89 Champs: Where Are They Now: Rob Ramage

Rob Ramage had a brief cup of coffee with the Flames, but he was a key cog on the blue line which helped the Flames win the Stanley Cup in 88-89. In his 2 seasons in Calgary he poured in only 23 points, but racked up an impressive 193 PIM. While not being a prolific regular season points man with the Flames, he managed 12 points in 20 games during the Cup run.

After Ramage left Calgary he seemed to resurrect his career with the Maple Leafs having 39 and 45 point seasons with Toronto. That success, however, was short lived. Ramage finished out his career with stops in Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Montreal and Philadelphia. Ramage was able to hoist the Stanley Cup one last time in 92-93 with the Montreal Canadiens in a limited role.

His post hockey career was very different than his career on the ice. In 2003 Ramage was driving the vehicle that was involved in an accident that killed former Chicago Blackhawks player Keith Magnuson. Ramage was charged with impaired driving and on October of 2007, even though he pleaded not guilty, was found guilty on all the charges. Ramage and the rental car company of the car he was driving were found guilty in a civil suit and he was sentenced to 4 years in prison. He was a free man until his appeal was denied in 2010. He spent less than a year in a minimum security facility in Kingston, Ontario when he was granted parole in May of 2011.

Ramage’s tragic story does have a happy ending. He was hired as a Player Development Coach by the Montreal Canadiens in 2014, a position he currently holds.

by Mark Parkinson