CARON TRIES TO BRING STABILITY.

Byline: R.B. Fallstrom Associated Press 

As Ron Caron likes to say, the meat is back on the burner.

In his previous stint as St. Louis Blues general manager from 1983-94, Caron used that saying to let reporters know when trade talks were heating up. Now it's the 67-year-old Caron himself who's heating up, back in charge after being shunted aside during Mike Keenan's regime.

``I'm extremely en-tused,'' said Caron, known in hockey circles as ``The Professor'' for his colorful outlook on the sport delivered in a French Canadian accent. ``I'm excited to be back. It's a great challenge.''

When the Blues hired Joel Quenneville as coach Jan. 6 to replace Keenan, they elevated Caron from interim GM to permanent GM through next season. After that, he'll become a consultant.

Caron's task this time is every bit as tough as it was in the lean days under former team president Harry Ornest, who trimmed salaries to keep the franchise afloat. Keenan, who also held the title of GM before he was fired Dec. 19, overpaid for free agents and have the NHL's third-highest payroll at about $30 million.

What the Blues need now is stability, Caron said.

``When we say stability, that doesn't mean we'll keep playing guys that can't play,'' Caron said. ``We've done that already.''

Whatever happens, it'll be interesting.

Caron is an emotional sort prone to wild gesturing from his perch in the press box. At the old St. Louis Arena, he was known to heave chairs in frustration, make obscene gestures to officials and interrupt his coach's postgame news conferences to give his version of events.

Television crews knew to keep a close eye on Caron because one never knew when the next outburst would come.

In the 1991 playoffs, he took on Bob Probert in the press box. Probert was serving a one-game suspension for punching Blues goalie Vincent Riendeau.

When Keenan was hired, Caron was pushed aside. As executive vice president, he was supposed to help out Keenan whenever he was needed.

Caron felt cut out, saying, ``How can you consult when you're never consulted?''

Caron said the Blues players were almost as demoralized as he was by the time Keenan's 30-month reign ended.

``I think our guys had lost their desire to work at practices and lost their desire to jump on the ice in even the 20-minute workout they have before games,'' Caron said. ``It's going to be fun again to work.''

Although the permanent GM title didn't come until Quenneville was hired, Caron played a key role in selecting the new coach. The 38-year-old Quenneville had been the top assistant with the Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.

``He demands a lot, but he does not just demand, he shares with you,'' Caron said. ``He puts you to work. He teaches you how to work and appreciate work. A lot of our guys don't even know what work is.''

And while Keenan's feud with Brett Hull was a deciding factor in Keenan's departure, Caron has a good relationship with the Blues star.

``If you really want to be honest, it soothes your ego,'' Hull said. ``I certainly don't want to be involved in any of these major decisions, but just to talk and see how everyone's feeling, it's great.''

Quenneville will have input into how the roster evolves, but he knows who the boss is.

``Once you start knowing your personnel you've got a better feeling for it and you can assess those situations as they come about,'' he said. ``Obviously, Ron is going to be leading in that area.''

Caron is just happy to be wanted and excited about getting one last chance to run a hockey team.

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Photo

Photo: Ron Caron, recently elevated to the St. Louis Blues general manager, will be a consultant after this season.

Associated Press