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| 1984 NHL DRAFT PICK |
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Cliff Ronning
Selected in
seventh round
No. 134 overall by St. Louis Blues
Born October
1, 1965
 | Position:
Center
Height: 5-8 Weight: 160
Shoots: Left
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| BEFORE THE DRAFT |
Last Team:
New Westminster (WHL)
Birthplace:
Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada)
Hometown: Burnaby, British
Columbia |
 |
 |
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| PRE-DRAFT
STATISTICS | | Year |
Team | League |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1981-82 |
Burnaby | B.C. AAA |
-- | -- |
-- | -- |
-- | | 1982-83 |
New Westminster | BCJHL |
52 | 83 |
68 | 151 |
22 | | 1983-84 |
New Westminster | WHL |
71 | 69 |
67 | 136 |
10 |
|
PRE-DRAFT AWARDS AND HONORS
WHL Paul Trophy (Rookie of Year): 1983-84 (New Westminster)
WHL West All-Star Second Team: 1983-84 (New Westminster)
Air Canada Cup First Team All-Star: 1982 (Burnaby)
Miscellaneous: Traded by Kamloops (WHL) to Nanaimo in exchange for rights
to Garth Butcher during 1982-83 season. ... Finished second in BCJHL with
151 points for New Westminster in 1982-83. ... Finished tied for seventh in WHL with 136 points in
1983-84. ... Finished third in WHL with 69 goals in 1983-84. ... Led New
Westminster with 136 points, 69 goals and 67 assists in 1983-84. ... Played
minor hockey at Burnaby Winter Club. ... Had committed to playing at Michigan Tech
(WCHA) before changing his mind and opting to enter WHL in 1983. |
| NHL CAREER |
Debut: April 9, 1986 (St. Louis at
Minnesota) (playoff game)
Numbers: 7, 37 (St. Louis); 7
(Vancouver); 77 (Phoenix); 7 (Nash.);
7 (Los Angeles); 7 (Minnesota); 77 (N.Y. Islanders)
Stanley Cup: Never won.
Playing Status:
Unsigned free agent |
| CAREER NHL STATISTICS | | Years |
Teams | GP |
G | A |
TP | PIM | | 1986-2004 |
STL, VAN, PHO,
NAS, LA, MIN, NYI | 1,137 |
306 | 563 |
869 | 453 |
|
| CAREER NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICS |
| Years | Teams |
GP | G |
A | TP |
PIM | | 1986-2004 |
St. Louis, Vancouver
Pho., LA, Minn., NYI | 126 |
29 | 57 |
86 | 72 |
|
NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
Stanley Cup Finals (Lost): 1994 (Vancouver)
Vancouver Hume Award (Unsung Hero): 1992-93
Nashville Records: Most career
assists (145), most career assists by a center (145), most goals in one
season (26 in 1999-00), most goals by a center in one season (26 in
1999-00), most assists in one season (43 in 2000-01), most assists by a
center in one season (43 in 2000-01), most assists on the road in one season
(20 in 1999-00), most points by a center in one season (62 in 1999-00), most
points on the road in one season (33 in 1999-00), most consecutive games
with at least one point (8 from Nov. 8, 2001, to Nov. 23, 2001), most shots
on goal in one season (248 in 1999-00), most games played in one season (82
in 1999-00, shares record)
Vancouver Assists
Leader: 1991-92 (47), 1992-93 (56)
Vancouver Playoffs Points Leader:
1991 (9)
Vancouver Playoffs Goals
Leader: 1991 (6), 1992 (8)
Phoenix Assists
Leader: 1997-98 (44)
Phoenix Playoffs Points
Leader: 1996-97 (7)
Phoenix Playoffs Assists Leader: 1996-97
(7)
Nashville Points
Leader: 1998-99 (53), 1999-00 (62), 2000-01 (62), 2001-02 (49)
Nashville Goals Leader: 1999-00 (26)
Nashville Assists
Leader: 1998-99 (35), 1999-00 (36), 2000-01 (43), 2001-02 (31)
1996-97: Played on first Phoenix Coyotes team.
1998-99:
Played on first Nashville Predators team.
Miscellaneous: Joined St. Louis on April 7 after spending 1985-86
regular season with Team Canada. He was brought up to the NHL just in time
for the start of the 1986 playoffs. ... Made NHL debut in Game 1 of St. Louis'
first-round playoff series at Minnesota on April 9, 1986. He had an assist
in that game. ... Scored first NHL goal in Game 6 of St. Louis' Campbell
Conference finals series vs. Calgary on May 12, 1986. ... Made his NHL regular-season debut in St. Louis' Oct. 11,
1986, game at Vancouver -- enabling him to play his first game in his
hometown. ... Had to wear No. 37 for his first game back with St. Louis
after leaving Team Canada in January 1988 because his old No. 7 uniform had
been stolen from a studio where announcers were using it as a backdrop in
the interview room. In that Jan. 16, 1988, game vs. Washington, Ronning
scored at 18:10 of the first period -- a goal that held up as a game-winner in a 3-1 St. Louis victory. ... Played on line with Tony McKegney and Mike Dark for St. Louis in 1987-88. ... Made his 1988-89 NHL
regular-season debut in St. Louis' Nov. 5, 1988, game at Quebec after being
recalled from Peoria (IHL) the previous night and spending most of the day
en route to Quebec with only two hours sleep. He had a goal and an assist in
the game and was voted the No. 1 star. ... Played on line with Greg Paslawski and Gino Cavallini for St. Louis in 1988-89. ... Missed part of
1988-89 season with groin injury, suffered during St. Louis' Nov. 14, 1988,
game vs. New Jersey. He did not return to action until St. Louis' Nov. 21,
1988, game at Toronto. ... Tied Brett Hull for St. Louis lead with 16
power-play goals in 1988-89. ... Missed part of 1990-91 season with broken
index finger, an injury suffered during St. Louis' Nov. 1, 1990, game at
Boston. He did not return to action until St. Louis' Dec. 1, 1990, game vs.
