This morning, I produced an episode of Life in Stages with Joel Greenberg and his guest Linda Kash. Linda, a rather famous Canadian actress in her own right, is the daughter of actress and opera singer Maureen Forrester and the sister of actor Daniel Kash.
Daniel played the titular character in Gross Misconduct: The Life of Brian Spencer, a 1993 TV movie directed by Atom Egoyan based on Martin O'Malley's book. If you don't know the story of Brian "Spinner" Spencer, buckle up...
Brian Spencer was drafted in the fifth round, 55th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1969 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut on December 12, 1970 in a game that was to be televised on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Here's an except from Wikipedia that explains what happened that fateful night.
he telephoned his father Roy in British Columbia to tell him to watch the game that night on Hockey Night in Canada. Spencer was to be interviewed between periods of the game. However, a game featuring the Vancouver Canucks versus the California Golden Seals was aired instead. Infuriated, Roy Spencer drove 135 kilometres (84 mi) to Prince George, where the closest TV station, CKPG-TV (then a CBC Television affiliate), is located. When he arrived, he ordered station staff, at gunpoint, to broadcast the Maple Leafs game or, if no feed was available, to turn off the hockey entirely. The station complied, but as Roy Spencer left the station, he was confronted by the RCMP. After a brief stand-off Roy Spencer was shot and killed.
Brian retired after the 1979–80 season, following stints with the Islanders, Sabres and Penguins. Then, things turned even more tragic, if that's even possible.
After hockey, Spencer submerged himself in a life of alcohol and violence. In 1987, he was charged with kidnapping and murder in Florida and faced the death penalty. Family and friends, including ex-teammates, gathered around him and tried to help. A former teammate from the Sabres, Rick Martin, tried to help by testifying as a character witness at his trial. The jury returned a not guilty verdict in March 1988 and Spencer vowed to change his life. Despite the acquittal, Spencer's life continued to spiral out of control. Three months later, Spencer died under similar circumstances to his father; he was fatally shot in a robbery following a crack cocaine purchase in Riviera Beach, Florida.
Wow.
