its longtime executive director, Alan Eagleson, also an agent for many players.
One of the most powerful and well recognized people in the sport, Eagleson was brought down and charged by U.S. and Canadian authorities as a result of Conway’s work. Conway's subsequent book, "Game Misconduct: Alan Eagleson and the Corruption of Hockey," revealed that Eagleson had deceived Orr into leaving the Bruins for the Chicago Blackhawks at the end of his career.
“That was the thing about Russ, he looked out for the little guy, guys that were long retired and struggling,” said former Bruin Rick Middleton, whose number was retired last winter.
“He just cared about people,” said Middleton. “We respected him as players. But after I retired, he became a true friend. I love the guy.”
