- Former Rangers forward Ron Duguay died Thursday at age 69
- He played 12 NHL seasons and reached the 1979 Stanley Cup Final with New York
- Read below for how the Rangers and the hockey world are remembering him
Ron Duguay has died at the age of 69.
The former Rangers forward passed away Thursday after a long fight with Stage 4 cancer. The team said Duguay’s family informed the organization of his death, and the Rangers called him one of the most popular players in franchise history.
Here’s the statement from the team:
The Rangers said Duguay’s skating style, with his hair flowing as he moved down the ice, “captivated The Garden Faithful.”
Sarah Palin, Duguay’s girlfriend, shared the news on X Thursday morning. Her post read: “It’s with a shattered heart, but also deep peace knowing Ron is with Jesus now. He fought so hard. Love never ends.”
Check out her post:
New York made Duguay the 13th pick in the 1977 draft out of the Sudbury Wolves, and he went straight to the NHL. He broke in with a Rangers team that still had Rod Gilbert, whom we remembered here in August, and the 1978-79 group went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to Montreal in five games.
Duguay finished with 274 goals and 346 assists for 620 points in 860 regular-season games with the Rangers, Red Wings, Kings and Penguins. He added 53 points in 89 playoff games. He played eight of his 12 seasons in New York, and he was an All-Star in 1981-82 as a point-a-game player.
Off the ice, he was a star in a way few hockey players were in the 1970s. He skated without a helmet, and the hair made him a New York celebrity. He appeared in a 1979 Sasson jeans commercial with Phil Esposito and Dave Maloney, and Andy Warhol included him in his 1980 “Athletes” portrait series.
He also had a nine-second goal against the Flyers on April 6, 1980, which tied a Rangers record for the fastest goal to start a game. After he retired as a player in 2008-09, he spent 12 years as a Rangers analyst on MSG Network.
The NHL Alumni Association remembered him for more than hockey. It said his “genuine compassion, kindness, and willingness to help others always extended far beyond himself.”
We at Gino Hard send our condolences to Duguay’s family, friends and the Rangers community.
