'Robert "Rob" Ramage' was born on
January 11,
1959 in
Byron,
Ontario,
Canada and was a professional
ice hockey player from
1979 to
1994.
Playing career
Ramage was selected first overall by the
Colorado Rockies in the
1979 NHL Entry Draft. He spent his junior career with the
London Knights, who have since retired his number 5, and also played a season in the
World Hockey Association for the
Birmingham Bulls. His
National Hockey League career spanned fifteen seasons, during which he played for the Rockies, the
St. Louis Blues,
Toronto Maple Leafs,
Calgary Flames,
Minnesota North Stars,
Tampa Bay Lightning,
Montreal Canadiens, and
Philadelphia Flyers.
In his rookie season with Colorado, Ramage became a part of history in a rather embarrassing way. While the Rockies were playing the
New York Islanders, the Rockies'
goaltender left the ice for an extra skater after a delayed penalty was called on the Islanders. The puck deflected off the chest protector of Islanders goalie
Billy Smith into the corner. Ramage picked up the puck and accidentally made a blind pass from the corner boards in the opposing zone to the
blue line. Nobody was there to receive the pass, and so the puck sailed all the way down the length of the ice and into the Colorado net. Smith had been the last Islander to touch the puck, and so he became the first goalie ever to be credited with a goal.
In spite of this gaffe, and in spite of being traded very often during his career, he got his name engraved on the prestigious
Stanley Cup twice as a member of the
1989 Calgary Flames and the
1993 Montreal Canadiens. His role was limited on the '89 Calgary Flames, though, due to an already-strong Calgary defensive corps featuring the likes of
Al MacInnis and
Gary Suter.
On
December 15,
2003, Ramage was behind the wheel when his car swerved into the oncoming lane and got into an
accident, killing passenger and former
Chicago Blackhawk captain Keith Magnuson. Charged with
impaired driving causing death, Ramage's future remains uncertain.
He is currently a broker at the Frontenac, MO branch of A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. brokerage firm.
According to a
Toronto Sun article late in 2006 Ramage's lawyer is stalling on court procedings in the hope of having the charges thrown out of court for delay of a speedy trial, thus allowing Ramage to walk away from vehicular manslaughter.
Statistics
★ Position:
Defence
★ Height: 6 ft 2 in
★ Weight: 210 lb
★ Goals scored: 139
★ Assists: 425
★ Games played: 1,044
See also
★
Captain (hockey)
★
List of NHL players
★
List of NHL seasons
References
★
[1]