New Jersey. ... Set Vancouver records (since broken) for points (9) and
goals (6) in a playoff series during 1991 series vs. Los Angeles. ... Named
Vancouver Molson Cup Player of Month for October 1991 and December 1991. ...
Named Vancouver Molson Cup Player of Month for October 1992. ... Missed part
of 1992-93 season with sprained hand, an injury suffered during Vancouver's
Jan. 4, 1993, game vs. Tampa Bay. He did not return to action until
Vancouver's Jan. 15, 1993, game vs. Buffalo. ... Named Vancouver Molson Cup
Player of Month for March 1993. ... Had three goals and three assists in
Vancouver's April 15, 1993, game at Los Angeles. ... Named Vancouver Molson
Cup Player of Month for December 1993. ... Missed part of 1993-94 season
with dislocated left shoulder, an injury suffered when he was checked by
Bill Berg during second period of Vancouver's Jan. 8, 1994, game at Toronto.
He left the ice on a stretcher, and did not return to action until
Vancouver's Jan. 29, 1994, game vs. New Jersey. ... Missed part of 1995
season with strained groin, an injury suffered during Vancouver's Feb. 9,
1995, game vs. Winnipeg. He did not return to action until Vancouver's Feb.
20, 1995, game vs. Los Angeles. ... Missed start of 1995-96 season with
groin injury, suffered during Vancouver's 1995 training camp. He did not
make his 1995-96 NHL regular-season debut until Vancouver's Oct. 14, 1995,
game at San Jose. ... Signed with Phoenix as an unrestricted restricted free
agent on July 2, 1996, after Vancouver opted not to make a qualifying offer
that would require them to match his 1995-96 salary of $900,000. ... Missed
part of 1996-97 season with broken right hand, an injury suffered when he
was slashed by Chris Tancill during Phoenix's Oct. 10, 1996, game vs. San
Jose. He did not return to action until Phoenix's Nov. 14, 1996, game vs.
Hartford. ... Missed part of 1996-97 season with the flu, an illness
contracted in December 1996. ... Missed part of 1998-99 season with bruised
knee, an injury suffered during Nashville's April 14, 1999, game at Detroit.
... Set Nashville single-season record (since broken) for goals at
home with 14 in 1998-99. ... Set Nashville single-season record (since
broken) with 62 points in 1999-00. ... Missed part of 2000-01 season with
hamstring injury, suffered during Nashville's Jan. 8, 2001, game at
Vancouver. He did not return until Nashville's Jan. 13, 2001, game
at San Jose. ... Set Nashville single-season record (since broken) for
points at home with 34 in 2000-01. ... Played in his 1,000th career NHL game
for Nashville on March 9, 2002, at Florida. He had a goal and an assist in
that game, a 2-2 tie. ... Left Nashville in 2002 with franchise records
(since broken) for career points (226), career goals (81), career power-play
points (97), career power-play goals (25), and career shots on goal (888).
... Signed with N.Y. Islanders as a Group III unrestricted free agent on
Jan. 9, 2004, after having failed to catch on with any team for the first
half of the 2003-04 season. The Islanders agreed to pay him $400,000 for the
balance of the 2003-04 season. ... Scored his 300th career NHL goal in N.Y.
Islanders' Jan. 19, 2004, game vs. Ottawa. ... Noted throughout NHL career
as a power-play specialist, who scored bulk of his points on the power play.
A Season in Europe: Although he had been a star in major
junior and international hockey, Ronning had trouble establishing himself in
his early years with St. Louis because most people thought he was too
small to be a factor in the NHL. After parts of three seasons with
the Blues -- including 64 games in 1988-89 despite initially failing to
make the team out of training camp -- his contract ran out, and he
became a restricted free agent on July 1, 1989. Some European teams
showed an interest in signing him, and for weeks, Ronning considered these offers
against a contract the Blues presented. On July 27, 1989, he opted to
sign a one-year contract with the Italian Asiago team. The deal
was worth $160,000, and was completely tax free. St. Louis
reportedly was offering $450,000 over three years, but was unwilling to
promise him increased playing time because the team was so deep at
center. Ronning was eager to play regularly, so he took the Italian deal.
"The money was not the main factor," he told The Hockey News. "The
offers were much the same, but I knew I would get to play there (Italy)."
