Cliff Ronning
Clifford John Ronning (born October 1, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1984 to 2004, appearing in 1,137 regular-season games and recording 306 goals and 563 assists for 869 points.[1][2] Born in Burnaby, British Columbia, Ronning was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the seventh round, 134th overall, of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft after a standout junior career with the New Westminster Bruins of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he won league scoring titles, MVP honours, and was named Player of the Year in 1985.[1][3] Standing at 5 feet 8 inches and weighing 165 pounds, he developed into a skilled playmaker known for his vision and puck-handling, achieving eleven 50-point seasons and eight 20-goal campaigns across seven NHL teams: the Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, and New York Islanders.[1][2] Ronning's most notable tenure came with the Canucks from 1990 to 1996, where he posted a career-high 85 points (29 goals, 56 assists) in the 1992–93 season and contributed to the team's run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, which they lost in Game 7 to the New York Rangers.[1] Internationally, he represented Canada at the 1991 IIHF World Championship, helping secure a silver medal.[2] After retiring in 2006 following a brief stint in Italy's Serie A, Ronning was inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008 and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 for his contributions to the sport.[3][4]Early career
Junior hockey
Cliff Ronning was born on October 1, 1965, in Burnaby, British Columbia, where he began playing minor hockey with the Burnaby Winter Club midget AAA team.[2][5] In 1982, Ronning led the Burnaby Winter Club Travellers to victory at the Air Canada Cup, the national midget club championship tournament, where he was named the most valuable player and topped the scoring charts with 26 points.[4][2] Ronning transitioned to junior hockey with the New Westminster Bruins of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the 1983–84 and 1984–85 seasons. In his rookie year of 1983–84, he recorded 69 goals and 67 assists for 136 points in 71 games, earning the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL's top rookie.[6][7] The following season, 1984–85, Ronning set a WHL single-season record with 89 goals and 108 assists for 197 points in 70 games, a mark that stood until 1987.[6][4] For these performances, he received the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the WHL's leading scorer, the Brad Hornung Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player, and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Top Scorer Award, all in 1984–85.[8][2][9]Draft and professional debut
Cliff Ronning was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the seventh round, 134th overall, of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.[10] Despite his impressive junior production, including a WHL scoring title in 1984–85 with 197 points for the New Westminster Bruins, Ronning's small stature—listed at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds—likely contributed to his late selection, as scouts often overlooked undersized players in that era.[10][3][11] Following his junior career, Ronning signed with the Blues and spent most of the 1985–86 season with the Canadian National Team, where he recorded 55 goals and 118 points in 71 games.[10] Ronning appeared in five regular-season games during the 1985–86 season, recording 1 assist and no goals, with his debut occurring on March 20, 1986, against the Chicago Black Hawks.[10][6] He made his playoff debut on April 9, 1986, assisting on a goal in Game 1 of the Blues' first-round series against the Minnesota North Stars, and scored his first NHL goal on May 12, 1986, against the Calgary Flames.[11][1] In the 1986–87 season, Ronning transitioned to a more prominent role with the Blues as a rookie, playing 42 games and tallying 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points.[1] His early NHL years were marked by challenges in adjusting to the professional level's physicality, exacerbated by his size, which required him to rely heavily on skill and speed while facing skepticism from coaches and opponents.[12] He showed promise as a playmaking center.NHL career
Vancouver Canucks era
Cliff Ronning was traded to the Vancouver Canucks by the St. Louis Blues on March 5, 1991, along with Geoff Courtnall, Robert Dirk, Sergio Momesso, and a 1992 fifth-round draft pick, in exchange for Garth Butcher and Dan Quinn.[1] This midseason deal marked Ronning's transition to his hometown team, where he quickly adapted to a more prominent role on the roster after limited ice time with the Blues.[10] In his first full season with Vancouver during 1991–92, Ronning emerged as a reliable offensive contributor, recording 24 goals and 71 points in 80 games, signaling the start of his productive tenure.[1] He reached his career peak the following year in 1992–93, amassing 29 goals and 56 assists for 85 points in 79 games, which highlighted his playmaking prowess and helped solidify the Canucks' improving offense.[10] Ronning's vision and passing ability made him a key setup man, often distributing the puck to linemates in high-scoring opportunities. Ronning played a significant supporting role in the Canucks' memorable run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, contributing 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points across 24 playoff games.