Former Rangers Legend Ron Duguay Passes Away

By Daniel Feuerstein | New York, NY | October 22nd, 2026

Former New York Rangers Legend Ron Duguay passed away at the age of 69 this morning after a long battle with Colon Cancer. The Sudbury, Ontario, native was drafted 13th overall in the first round of the 1977 NHL Draft. Played two stints with the Rangers from 1977-78 to 1982-83, then returned to the Rangers for a short time. Traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the middle of the 1986-87 season, then traded away in the middle of the 1987-88 season to the Los Angeles Kings. He played a combined 495 games, scoring 164 goals and earning 176 assists for 340 points. In an era when Hockey players didn’t wear helmets, his long, free-flowing locks whistled in the air on the ice at Madison Square Garden.

Oooooooo-LA-LA, Sasson

We can’t forget back in the 80s when Sasson Jeans were part of the fashion industry. Ron Duguay, along with Phil Esposito, Dave Maloney and Anders Hedberg skated around with their Rangers jerseys tucked into their Sasson jeans and skated around the rink while filming their jeans commercial.

Mike Sullivan’s thoughts

Current New York Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan spoke to the media as the Rangers were preparing for their game at Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto as they face the Maple Leafs and talked about Ron Duguay and when he played with them back in the now-defunct International Hockey League (IHL).

“I just wanted to take a moment to express our condolences for Ron Duguay and his family, friends, and loved ones. Obviously, it’s a big loss for all of us, the Rangers organization. In particular, we know he was a very popular Ranger. I had the privilege of playing with Ron as a teammate for a year in the International Hockey League. A great man and a terrific hockey player,” said Mike Sullivan, “I grew up watching some of these guys when he played with the Rangers and, you know, when I had the opportunity to play with him and Charlie Simmer, and two guys that had pretty successful NHL careers. It was the International Hockey League back in the day, for those of you guys that are old enough to remember it. And I was in awe of those two guys because I grew up watching them play in the NHL, and just to have the opportunity to be one of their teammates was a great thrill for me as a young player.”

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