Bill Ranford
A clutch playoff goaltender who backstopped the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup and earned MVP honors for his legendary performance.
Born 1966 (age 60)·Canadian ice hockey goaltender·Birthday: December 14·Generation X
Biography
Bill Ranford's moment arrived in the 1990 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Thrust into the starter's role for the Edmonton Oilers after the trade of Grant Fuhr, he delivered one of the most memorable goaltending performances in history. His acrobatic saves and unflappable demeanor carried a transitioning Oilers team to a championship, earning him the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Ranford possessed a hybrid style, blending the stand-up fundamentals of his era with explosive lateral movement. He would later win a second Cup as a backup in 1994 and become a mainstay for Team Canada in international play. His career journeyed through several NHL cities, but his legacy is forever tied to that spring in Edmonton, where he proved himself not just a capable replacement, but a championship architect.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Bill was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 1990 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
- Backstopped the Edmonton Oilers to a Stanley Cup championship in 1990.
- Earned a second Stanley Cup ring with the New York Rangers in 1994.
- Won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 1994 Ice Hockey World Championship.
Did You Know?
He is the only goaltender in Oilers history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.
He served as the goaltending coach for the Los Angeles Kings for many years after retiring.
He was drafted by the Boston Bruins but played only 23 games for them before being traded to Edmonton.
“You don't think about the pressure; you just see the puck and react.”
