Jim Fox was the big one that got away from the Windsor Spitfires.

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Jim Fox was literally the big one that got away from the Windsor Spitfires.

Next Thursday, the Windsor Spitfires will announce the No. 1 pick overall in the Ontario Hockey League Draft for just the second time in franchise history.

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The only other time the Spitfires have had the top pick came 48 years ago when the club grabbed the talented Fox with the first overall selection in 1976, but it’s always been a mystery as to why the talented winger never played a game in a Windsor uniform.

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“I never knew what the reason was,” said Windsor’s Brad Smith, who led the Spitfires in scoring in 1976-77. “He would have fit in nicely, but it didn’t happen.”

With the Spitfires now on the clock for the 2024 OHL Draft, Fox, who is now a broadcast analyst for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, tried to clear up the mystery.

“I did go to (Windsor’s) camp,” the 63-year-old Fox said. “I didn’t play in any pre-season games, but I did go for a week or so.”

And at that point, Fox, who was just 16 at the time, packed up his gear and headed home to Coniston, which is just outside of Sudbury and more than a seven-hour drive from Windsor.

“It was very simple in my mind,” Fox said. “In my mind, I was basically homesick. I feel awful about it that Windsor spent all that time on me and I didn’t go, but I just was not ready.”

He wound up back in North Bay playing Tier II for a second season, which was just an hour drive from Coniston.

“They (the Spitfires) didn’t do anything wrong to me,” said Fox, who saw the Spitfires pass on future NHLers Mike Gartner and Paul Reinhart to select him. “(Then head coach and general manger) Wayne Maxner visited me at home in Coniston and met with my parents.

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“He did his due diligence and we’re telling him, ‘Yeah, I’m going’ and I regret that. I wasn’t leading anyone on. I was excited to go first overall and so honoured, but when I went to Windsor, it felt so far away and I felt so by myself.”

By December of what could have been his rookie season with the Spitfires, Fox’s rights were traded to the Ottawa 67’s for brother’s John Wilson and Behn Wilson along with a fifth-round draft pick.

“We brought in two big guys,” said Smith, who is an amateur scouting advisor and special assistant for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. “I know Jimmy turned out to be a heck of a player, but Behn was a good defenceman and John was an established scorer.

“We were getting two big guys at the time and I thought it was a positive thing for the team at the time.”

But John Wilson was in his final junior year and played just 35 games for Windsor. Behn Wilson, who would become a first-round NHL pick, got into 17 games and was sent out the following season.

As for Fox, the original belief was 67’s head coach and general manager Brian Kilrea made the deal in hopes of flipping Fox’s playing rights to Sudbury for future NHLer Ron Duguay.

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“Killer (Kilrea) visited me once during season,” Fox said about being back in North Bay. “He never bothered me or said a word.”

No deal emerged and Fox started exploring university offers from the NCAA. However, that would have required him to spend a third season in Tier II with North Bay while he finished high school. Instead, that following summer, he made a visit to Ottawa.

“That’s when I made the decision to report to Ottawa,” Fox said. “It may seem odd to many, but over a one-year period I was getting more comfortable being away from home. It’s funny how 12 months can make a difference and I ended up loving Ottawa.”

Ironically, he made his league debut for the 67’s in 1977-78 in Windsor against the Spitfires.

“Not many people were happy with me,” Fox said of his debut at old Windsor Arena. “For whatever reason, the refs were late in transit and were going to be late to the game. Both the Spits and 67’s knew the game would be played, but we needed an extra 40 minutes or something like that. Brian and Wayne came up with a showdown – shooter versus goalie – and it was me and I can’t remember the (Windsor) goalie. The fans just hated me. I ended up winning the shootout, but I think only got one goal. I was really nervous.”

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With the 67’s, Fox would go on to to win a league scoring title in 1979-80, was the 10th overall pick in the 1980 NHL Draft by the Kings and, despite only playing three seasons with Ottawa, is 14th on the league’s all-time scoring list with 396 points in 164 games for an average of 2.41 points per game.

He had a trio of 30-goal seasons with Los Angeles over nine seasons before a knee injury ended his career in 1989-90 and he turned to broadcasting.

While he now lives in California, Fox says he still follows the OHL and, as time has passed, still thinks about his decision not to stay in Windsor.

“I wasn’t feeling as bad then as I do now and I still follow it,” Fox said of the OHL. “Of course, I look at the 67’s, but I also look at Windsor.”

jpparker@postmedia.com

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