On Thursday, Oct. 22, popular Ranger Ron Duguay passed away at age 69. He lost a courageous battle to Stage Four colon cancer.

An immensely well liked player who spent his first six seasons of a 12-year career on Broadway, Duguay entered the league as a 20-year-old who the Rangers selected 13th overall in the 1977 NHL Draft. It didn’t take him long to establish himself as a fan favorite.

As a rookie, he posted 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 1977-78. Following a preliminary loss to the Sabres, the Rangers put together a better season in 1978-79. On a younger roster that still featured Phil Esposito, Carol Vadnais, and Walt Tkaczuk, Duguay was sixth in team scoring with 27 goals and 36 assists for a total of 63 points.

After finishing third in the Patrick Division, the Rangers upset the heavily favored Islanders in the NHL Semifinals. Duguay finished the series with a goal and assist as John Davidson carried the Blueshirts to the Stanley Cup Finals. Rookie Don Maloney paced them with eight points versus the Islanders. The Rangers lost to the Canadiens in for the Stanley Cup in five games.

Duguay’s best season came in 1981-82 when his 40 goals led all Rangers. He also added 36 helpers for a career-high 76 points to tie former 1980 USA Olympic hero Mark Pavelich for second in team scoring. In the postseason, they defeated the Flyers in the Division Semifinals to meet the Islanders in the Division Finals. The Rangers lost to their bitter nemesis in six games. Duguay totaled five goals and six points during that run.

By then, he was well known in the New York City inner circle for being a frequent visitor to Studio 54. After a win over the Islanders on Jan. 20, 1982, he was photographed with Cher at Studio 54.

A heartthrob due to his unique style and looks that included his long locks of flowing hair, Duguay danced with Cher at the famous nightclub and then were set to attend a famous actress Liza Mannelli’s party at her apartment.

However, an impatient Cher changed plans due to the long wait where she instead took the younger Duguay to Gene Simmons’ townhouse, which he described as “beautiful.” They spent the night together. A story he revealed on the debut episode of Up In The Blue Seats a few years ago.

His early fame actually came during his second year when he shot a memorable commercial with Rangers teammates Esposito, Anders Hedberg, and Dave Maloney advertising Sasson jeans in 1979. The famous expression, “Ooh, la-la” is still looked back on fondly from not just Rangers fans, but the hockey world.

Duguay was married to model Robin Bobo in 1983. They later got divorced. He eventually remarried Kim Alexis in January 1993. They had three children together before divorcing in 2016.

Following a down year in 1982-83, Duguay was traded to the Red Wings in a six player deal. In his first season with Detroit, he put up a point-per-game for the first time when he had 33 goals with a career-high 47 assists for a new personal best 80 points in 80 games. Teamed with future Red Wings star captain Steve Yzerman, he helped them return to the playoffs for the first time since 1978.

Ironically, he played on a roster that included former Rangers’ great Brad Park, who finished his Hall of Fame career in Detroit following the trade that sent him and Jean Ratelle to the Bruins for Esposito and Vadnais, which stunned fans on Nov. 7, 1975.

Duguay also teamed up with future Blueshirts John Ogrodnick and Kelly Kisio. The Red Wings roster also included Colin Campbell, who replaced Mike Keenan as Rangers head coach following the Stanley Cup in 1994.

His best season came in 1984-85 when he finished tied for second with Yzerman in team scoring with 38 goals and career bests in assists (51) and points (89). The Red Wings were swept by the Blackhawks in the Norris Semifinals.

His final year with the Red Wings came in 1985-86. It proved to be a dismal one for Detroit who finished with only 17 wins and 40 points to miss the postseason. In 67 contests, Duguay had 19 goals and 29 helpers for 48 points. A bad roster included future Rangers enforcer Joey Kocur, who actually was teammates with dance partner Bob Probert. Keeping with the Rangers theme, Gerard Gallant was on the roster.

During that season, Duguay was dealt to the Penguins on Mar. 11, 1986. After putting up 13 points in the final 13 games, he spent the first part of the next season with the Pens before being traded back to the Rangers for Chris Kontos on Jan. 21, 1987.

By then, his big scoring days were behind him. Duguay totaled 13 goals and 29 points in his second stint as a Ranger. They eventually sent him to the Kings where he concluded his NHL career in 1988-89.

Duguay finished with a respectable 274 goals, 346 assists, and 620 points over 864 games. That included 63 power-play goals and 14 shorthanded goals for an exciting player who remains a beloved figure in New York City.

To his credit, he didn’t stop playing hockey. After spending a year overseas, Duguay played in the Independent Hockey League for the San Diego Gulls for 1990-91 and 1991-92. In 1995-96, he came out of retirement to help the Gulls win the West Coast Hockey League championsip.

He continued to play sparingly in San Diego before winding up with the Jacksonville Barracudas, who he coached to their first championship in 2003-04. Without him, the Barracudas wouldn’t still exist.

At 51, he appeared in two games for the Brooklyn Aces and Jersey Rockshoppers in the Eastern Professional Hockey League. His two-day, two-game contract was pledged to the Garden of Dreams Foundation.

Following retirement, Duguay was a Rangers studio analyst for MSG Networks from 2007 to 2018. He brought the same flair and passion with him that Rangers fans identified with. Despite being unceremoniously dumped by a Madison Square Garden employee, Duguay worked with NY Post Rangers beat writer Mollie Walker and legendary Slap Shots columnist Larry Brooks on the Up In The Blue Seats podcast for a brief time.

He spent his final days in the hospital fighting cancer. Girlfriend Sarah Palin was by his bedside when he passed.

Duguay is survived by daughters Shay Thomas, Amber Stavros, son Noah Duguay, along with grandchildren Aiden, Jayden, Cole, Norah, and Ranger.

RIP Ron Duguay (July 6, 1957 – October 22, 2026)