Because it had made him a qualifying offer, however, St. Louis retained
Ronning's NHL rights while he was in Italy. On May 10, 1990, after a
full season in Italy, Ronning signed a one-way contract with the Blues for
the 1990-91 season, meaning he had to receive his NHL salary even if
he went to the minors. The overall deal he signed on May 10, 1990, was the
same three-year, $450,000 deal he rejected in 1989. |
| NON-NHL CAREER |
Post-Draft Teams:
New Westminster (WHL); Team Canada; Peoria (IHL); Asiago (Italy)
World Championships: 1991 (silver
medal)
NON-NHL
AWARDS AND HONORS
WHL MVP: 1984-85 (New Westminster)
Molson/Cooper WHL West
Player of Year: 1984-85 (New West.)
WHL Brownridge Trophy (Points Leader): 1984-85 (NW) (197)
WHL Boucher Trophy (Most Gentlemanly): 1984-85 (New West.)
WHL West All-Star First Team: 1984-85 (New Westminster)
WHL Records: Most consecutive games with at least one goal (18 for
New Westminster from Nov. 6, 1984, through Dec. 15, 1984 -- 27 goals scored
during streak)
New Westminster Records: Most points in one season
(197 in 1984-85), most goals in one season (89 in 1984-85), most assists in
one season (108 in 1984-85)
WHL Goals Leader: 1984-85 (New Westminster) (89 goals)
Italy
Goals Leader: 1989-90 (Asiago) (74 goals)
Team
Canada Points Leader: 1985-86 (118 points)
Team Canada Goals
Leader: 1985-86 (55 goals)
Team Canada Assists Leader: 1985-86
(63 assists)
Miscellaneous: Set WHL
single-season record (since broken) with 197 points in 1984-85. He broke the
previous record of 194 points held by Brian Propp. ... Played for Canada in
1986 Izvestia Tournament in Moscow and 1987 Labatt's Calgary Cup -- a tuneup
for the 1988 Olympics. ... Opened 1987-88 season with Team Canada after
failing to make St. Louis roster out of training camp. ... Wore No. 27 for
Team Canada during 1987-88 pre-Olympic tour. ... Played for Canada in 1987
Izvestia Tournament in Moscow, helping Canadians win title. ... Did not get
to compete in 1988 Olympics because St. Louis had recalled him to the NHL on
Jan. 15, 1988, due to injury problems. Dave King, the Team Canada coach,
allowed Ronning to leave the program with the promise that he could come
back for the Olympics if King needed him. Ronning played well enough to win
a regular spot on the St. Louis roster, and King did not bring him back for
the Olympics. ... Opened 1988-89 season in IHL with Peoria and had 31 points
in 11 games before being recalled to St. Louis on Nov. 5, 1988. At the time
he was recalled, he was leading IHL in scoring. ... Became a restricted
free agent after the 1988-89 season and signed contract with Asiago (Italy)
on July 27, 1989. ... Spent
entire 1989-90 season playing in Italy. ... Played on line with Geoff
Courtnall and Trevor Linden for Canada at 1991 World Championships. ...
Spent first half of 2003-04 season playing adult-league hockey in Vancouver as he looked for
a team that would sign him as a free agent. ... Was active in charitable causes during playing days in Vancouver, including
work with Heart and Stroke Foundation and Crimestoppers. ... Competed in
1993, 1994 and 1995 Greatest Hockey Legends off-season charitable softball
tournaments. ... An avid golfer, he was in a 1994 charity
tournament to raise money for Canuck Place. ... Was the guest co-host of
a sports-talk radio show in Vancouver during summer of 1994. ... Named center
on all-time New Westminster (WHL) team by a CHL panel in 1999. ... Served as
a mentor and coach to players involved in the Canadian TV show "Making the
Cut" during 2004-05 season. ... Became a representative for hockey equipment
manufacturer Warrior Hockey, based in Minnesota's Twin Cities area, in
September 2005 after failing to catch on with any NHL team for the 2005-06
season.
Personal: Nicknamed "Ace"
and "Rat."
... Full name is Clifford John Ronning. |
| HOW HE GOT AWAY |
| TRADE:
St. Louis traded Ronning, Geoff Courtnall, Robert Dirk, Sergio Momesso and
future considerations (1992 fifth-round pick -- Brian Loney) to Vancouver in
exchange for Dan Quinn
and Garth Butcher on March 5, 1991. |
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|
SNAPSHOT '84 | | Total Selected: |
250 | | Forwards: |
142 | | Defense: |
88 | | Goaltenders: |
20 | | Major Junior: |
110 | | Tier II/Jr. B: |
16/9 | | College Players: |
23 | | High School: |
47 | | Midget: |
4 | | U.S. Junior B: |
1 |
| Canadian: |
145 |
| Euro-Canadian: |
2 | | USA Citizens: |
62 | | U.S.-Born: |
63 |
| European: |
41 |
| Reached NHL: |
102 |
| Stanley Cup: |
20 | | Hall of Fame: |
1 |
| All-Star Game: |
18 |
| Year-end All-Star: |
7 |
| Olympians: |
31 |
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