Ron Duguay, Sudbury-born Rangers star, dies at 69

Ron Duguay, the Sudbury, Ont., native whose long, flowing hair and scoring touch made him a New York Rangers fan favourite in the late 1970s and early 1980s, died Thursday of cancer. He was 69.

His daughter Shay Thomas said in a post shared with her two siblings and Duguay’s partner that he died “after a hard fought battle with cancer,” CBC News reported. Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor who had been in a relationship with Duguay for several years, also announced his death, and the Rangers confirmed the family had informed the team, The Associated Press reported.

“The New York Rangers organization mourns the loss of Ron Duguay, one of the most popular players in franchise history,” the club said in a statement.

Duguay told the New York Post in February that he had been living with Stage 4 cancer that began in the colon, CBC reported. His family started a GoFundMe earlier this year to help with treatment costs, and the Sudbury Wolves held a Ron Duguay Appreciation Night on Sept. 30. Wayne Gretzky, his teammate at the 1981 Canada Cup and later with the Los Angeles Kings, sent a video message calling him a “great person, great family guy.”

Duguay averaged 33 goals and 90 points over four seasons with his hometown Wolves, where he became captain, and he played for Canada at the first official world junior championship in 1977, winning silver. The Rangers drafted him 13th overall that year, and he jumped straight to the NHL without playing a game in the minors.

He helped the Rangers reach the 1979 Stanley Cup final, which they lost to the Montreal Canadiens. After a 40-goal season in 1980-81, he made Canada’s roster for the 1981 Canada Cup and played all seven games as Canada lost the final to the Soviet Union, an experience he later called his proudest as a pro.

Traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1983, he posted 80 and 89 points in his first two seasons there, the best totals of his career. He later played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Rangers again and the Kings, finishing with 274 goals and 346 assists for 620 points in 860 NHL games before playing in Germany and the minor leagues.

Off the ice, Duguay became a celebrity in New York, appearing on the cover of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine and in a Vidal Sassoon jeans ad with Rangers teammates. After retiring, he coached in the minor leagues, worked on Rangers broadcasts from 2007 to 2018 and skated in the first season of CBC’s Battle of the Blades with Olympian Barbara Underhill.

The NHL Alumni Association said his passion for hockey “was a part of who he was, a lifelong love that he carried with pride and shared so generously with others.”

His death follows those of other hockey figures this fall, including former Canadiens owner George Gillett Jr. and Barry Melrose, the Saskatchewan-born coach and analyst. For the current season, see our latest NHL power rankings.

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date, his daughter said.

Sources: Duguay’s family and the New York Rangers, via CBC News and The Associated Press via The Canadian Press.

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