6 memorable Ron Duguay moments on and off the ice
Ron Duguay attends the Heroes in Uniforms Charity Hockey Tournament March 23, 2002 in New York City. Credit: Getty Images/Lawrence Lucier
Ooh, La, La, Sasson!
The Sasson Jeans television commercials, which Ron Duguay did with several teammates in 1979, cemented his status among Rangers fans as an icon and introduced him to a wider audience as the handsome hockey player with the great hair. A prominent Manhattanite, he was a fixture at the legendary Studio 54, and in March 1980, he was featured on the cover of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. Duguay’s celebrity brought romantic links to Cher and Farrah Fawcett, and at the time of his death, he was dating Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. He was married to, and divorced from, models Robin Bobo and Kim Alexis.
Among the last without a helmet
Duguay had great hair. This is not in dispute. And to hide that hair under a helmet just would not have been fair. The NHL made helmets mandatory to start the 1979-80 season but grandfathered in anyone already under contract to keep playing without a helmet. When Duguay played his last game in 1989 with the Los Angeles Kings, he was among the last 10 NHL players to go helmetless on the ice.
The 1979 playoff run
In his second NHL season, Duguay had five goals and four assists in 18 playoff games in 1979, helping the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens. After upsetting the Islanders in the semifinals, the Rangers lost to the Canadiens in five games.
40 goals
Duguay had a career-high 40 goals and made his only All-Star Game in the 1981-82 season as a member of the Rangers. He also was selected to play for Team Canada in the 1982 Canada Cup.
Fastest goal
Dugay scored nine seconds into a game against the Flyers in Philadelphia on April 6, 1980. That tied him with Fred Cook against the New York Americans in January 1927, Jean Ratelle against the California Golden Seals in November 1971 and Jim Wiemer against the Buffalo Sabres in March 1985 for the fastest goal to start a game in Rangers history.
Broadcast career
Duguay served as an in-studio analyst for MSG’s Rangers broadcasts from 2007 to 2018. He also appeared on MSG’s weekly Hockey Night Live! program.
— COLIN STEPHENSON
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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