Dwayne Roloson
A journeyman goalie who, at 37, almost single-handedly carried the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final with a stunning playoff run.
Born 1969 (age 57)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: October 12·Generation X
Biography
Dwayne Roloson backstopped the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Final at age 37. Undrafted, he climbed from the minor leagues to become a reliable NHL starter for the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild. Traded to Edmonton at the 2006 deadline, he posted a .927 save percentage through the playoffs before an injury ended his run in the final game. After retiring, he became a goaltending coach, teaching the positional patience that defined his late-blooming career.
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.
Dwayne was born in 1969, 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 Dwayne Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Dwayne's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
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
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Backstopped the Edmonton Oilers to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final as an eighth seed, posting a .927 save percentage in the playoffs.
- Played over 600 NHL games despite not being drafted by an NHL team.
- Won the NHL's Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award in 2004 for having the league's best save percentage.
- Represented Team Canada at the 1994 World Championships.
Did You Know?
He played college hockey at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he studied engineering.
Roloson didn't become a full-time NHL starter until he was 32 years old with the Minnesota Wild.
He is one of the oldest goalies in NHL history to be a trade deadline acquisition that led a deep playoff run.
After retirement, he worked as a goaltending coach for the Anaheim Ducks and in the NCAA.
“You stop the puck. That's the job. Everything else is just noise.”