[13] He frequently lined up alongside dynamic forwards Pavel Bure and Trevor Linden, providing secondary scoring and assists during crucial moments, such as his goal in Game 4 of the Finals assisted by Bure.[14] Despite the Canucks falling to the New York Rangers in seven games, Ronning's steady production underscored his value in elevating the team's playoff intensity.[13] From 1991 to 1996, Ronning maintained consistent output as one of Vancouver's top playmakers, posting seasons of 68 points in 1993–94, 25 points in the lockout-shortened 1994–95 campaign, and 67 points in 1995–96, often exceeding 40 assists per full season.[10] Over 355 regular-season games with the Canucks, he tallied 106 goals and 210 assists for 316 points, establishing himself as a core offensive piece on a team that evolved into a Western Conference contender.[10] His tenure in Vancouver represented his most sustained NHL success, blending skill with resilience on a smaller frame.[1]Later teams and retirement
Following his departure from the Vancouver Canucks, Ronning signed with the Phoenix Coyotes as an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 1996.[1] In his debut season with Phoenix, he recorded 51 points in 69 games, helping anchor the team's offense.[10] The next year, he elevated his production to 55 points over 80 games, establishing himself as a key playmaker before a midseason trade.[10] On October 31, 1998, the Coyotes traded Ronning and defenseman Richard Lintner to the expansion Nashville Predators for future considerations.[15] Ronning spent the next four seasons in Nashville, where he led the team in scoring each year, highlighted by back-to-back 62-point campaigns in 1999–2000 and 2000–01.[16][17] His consistent offensive output, including 53 points in 1998–99 and 49 points in 2001–02 despite injuries, made him a cornerstone for the young franchise.[18][19] At the 2002 trade deadline on March 16, Ronning was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for defenseman Jere Karalahti and a conditional draft pick, contributing 5 points in 14 regular-season games and appearing in four playoff contests.[20] In the offseason, the Kings traded him to the Minnesota Wild on June 22 for a fourth-round pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.[21] Ronning's lone full season with Minnesota in 2002–03 saw him notch 48 points in 80 games, providing veteran leadership on a developing expansion team.[10] Ronning signed with the New York Islanders as an unrestricted free agent on January 9, 2004,[1] where he played 40 games in the 2003–04 season, tallying 24 points before a wrist injury sidelined him.[10] The subsequent 2004–05 NHL season was cancelled due to a labor lockout, during which Ronning remained inactive and did not play professionally overseas. When the league resumed for 2005–06, Ronning went unsigned and announced his retirement on February 15, 2006, after 18 NHL seasons and 1,137 games played.[22][10]International career
World Championships
Ronning was selected to represent Canada at the 1991 IIHF World Championship in Finland, earning a spot on the roster due to his emerging playmaking skills as a forward during his early NHL tenure with the Vancouver Canucks.[3] As a 25-year-old center known for his vision and passing, he filled a key offensive role on a team featuring established NHL talent, tasked with generating scoring chances in high-stakes international play.[2] Throughout the tournament, held across Turku, Helsinki, and Tampere from April 19 to May 4, Ronning appeared in all 10 games for Canada, registering 1 goal and 4 assists for a total of 5 points while accumulating 8 penalty minutes.[23] His contributions helped propel Team Canada through the preliminary and medal rounds, culminating in a silver medal after a 2–1 loss to Sweden in the final; notable among his assists were those in medal-round contests against top European opponents.[24] Ronning's steady performance underscored his value as a skilled distributor on the ice, supporting Canada's competitive effort against the era's dominant hockey powers.[4]Other international play
In addition to his performance at the 1991 IIHF World Championship, where Canada earned a silver medal, Ronning participated in several other international competitions representing the Canadian national team during his early professional career.[4] During the 1985–86 season, shortly after completing his junior hockey tenure, Ronning was loaned by the St. Louis Blues to Team Canada and played in a series of exhibition games and minor international series against European clubs and national teams. These matches, often held during the NHL off-season or as part of preparatory tours, allowed Ronning to adapt to the international style of play, where he contributed offensively in over 70 games, showcasing his speed and scoring ability.[2][25] One highlight was the 1986 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, where Ronning helped Canada compete against top European club teams and was named to the tournament's All-Star Team for his standout performance.[2][26] Ronning also represented Canada at the 1987 Izvestia Cup in Moscow, a prestigious invitational tournament featuring national teams from Canada, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and Finland; the Canadian squad won the gold medal, with Ronning contributing key goals in high-stakes games against Soviet opponents.[4][27]Awards and honors
