 He turned it into an apiary of 200 hives which was so successful he earned enough to buy his parents a home.It was due to this business acuity that prior to signing with the Canadiens he uncovered what Ken Reardon and Elmer Lach, already playing with the Montreal, were currently earning.Then, over the course of ten days he negotiated a larger contract than either player had been receiving, $3,750 ($ in dollars).