Ron Duguay

Ron Duguay was born on July 6, 1957, in Sudbury, Ontario. He grew up in Carol Richard Park in the township of Valley East, also known as Vallee-Est, near Val Caron, an area now part of the City of Greater Sudbury. As a boy he played at the Centennial Arena in Hanmer. His extended family remained rooted in the Sudbury area: when the Sudbury Wolves honoured him in October 2026, about 32 local family members attended, including a cousin's grandson who travelled from Kitchener.

Duguay's formative hockey education came with his hometown Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, which he joined underage in 1973. He credited the older players with mentoring him and preparing him both for the NHL and for life. Over four seasons (1973 to 1977) he became one of the team's top scorers. In 1975-76 he posted 134 points (42 goals, 92 assists) in 61 games as Sudbury won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy for the best regular-season record and reached the league final, losing to the Hamilton Fincups in six games. In 1976-77 he added 109 points. He played for Canada at the 1977 World Junior Championship, recording one goal and four assists as Canada finished second. Details of his formal schooling have not been made public.

The Winnipeg Jets selected Duguay third overall in the 1976 WHA amateur draft, and the New York Rangers took him 13th overall in the 1977 NHL amateur draft. He went straight from junior to the NHL and scored 20 goals as a rookie in 1977-78. In 1978-79 he helped the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games. On April 6, 1980, he scored nine seconds after the opening faceoff against the Philadelphia Flyers, tying a Rangers record shared with Fred Cook and Jean Ratelle. After the 1981 Canada Cup he had his best Rangers season, leading the team with 40 goals in 1981-82 and playing in the NHL All-Star Game for the Wales Conference.

After a 19-goal season and clashes with coach Herb Brooks, he was traded to Detroit on June 13, 1983, with Eddie Mio and Ed Johnstone, for Willie Huber, Mark Osborne and Mike Blaisdell. With the Red Wings he scored 33 goals and 80 points in 1983-84 and a career-best 38 goals and 89 points in 1984-85. Detroit traded him to Pittsburgh for Doug Shedden in 1985-86, and on January 21, 1987, the Penguins returned him to the Rangers for Chris Kontos. On February 23, 1988, he went to the Los Angeles Kings, where he played his final NHL season in 1988-89. Across 12 NHL seasons he had 274 goals, 346 assists and 620 points in 860 regular-season games, plus 31 goals and 53 points in 89 playoff games. Over 499 games as a Ranger he scored 164 goals and 340 points.

Comeback attempts with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1990 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992 did not succeed. He played 22 games for Mannheim ERC in the German Bundesliga in 1989-90 and two IHL seasons with the San Diego Gulls. He retired after 1991-92 but returned in 1995-96 for the new WCHL San Diego Gulls, saying he wanted his children, who had been too young to see him in the NHL, to watch him play. He played one ECHL game with the Jacksonville Lizard Kings in 1998-99.

In 2002-03 he joined the Jacksonville Barracudas of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League as a player and then became head coach. In 2003-04 he guided them to the best record in the World Hockey Association 2 and the playoff championship, Jacksonville's first hockey title. Owner Steve Croskrey said, "If it wasn't for Ron, the Barracudas would not be here today." He coached them into the Southern Professional Hockey League and stepped down in April 2006 after a difficult season. From 2007 to 2018 he was a studio analyst for MSG Network's Rangers coverage and Hockey Night Live; his own social media profile described him as a two-time Emmy Award winner. MSG did not renew his contract in 2018.

Duguay married California model Robin Bobo on December 1, 1983, and they had two daughters, Shay (later Shay Thomas) and Amber (later Amber Stavros), before divorcing. In January 1993 he married the supermodel Kim Alexis, and their son, Noah Fernand Duguay, was born in Orange County, California, in April 1994. Alexis brought two sons from an earlier marriage. The family settled in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and the couple divorced in 2016. From 2022 he was in a publicly confirmed relationship with Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, who was at his side through his illness. In September 2026 he posted a photo of himself reunited with his first wife Robin and daughter Shay. He had five grandchildren: Aiden, Jayden, Cole, Nora and Ranger.

Duguay spoke of hockey as performance as much as sport. "You become an artist, because you entertain," he told TVA Sports in 2023. He was outspoken about the modern Rangers on social media, and his public remarks sometimes drew criticism, most notably in March 2026 when he blamed a Rangers loss on the team's Pride Night in posts that were later deleted. His faith was referenced publicly at the end of his life; Sarah Palin wrote that he was "with Jesus now." He also used his name for charity, skating for World Vision Canada on Battle of the Blades and donating his 2009 EPHL earnings to the Garden of Dreams Foundation.

Duguay is remembered as one of the most popular Rangers in history and as a player whose style and celebrity helped widen hockey's appeal in the United States. The Rangers said his signature skating, "with his hair flowing as he moved down the ice," captivated the Garden Faithful. The 2009 book 100 Ranger Greats ranked him 49th among the 901 players in the team's first 82 seasons. The Sudbury Wolves retired his sweater as part of their 35th anniversary in September 2006 and celebrated Ron Duguay Night on October 2, 2026, three weeks before his death. He remains tied for the Rangers record for the fastest goal from the start of a game.

NHL All-Star Game selection (1982, Wales Conference). Rangers leading goal scorer, 1981-82 (40 goals). Hamilton Spectator Trophy with the Sudbury Wolves (1975-76). Silver medal with Canada at the 1977 World Junior Championship. Member of Canada's 1981 Canada Cup team. Sweater retired by the Sudbury Wolves (2006). Ranked 49th in 100 Ranger Greats (2009). WHA2 championship as head coach of the Jacksonville Barracudas (2003-04).

Duguay was one of hockey's first crossover celebrities. He sang on "Hockey Sock Rock" (1979), written by Alan Thicke, with Phil Esposito, Pat Hickey, Dave Maloney and John Davidson, and appeared with Esposito, Maloney and Anders Hedberg in the 1979 Sasson jeans television commercial. According to the New York Post, he was introduced to Andy Warhol by Rod Gilbert in 1980, appeared on the cover of Warhol's Interview magazine, and was considered by Steven Spielberg for the lead in Raiders of the Lost Ark. People magazine profiled his romance with Robin Bobo in 1984. He appeared on CBC's Battle of the Blades (2009), worked 12 years on MSG Network, and has an IMDb credit on Beverly Hills, 90210.

In January 2022 Duguay was accused of roughing up a news photographer outside Elio's restaurant on Manhattan's Upper East Side after the photographer confronted him and Sarah Palin, who had recently tested positive for COVID-19. In March 2026 he drew criticism for social media posts blaming a Rangers loss on the team's Pride Night, calling it "bad mojo"; the posts were deleted. Earlier in his career his nightlife and celebrity were a point of friction with Rangers coach Herb Brooks.

Duguay was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer, reported as December 2024, which spread to his liver. He told the New York Post that he lost his appendix and gallbladder during treatment. His family revealed the diagnosis in February 2026 and set up a GoFundMe, explaining that he had been unable to work and had moved to Orange County, California, for care. On July 24, 2026, he fainted at home and was hospitalised with facial injuries; tests showed complications including internal bleeding. In October 2026 his daughter Shay and Sarah Palin asked fans for prayers. He died on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at age 69. Palin announced his death on social media, and a Rangers spokesperson confirmed the family had informed the team. The place of death and funeral arrangements had not been made public at the time of writing.