Junior awards
In 1982, as a member of the Burnaby Winter Club Travellers midget team, Ronning was named the Most Valuable Player of the Air Canada Cup national championship tournament, where he also led all players in scoring and helped his team secure the title by defeating the Sainte-Foy Gong Show from Quebec in the final.[4][2] During the 1983–84 season with the New Westminster Royals of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL), Ronning earned a spot on the Coastal Division First All-Star Team after recording 150 points in 52 games.[3][28] The following year, after transitioning to the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the New Westminster Bruins, he won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year.[29][3] Ronning's standout 1984–85 WHL season saw him dominate offensively, culminating in multiple major awards. He received the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, was selected to the First All-Star Team, and captured the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the leading scorer with a then-WHL single-season record of 197 points in 70 games.[2][3] Additionally, he earned the Brad Hornung Trophy for Most Sportsmanlike Player, recognizing his clean play with only 20 penalty minutes.[30][2] His performance also extended league-wide, as he won the CHL Top Scorer Award for the Canadian Hockey League.[2]Professional and international honors
Ronning represented Canada at the 1991 IIHF World Championship, where the team earned a silver medal after losing 7–2 to the Soviet Union in the final; he contributed three goals and four assists in ten games during the tournament. Earlier in his career, Ronning was selected to the All-Star Team at the 1986 Spengler Cup while playing for Team Canada, a prestigious annual tournament featuring club and national teams in Davos, Switzerland.[2] Although Ronning did not receive major individual awards during his NHL tenure, he played a key role in the Vancouver Canucks' run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, where the team fell to the New York Rangers in seven games; he recorded five goals and ten assists in 24 playoff games that year.[10] In recognition of his contributions to hockey in British Columbia, Ronning was inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.[3] He was later honored with induction into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, acknowledging his professional achievements and international play.[4]Career statistics and records
NHL regular season and playoffs
Cliff Ronning played 1,137 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) over 17 seasons from 1986 to 2004, accumulating 306 goals, 563 assists, 869 points, and 453 penalty minutes.[1] His career was marked by consistent production as a playmaking center, with his peak performance coming during the 1992–93 season when he recorded 85 points (29 goals and 56 assists) for the Vancouver Canucks.[1] The following table provides a season-by-season breakdown of Ronning's regular season statistics:| Season | Team(s) | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986–87 | STL | 42 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 6 |
| 1987–88 | STL | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 12 |
| 1988–89 | STL | 64 | 24 | 31 | 55 | 18 |
| 1990–91 | STL / VAN | 59 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 10 |
| 1991–92 | VAN | 80 | 24 | 47 | 71 | 42 |
| 1992–93 | VAN | 79 | 29 | 56 | 85 | 30 |
| 1993–94 | VAN | 76 | 25 | 43 | 68 | 42 |
| 1994–95 | VAN | 41 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 27 |
| 1995–96 | VAN | 79 | 22 | 45 | 67 | 42 |
| 1996–97 | PHX | 69 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 26 |
| 1997–98 | PHX | 80 | 11 | 44 | 55 | 36 |
| 1998–99 | PHX / NSH | 79 | 20 | 40 | 60 | 42 |
| 1999–00 | NSH | 82 | 26 | 36 | 62 | 34 |
| 2000–01 | NSH | 80 | 19 | 43 | 62 | 28 |
| 2001–02 | NSH / LAK | 81 | 19 | 35 | 54 | 32 |
| 2002–03 | MIN | 80 | 17 | 31 | 48 | 24 |
| 2003–04 | NYI | 40 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 2 |
International statistics
Cliff Ronning's international statistical contributions were primarily with the Canadian national team, where he showcased his playmaking abilities during key tournaments. In the 1991 IIHF World Championship, held in Finland, Ronning appeared in 10 games for Canada, which earned a silver medal after losing 7-2 to the Soviet Union in the final; he contributed 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points, along with 8 penalty minutes.[23][31] Earlier in his career, Ronning spent significant time with Team Canada during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons, compiling strong offensive output in exhibition and tournament play. Over 71 games in 1985-86, he recorded 55 goals and 63 assists for 118 points and 53 penalty minutes. In 1986-87, across 26 games, he added 17 goals and 16 assists for 33 points and 12 penalty minutes; this period included participation in the Spengler Cup, where Canada won the tournament and Ronning was selected to the All-Star team for his key contributions.[2][26]| Season | Tournament/Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | International | 71 | 55 | 63 | 118 | 53 |
| 1986-87 | International | 26 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 12 |
| 1990-91 | IIHF WC | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |