Born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, on February 7, 1952, he played hockey until about the age of 18, when he stopped due to asthma attacks. He then allegedly graduated from university, and worked as a substitute teacher in St. James-Assiniboia School Division 2, Winnipeg, Manitoba. It wasn't until after he began his hockey coaching career that it later became evident that he never graduated from university until after he completed the necessary courses for his B.A. while serving out one of his prison sentences.