Ranford, "Bill" (William)
Hockey
b. Dec. 14, 1966, Brandon, MAN
Ranford won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the outstanding player in the 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs, when he tied the NHL record for most wins by a goaltender with 16.
He entered the NHL with the Boston Bruins late in the 1985-86 season and played 41 games for Boston in 1986-87. However, he spent most of the following season in the minor leagues and was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in March of 1988.
The Oilers at first used Ranford as a backup to Grant Fuhr, but Fuhr missed most of the 1989-90 season, and Ranford compiled a 3.19 goals-against average during the regular season and a 2.53 average in the playoffs.
Because of that performance, Edmonton traded Fuhr away. In 1991, Ranford was named the outstanding player of the Canada Cup series after his 2.00 goals-against average led Canada to a 6-0-2 record and the championship.
Ranford had another good season with the Oilers in 1991-92, but he wasn't effective in the playoffs, and his performance declined after that. The Oilers traded him back to Boston during the 1995-96 season. He made a brief resurgence with the Bruins, putting up a 2.83 average in 21 games, but he was only 1-3 in the playoffs, giving up 4.02 goals per game.
After appearing in 37 games with Boston the following season, Ranford went to the Washington Capitals as part of a six-player trade. He played well as a backup there for a season and a half and was then traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Near the end of the 1998-99 season, Ranford went to the Detroit Red Wings. He started four playoff games for the Red Wings, compiling a 2-2 record with one shutout.
Detroit then released him and he returned to Edmonton to appear in 16 games during the 1999-2000 season before retiring.