Bill Ranford
William Edward "Bill" Ranford ( born December 14, 1966 in Brandon, Manitoba ) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goalie who from 1986 to 2000 for the Edmonton Oilers, the Boston Bruins, the Washington Capitals, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings played in the National Hockey League. He is currently the goalkeeping coach of the Los Angeles Kings.
- 3.1 International
Career
Start of career
Bill Ranford began his career in 1983 in the Canadian Junior Football League WHL where he played for the New Westminster Bruins. In the NHL Entry Draft 1985 he was selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round at position 52, but remained in the WHL. Towards the end of the 1985/86 season he was playing four games for the Bruins in the NHL, of which he won three. In addition there were two inserts in the playoffs.
At the beginning of the season 1986/87 he was sent by the Bruins to the Moncton Golden Flames, the farm team of Boston, in the AHL. But after three games, he was recalled to the NHL squad and has shared the post as goalkeeper with Doug Keans. After the season he was transferred to the Edmonton Oilers where he left goalkeeper Grant Fuhr only six times came in the 1987/88 season and used mainly for the Maine Mariners played in the AHL. Even in the playoffs, he did not come to train, as the Oilers won the Stanley Cup.
Stanley Cup winner
The following season, Ranford was indeed still only number two, but he was now allowed to attend more games. In the season 1989/90, everything remained the ancients until Grant Fuhr as much injured that he could not play the rest of the season. Ranford took over his position and reached the Oilers make the playoffs. The Oilers moved to the Stanley Cup a final, where they on the Boston Bruins, Ranfords former team met. And also they could win against Boston and celebrate the Stanley Cup victory. Ranford was due to his strong performances honored as MVP of the playoffs with the Conn Smythe Trophy.
In September 1990, Grant Fuhr has been blocked due to drug use for half a year, so it was clear that Ranford would continue to be the number one. Ranford was invited for the first time for the NHL All-Star Game By further good performances. In the playoffs, the Oilers reached the Conference Finals, where they failed because of the Minnesota North Stars. However, Grant Fuhr was now returned to the team and took over the position in the goal again, so Ranford only three times was used.
But the plans of management, which wanted to structure the team's new, came to meet Ranford, because after the season vehicle was delivered. Ranford was now the undisputed number one in Edmonton.
Sporty and downs
But before the next season belonged Ranford in the squad of the Canadian team that took the Canada Cup in 1991. The Canadian team won the tournament and although the team Canada with superstars such as Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier was spiked, it was Bill Ranford, who was voted MVP of the Canada Cup.
In the 1991/92 season, the Oilers made it to the Conference Finals again, but Ranford could not retrieve the form from the year 1990 and the team failed. Then we went with the performance of the Oilers and downhill by Ranford. 1992/93 he won only 17 of his 67 games in 1993/94 he won only 22 victories in 71 missions. In both years, the Oilers missed the playoffs. In spring 1994, Ranford played for Team Canada at the Ice Hockey World Championship. With an outstanding performance with six wins in six games and a Gegentorschnitt of 1.17 he had a great share in the profits of the world title.
But the following season 1994/95 brought no improvement for the Oilers. At the beginning of the 1995/96 season, the Oilers with Curtis Joseph brought a new goalkeeper in the team, although Ranford was in the first few months the number one. But after neither Ranford still Joaquin Gage yielded the desired benefits, they picked Curtis Joseph, who has been "parked " at the farm team in the IHL, the team and transferred Bill Ranford to the Boston Bruins.
Interplays
For Boston, he completed the rest of the season as first-choice goalkeeper and he improved again and also was able to move with the Bruins in the playoffs, but where they did not get far. In the 1996/97 season he faltered again and was transferred to the Washington Capitals after only one year in Boston on March 1, 1997. There the German Olaf Kolzig had just taken over the position as the first goalie Jim Carey, who joined in the transfer business to Ranford to Boston and Ranford had to classify the rest of the season behind Kolzig. Also in the 1997/98 season, he had to settle for a back-up goalie of the four years younger Kolzig, who played a great season with the job. In Kölzig at the end 33 were victories against 18 defeats, while Ranford recorded a ratio of seven to twelve victories defeats. With the German goalkeeper managed the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals, while Ranford had to watch from the bench. But in the final against the Detroit Red Wings, the team had no chance.
After the season, Ranford was transferred to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he indeed again received more ice age with 32 missions, but with only three wins made no good figure. However, his stay in Tampa was short-lived and already in March 1999 he was transferred to the Detroit Red Wings. In the regular season he played four times and was after a long time to leave a few positive impressions. In addition there were four inserts in the playoffs, where he managed a shutout, but it was already replaced early in two other games, after he had conceded too many goals. The Red Wings extended not his contract after the season.
In August Ranford returned to the Edmonton Oilers, where he played the 1999/2000 season as a back -up goalie Tommy Salo of. Again, he could not set accents and so he ended his career in April 2000.
After the End of career
On November 22, 2003 Bill Ranford got together with Grant Fuhr in the goal of studded with former players team the Edmonton Oilers against a team of former players of the Montreal Canadiens during the NHL Heritage Classic in 2003. The Game was the Framework Programme of the first outdoor game in the NHL history instead and was held in Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton before 55,000 spectators.
For published in 2004 feature film Miracle - The Miracle of Lake Placid, which is about the Olympic victory of the U.S. hockey team in 1980, was Ranford for the game scenes in the role of the U.S. goalie Jim Craig on the ice. In the rest of the film, the role of Eddie Cahill is played.
Since the summer of 2006, Bill Ranford is goalkeeper coach with the Los Angeles Kings.