A Great Hockey Mind

Craig Ramsay entered pro hockey in 1971 with little fanfare, and he enjoyed a remakably productive, yet low-key career. During the 1970s, he established himself as one of the greatest defensive forwards in NHL history and would have won more than one Selke Trophy if it weren't for Bob Gainey. As a penalty killer an defensive specialist, Ramsay was far ahead of his time. He would go on to play over 1,000 NHL games with the Sabres, including a remarkable streak of 776 consecutive games -- the fourth-longest iron-man streak in NHL history. He also won his lone Selke in his final NHL season at the age of 34. As great and long-lasting as his playing career was, Ramsay would prove to be even more durable as an NHL coach. In the more than four decades that have passed since he was drafted in 1971, he has held a variety of coaching positions with eight different teams. Over these years, he amassed a remarkable combination of hockey knowledge and experience that few in the game can match.

Career Vitals

Career NHL Statistics

Team: Buffalo
Years: 1971-1985. Playoffs: 1973-1985

NHL Awards and Honors

Team Awards and Honors

League/Team Records

Life Outside the NHL

Full Name: Craig Edward Ramsay
Nickname: "Rammer"

Other Post-Draft Teams: Cincinnati (AHL)

Family: Father of former Tier II junior player and NHL video coach Travis Ramsay. ... Father of former minor leaguer and NHL scout Chad Ramsay. ... Father of former college goaltender Brendon Ramsay. ... Brother-in-law of former NHL player Doug Gibson.

Milestones

Career Highlights

Recorded first NHL hat trick in Buffalo's Dec. 5, 1971, game vs. Minnesota, scoring all three goals on Cesare Maniago in a 3-1 win. They were also the first three goals of his NHL career in his fifth NHL game. ... Scored first playoff goal in Buffalo Sabres history on April 4, 1973, at Montreal. The goal, at 3:13 of the second period gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead in the first playoff game in team history. ... Tied NHL record for fewest penalty minutes in a full season when he went through 1973-74 season without a penalty. ...  Scored second hat trick in Buffalo's Feb. 21, 1975, game at Washington. ... Played on Buffalo team that lost to Philadelphia in 1975 Stanley Cup Finals. ... Set Buffalo record (since tied) for shorthanded goals in a playoff game with one in Sabres' April 8, 1976, game vs. St. Louis. His goal was first shorthanded playoff goal in Sabres history. ... Scored his third hat trick in Buffalo's Oct. 20, 1977, game vs. Colorado. ... Runner-up to Bob Gainey in voting for the inaugural Frank J. Selke Award in 1977-78. ... Scored game's lone goal for Buffalo in a 1-0 win vs.Toronto on Oct. 19, 1978. ... Runner-up to Bob Gainey in voting for Selke Award in 1979-80. ... Scored at 16:32 of OT to give Buffalo a 5-4 win in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup quarters at Minnesota on April 20, 1981, preventing sweep by Minnesota. ... Runner-up to Bob Gainey in voting for Selke Award in 1980-81. ... Retired as one of only two players to have appeared in 1,000 games with Buffalo. To this day, only Ramsay and Gilbert Perreault have reached 1,000 games in a Buffalo uniform. ... Retired with NHL record (since broken) for longest consecutive-games streak with one team (776). ... Was first Buffalo Sabres player to win the Selke Trophy in 1984-85. Inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame in 1986. ... Inducted into Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. ... Inducted into Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Significant Injuries

Missed part of 1971-72 season with bruised ankle, an injury suffered during Buffalo's Dec. 1, 1971, game at New York. He did not return until Buffalo's Dec. 5, 1971, game vs. Minnesota. ... Missed most of Buffalo's 1973 training camp with back injury that required him to be hospitalized and placed in traction. .... Missed remainder of 1980 playoffs with broken left wrist, an injury suffered during the second period of Game 2 of Buffalo's Stanley Cup semifinal series vs. N.Y. Islanders on May 1, 1980. ... Missed part of 1982-83 season with broken left foot, an injury suffered when he was hit by the puck during Buffalo's Feb. 10, 1983, game at Los Angeles. The injury ended his iron-man streak at 776 games -- 138 games shy of the NHL record at that time. It was also the longest streak of any active NHL player. He did not return until Buffalo's March 12, 1980, game at Vancouver. ... Suffered from ulcers, which required stomach surgery in August 1993, while he was serving as Florida assistant coach. He was unable to join the team until after the 1993-94 season began and then worked primarily in an off-ice role for the remainder of the 1993-94 season, as Tom Webster took over his in-game coaching duties.

Non-Playing Career

Miscellaneous:

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