Bill Ranford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bill Ranford |
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Ranford in 2014
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| Born | December 14, 1966 Brandon, Manitoba, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for | Boston Bruins Edmonton Oilers Washington Capitals Tampa Bay Lightning Detroit Red Wings |
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| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 52nd overall, 1985 Boston Bruins |
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| Playing career | 1985–2000 | ||
William Edward Ranford (born December 14, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He is now the director of goaltending for the Los Angeles Kings. Bill Ranford was picked by the Boston Bruins in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. He played for fifteen seasons in the NHL. He played for the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Detroit Red Wings. Ranford won two Stanley Cups during his career. He also won a Canada Cup and the 1994 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships while playing for Canada. He is the only goalie in history to be named the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Canada Cup/World Cup, and Men's Ice Hockey World Championship.
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Early Life and Hockey Start
Bill Ranford was born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. His father was in the Canadian Armed Forces. This meant Bill grew up in many different places across Canada. He even lived in Germany for a few years. When he was a child, he took figure skating lessons. But he soon decided he wanted to be a hockey goalie. He played for local teams in places like Portage la Prairie, Manitoba and Red Deer, Alberta.
He went to New Westminster Secondary School. At the same time, he played for the Western Hockey League's New Westminster Bruins. In 1985, he was drafted by the Boston Bruins. He played his first NHL games that same year. He won three out of four games for Boston. After that, he played for the Moncton Golden Flames in the AHL. He later joined the Boston Bruins full-time. In 1988, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. This was the last time he played in the minor leagues.
NHL Career Highlights
Ranford won his first Stanley Cup in 1988. He was the backup goalie for Grant Fuhr on the Edmonton Oilers. In 1990, he became the main goalie for the Oilers. He led them to another Stanley Cup victory. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy. This award is given to the most valuable player (MVP) in the playoffs. This was the last Stanley Cup win for the famous Edmonton Oilers team of that era.
Bill Ranford played for the Oilers for six more seasons. Then, in 1996, he was traded back to the Boston Bruins. After less than two seasons with Boston, he was traded to the Washington Capitals in 1997. He was the starting goalie for Washington at first. But he got injured early in the 1997-98 season. When he came back, Olaf Kölzig had taken over as the main goalie. The Capitals made it to the Stanley Cup Finals that year. This was Ranford's third trip to the Finals.
In 1998, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. He started the next season with Tampa Bay. But in 1999, he was traded again, this time to the Detroit Red Wings. He played his last playoff games that spring. He helped the Red Wings when their main goalie was injured. His final NHL season was in 1999-2000. He returned to the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent. He retired from playing hockey on April 24, 2000.
Playing for Canada
| Medal record | ||
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| Representing Canada |
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| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 1994 Milan | |
Bill Ranford played for Team Canada several times. He was the main goalie for Canada in the 1991 Canada Cup. He did not lose a single game in that tournament. He played in all seven games and was named to the tournament's all-star team.
In 1994, he was Canada's starting goalie at the World Championships. He helped Canada win its first gold medal since 1961. In the final game, he stopped the last shot in a shootout. This win made his teammates jump on him in celebration!
He was chosen to play for Canada again in 1996. This was for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. But this time, he was the third-string goalie. He did not play in any games.
After His Playing Career
After retiring from playing, Bill Ranford stayed involved in hockey. In 2003, he played in the 2003 Heritage Classic. This was the first outdoor regular-season game in NHL history. He played for the Edmonton Oilers alumni team. He and Grant Fuhr helped their team win 2-0.
Ranford also acted in the 2004 movie Miracle. He performed the on-ice scenes as the goalie for Team USA, Jim Craig. He was chosen because his playing style was similar to Craig's.
He worked as a goalie coach for the WHL Vancouver Giants. Then, in 2006, he became the goaltending coach for the Los Angeles Kings. In 2023, he was named the Kings' Director of Goaltending. His name was added to the Stanley Cup two more times in 2012 and 2014. This was for his work as a coach.
He also owns part of the Coquitlam Express. This is a junior hockey team. There is even an award named after him, the Bill Ranford Trophy. It is given to the best goalie in Alberta Midget AAA hockey.
Personal Life
Bill Ranford is married to Kelly. They have two daughters named Cassady and Tristan. He is also the uncle of professional ice hockey player Brendan Ranford.
Awards
- 1986 – WHL West Second All-Star Team
- 1988, 1990 – Stanley Cup champion (as a player)
- 1990 – Conn Smythe Trophy MVP (Most Valuable Player in playoffs)
- 1991 – National Hockey League All-Star Game
- 1991 – Canada Cup champion (Team Canada)
- 1991 – Canada Cup MVP
- 1994 – Ice Hockey World Championships gold medal (Team Canada)
- 1994 – Ice Hockey World Championships MVP
- 2012, 2014 – Stanley Cup champion (as a goaltending coach)
