Ron Wilson (ice hockey, born 1955) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ron Wilson
Wilson in 2010
Born	(1955-05-28) May 28, 1955 (age 70) Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position	Defence
Shot	Right
Played for	Toronto Maple Leafs Minnesota North Stars
Coached for	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Washington Capitals San Jose Sharks Toronto Maple Leafs
National team	United States
NHL Draft	132nd overall, 1975 Toronto Maple Leafs
WHA Draft	176th overall, 1974 Houston Aeros
Playing career	1977–1988
Coaching career	1988–2012

Ronald Lawrence Wilson (born May 28, 1955) is a former professional ice hockey player and coach. He has both Canadian and American citizenship. In the National Hockey League (NHL), he coached famous teams like the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He also coached the United States men's national ice hockey team in the 1998 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

About Ron Wilson

Ron Wilson was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and grew up in Fort Erie, Ontario. When he was 12, he moved to Riverside, Rhode Island, in the United States. Because of this, he has dual citizenship for both Canada and the United States. He has played for and coached Team USA.

His father, Larry Wilson, and his uncle, Johnny Wilson, were also ice hockey players. They both played for the Detroit Red Wings in the 1950s and later became coaches in the NHL.

Ron Wilson is married to Maureen, and they have two daughters, Kristen and Lauren.

Ron Wilson's Playing Career

Ron Wilson was a talented ice hockey player before he became a coach. He played as a defence player.

College Hockey Years

Wilson started playing college hockey at Providence College in 1973. In his first year, he was a top scorer for the team. He continued to play well, helping his team reach the ECAC tournament several times. He was known for scoring many goals and points during his college career.

Professional Hockey Years

In 1975, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked Ron Wilson in the NHL Draft. He decided to play in the NHL instead of another league. He first played professionally in 1976 with the Dallas Black Hawks in the CHL.

He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL during the 1977–78 season. He played 13 games and scored 2 goals. He also spent time playing for the New Brunswick Hawks in the AHL.

Later, Wilson moved to Switzerland to play for teams like EHC Kloten and HC Davos. He was a very strong player in Switzerland, scoring many goals and points. He even helped HC Davos win two championships!

In 1985, he returned to the NHL to play for the Minnesota North Stars. He played well for them, helping them reach the playoffs. He played his last NHL game in December 1987. After that, he went back to HC Davos for one more season before retiring as a player.

Ron Wilson's Coaching Career

After his playing career, Ron Wilson became a successful ice hockey coach.

Early Coaching Days

Wilson started as an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Admirals in 1989. Then, he became an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL from 1990 to 1993. The Canucks improved a lot during his time there, winning their division twice and making it far in the playoffs.

Coaching the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

In 1993, Ron Wilson became the very first head coach for a new NHL team, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In his first game, they lost, but they soon won their first game against the Edmonton Oilers.

The team worked hard and kept getting better each year. In the 1996–97 season, Wilson led the Mighty Ducks to their first-ever winning record and their first time in the Stanley Cup playoffs. They won their first playoff series but were later defeated.

Coaching the Washington Capitals

In 1997, Wilson became the head coach for the Washington Capitals. In his first season, he led the team to a much better record. The Capitals made it all the way to the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, which was the first time in their history! Even though they lost in the Finals, it was a huge achievement.

The Capitals continued to be a strong team under Wilson, winning their division twice more. They made the playoffs in 2000 and 2001.

Coaching the San Jose Sharks

Wilson joined the San Jose Sharks as head coach in 2002. In his first full season (2003–04), he helped turn the team around. They had a great record, won their division, and made it to the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs.

The Sharks continued to be a top team with Wilson as coach. They made the playoffs every year from 2004 to 2008. In 2007, the team won 50 games for the first time ever!

Coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs

In 2008, Ron Wilson became the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team had not made the playoffs for a few years. Wilson worked to improve the team.

The Maple Leafs showed some improvement during his time, especially in the 2010–11 season. In the 2011–12 season, the team started very strong, and Wilson even signed a new contract. However, the team then had a tough time, and Wilson was later replaced as coach in March 2012.

Coaching Team USA

Ron Wilson also had a very important role coaching the United States men's national ice hockey team.

• In 1996, he led Team USA to a bronze medal at the World Championship, which was their first medal in 34 years!
• Later in 1996, he coached Team USA to win the 1996 World Cup of Hockey championship.
• He coached the U.S. Olympic team in the 1998 Winter Olympics.
• In 2010, he coached the U.S. Olympic team again at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. The team played great, going undefeated until the final game, where they won a silver medal after a close game against Canada.
• In 2015, he was named head coach for the U.S. men's under-20 team for the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Ron Wilson's Coaching Style

Ron Wilson was known for using technology in his coaching. When he coached the Washington Capitals, he used computers to help plan strategies and made DVDs of games for the team to watch. With the San Jose Sharks, he even used a tablet computer on the team bench! This allowed him or his assistants to quickly plan plays and review what was happening during games.

Broadcasting Career

In 2015, Ron Wilson joined the TSN Hockey panel as an analyst, sharing his hockey knowledge on TV.

Awards and Honours