Didn't you used to be...? Bruce McNall

EARNED HIS STRIPES As a collector. McNall bought his first pair of ancient Roman coins for $2 in grade school. He parlayed this interest into a $133-million empire (all currency in U.S. dollars), which included the Kings plus an inventory of antiques and sports memorabilia. By the late '80s, McNall had nabbed Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers. Along with Gretzky and John Candy, he acquired a 60% stake in the Toronto Argonauts.

THE BIG UH-OH Reports surfaced that, between 1986 and 1990, McNall had used false income-tax returns to establish three coin funds and secure more than $200 million in loans.

THE EXIT In 1997, McNall was sentenced to 70 months for conspiracy and bank fraud, and sent to prison in Michigan. "He's a good man who knows he made some mistakes," hockey star Luc Robitaille told the Los Angeles Times. "He always treated us great as players."

WHERE HE IS NOW The once-rotund tycoon has reportedly slimmed down to about 170 pounds. Last spring, at age 51, he was sent to a California halfway house for a two-month stay and then transferred to house confinement in L.A. His task now is to fulfill a restitution order of $5 million to the financial institutions he defrauded. "He wants to write a book to tell his side of the story," says Robitaille. "And he may take on some speaking engagements."