Cliff Ronning

Lore & Background

Ronning played minor hockey in Burnaby. He led his midget team to the 1982 Air Canada Cup, where they won the gold medal. Ronning was named Most Valuable player and led the tournament in scoring. Prior to being drafted, he played in the Western Hockey League for the New Westminster Bruins.

In 1983–84, his draft year, he posted 136 points in 71 games, earning the Stewart 'Butch' Paul Memorial Trophy as the league's rookie of the year. The next season, he returned to New Westminster and accumulated 197 points, establishing a WHL record (he was later surpassed by Rob Brown's 212-point season in 1986–87). Ronning earned the WHL Most Valuable Player Award and the Bob Brownridge Memorial Trophy as the league's leading scorer. Recording just 20 penalty minutes, he was also named the Most Sportsmanlike Player.

After his record-setting season, he joined the Canadian National Team, with whom he played for one and a half seasons. During this stint, Ronning made his first appearance in the NHL with the Blues, playing five games in the 1986 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He began the next season with the National Team again before joining the Blues for the remainder of 1986–87. He spent part of 1988–89 with the Blues' International Hockey League affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, and played the entirety of the following season in Italy with HC Asiago.

When he returned to the Blues in 1990–91, he was traded to his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks, along with Geoff Courtnall, Robert Dirk, Sergio Momesso, and a fifth-round draft pick (Brian Loney) in exchange for Garth Butcher and Dan Quinn. Ronning quickly became a key element on the rapidly improving Canucks. In 1992–93, he posted a career-high 29 goals and 85 points. On April 15, 1993, in a game against the Los Angeles Kings, he nearly tied Bryan Trottier's record for most points in a single period, notching 3 goals and 2 assists in the third (Trottier had six).

The following season, Ronning helped the Canucks on their run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, which they lost in seven games to the New York Rangers. He played the seventh game with a broken hand. Spending another two seasons in Vancouver, Ronning became a free agent after the 1995–96 season and signed with the Phoenix Coyotes for their first season after moving from Winnipeg.

Reader's Guide

Cliff Ronning was involved in two of the most notable games of Patrick Roy's career. He played against Roy in the 1982 Air Canada Cup midget tournament. Ronning's team beat Roy's Sainte-Foy Gouverneurs, and it was the last game of Roy's midget career. On April 22, 2003, Ronning played for the Minnesota Wild, and played in Roy's final NHL playoff game.

Did You Know?

• Ronning set a WHL record with 197 points in 1984–85, later surpassed by Rob Brown's 212 points in 1986–87.
• He played Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final with a broken hand.
• Ronning led the Nashville Predators in scoring in all four of his seasons with the team.