Interesting

I remember Demers a bit as a coach. Other than my beloved and [GASP!] in first place NY Rangers, I also keep tabs on the Detroit Red Wings, where he coached for a while. I also used to read the Hockey News avidly, so I was up on things around the league.

Demers was a talkative guy, and I seem to recall him making points very emphatically in that stereotypical French Canadian accent (shoot dat puck, score dat goal.) It's kind of amazing to think that the guy kept illiteracy a secret and yet climbed to the pinnacle of hockey coaching with a Stanley Cup win (Canadiens, 1993).

People can accomplish a lot in life with drive & determination, but you still wonder how anyone can function, much less succeed in life when they can't read. And to keep it hidden for 60+ years?

More power to him for pulling it off.