Ray Ferraro
Scored 408 goals in 1,258 NHL games over 18 seasons.
Last updated
Raymond Vincent Ferraro is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whalers, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, and St. Louis Blues. He is also a current broadcaster for ESPN/ABC and select Vancouver Canucks games on CBC Sports/Sportsnet.
Lore & Background
Ferraro was a prolific scorer in junior hockey, including a 108-goal and 192-point season for the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings in 1983–84. He was a member of the 1982–83 Portland Winter Hawks squad that won the 1983 Memorial Cup, becoming the first American team to win the Cup. His teammates on that championship team included Cam Neely, Mike Vernon, Brian Curran, John Kordic, and other future NHLers. He was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.
Nicknamed 'The Big Ball of Hate', Ferraro had two 40-goal seasons and, as of April 2025, ranks 103rd all-time in total NHL goals scored. He had a memorable Stanley Cup playoff run for the New York Islanders in 1993, scoring two overtime goals against the Washington Capitals as the Islanders defeated both the Capitals and the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Ferraro assisted on David Volek's game- and series-winning goal during overtime of Game 7 against the Penguins, advancing the Islanders to the Wales Conference Finals. He finished that playoff season with team-leading totals in goals (13) and points (20).
Ferraro played in his 1,000th game on February 28, 1999. He signed as a free agent for the Atlanta Thrashers that year, played three seasons, and was named captain in 2001. He recorded his 400th goal on December 28, 2001. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues in March 2002 for a fourth-round draft pick, recording six goals in 15 games, and closed his career with three assists for the Blues in the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Reader's Guide
Ray Ferraro's significance lies in his consistent scoring over an 18-season NHL career, highlighted by 408 goals and 898 points in 1,258 games. He achieved two 40-goal seasons and twelve seasons with at least 20 goals. Among all players with at least 400 goals, Ferraro ranked sixth in shooting percentage with 18.9%. His 1993 playoff run with the New York Islanders was particularly notable, as he led the team in goals and points while scoring two overtime goals against the Washington Capitals and assisting on the series-winning goal against the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
After retiring, Ferraro transitioned to a prominent broadcasting career, working for ESPN, NBC, TSN, and Sportsnet. He became the lead colour commentator for ESPN/ABC in the 2021–22 season and worked his first Stanley Cup Finals series as a colour commentator at ice level. He also served as the colour analyst for EA Sports' NHL video games from NHL 15 through NHL 23. Ferraro was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.
Career statistics and honours
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1980–81 | Trail Smoke Eaters | KIJHL | 40 | 86 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981–82 | Penticton Knights | BCJHL | 48 | 65 | 70 | 135 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1982–83 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 50 | 41 | 49 | 90 | 39 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 13 |
| 1982–83 | Portland Winter Hawks | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 1983–84 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 72 | 108 | 84 | 192 | 84 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 20 |
| 1984–85 | Binghamton Whalers | AHL | 37 | 20 | 13 | 33 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1984–85 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 44 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1985–86 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 76 | 30 | 47 | 77 | 57 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 |
| 1986–87 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 42 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 1987–88 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 68 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 81 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 1988–89 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 41 | 35 | 76 | 86 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 1989–90 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 79 | 25 | 29 | 54 | 109 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 1990–91 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 15 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1990–91 | New York Islanders | NHL | 61 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1991–92 | New York Islanders | NHL | 80 | 40 | 40 | 80 | 92 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | Capital District Islanders | AHL | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1992–93 | New York Islanders | NHL | 46 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 18 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 18 |
| 1993–94 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 83 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 1994–95 | New York Islanders | NHL | 47 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | New York Rangers | NHL | 65 | 25 | 29 | 54 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1995–96 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 11 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1996–97 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 25 | 21 | 46 | 112 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997–98 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 40 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998–99 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 65 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1999–2000 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 81 | 19 | 25 | 44 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2000–01 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 81 | 29 | 47 | 76 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001–02 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 61 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001–02 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 15 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| NHL totals | 1,258 | 408 | 490 | 898 | 1,288 | 68 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 54 | ||
International
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Ray Ferraro (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- Ferraro played in the 1976 Little League World Series as a youngster.
- Ferraro married Cammi Granato in 2004.
- He became the first hockey broadcaster to broadcast a game where his child also played in the same game on November 23, 2015.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Ray Ferraro (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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