Ron Low
Ron Low | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 21, 1950 Foxwarren, Manitoba, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey goaltender, coach |
| Years active | 1972–1985 (player), 1988–2008 (coach) |
| Known for | NHL goaltender and head coach; two-time Stanley Cup champion as assistant coach with Edmonton Oilers |
Ronald Albert Low (born June 21, 1950) is a retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender and coach. His playing career in the National Hockey League spanned from 1972 to 1985, during which he represented six different teams. Upon retiring as a player, Low transitioned into coaching, leading the Edmonton Oilers from 1995 to 1999 and later the New York Rangers between 2000 and 2002. He was raised in Foxwarren, Manitoba.
Playing career
Low’s early development included two seasons with the Dauphin Kings in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, where he helped guide the team to Manitoba championships and appearances in the Memorial Cup playoffs each year.
Selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1970 draft, Low played a single season before being picked up by the Washington Capitals during the 1974 NHL Expansion Draft. Over three seasons with Washington, he achieved the franchise’s inaugural shutout on February 16, 1975, in a game against the Kansas City Scouts.
Following two years with the Detroit Red Wings, Low was taken by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1979 NHL Expansion Draft. After participating in 15 games there, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers. His final NHL team was the New Jersey Devils, where he concluded his playing career after the 1984–85 season.
Coaching career
After appearing in six games for the Nova Scotia Oilers of the AHL, Low began his coaching career as their assistant coach before being promoted to head coach in 1988. He joined the Edmonton Oilers’ coaching staff as an assistant in 1990 and was elevated to head coach in 1997, a position he held for four seasons.
Low spent a season at the helm of the Houston Aeros prior to being appointed head coach of the New York Rangers. His two-year stint with New York coincided with underwhelming team results, finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division both seasons and missing playoff qualification for a fifth straight year. His overall coaching record with the Rangers was 69-81-9-5 before being relieved of duties by GM Glen Sather. He continued working within the organization as a scout until 2004.
In that year, Low joined the Ottawa Senators as a scout and goaltender coach and was later elevated to assistant coach in August 2007. His tenure ended with his dismissal in February 2008.
During his coaching career, Low earned two Stanley Cup victories as an assistant coach with Edmonton, in 1987 and again in 1990.
Personal life
On March 17, 2010, Low was assaulted in downtown Calgary following a meeting with former Oiler Dave Hunter. After returning to his hotel, he called emergency services and required surgery due to organ damage sustained during the attack.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1967–68 | Dauphin Kings | MJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Winnipeg Jets | WCHL | 16 | — | — | — | 960 | 92 | 0 | 5.75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Dauphin Kings | MJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Dauphin Kings | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 7 | 5 | 730 | 55 | 0 | 4.52 | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Dauphin Kings | MJHL | 33 | — | — | — | 2001 | 119 | 0 | 3.57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Dauphin Kings | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 2 | 4 | 293 | 26 | 1 | 5.32 | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Jacksonville Rockets | EHL | 49 | — | — | — | 2940 | 293 | 1 | 5.98 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 4 | — | — | — | 192 | 11 | 0 | 3.44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1971–72 | Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 21 |18 |2 |2428 |135 |1 |3.33 |— | — |— |474 |15 |1 |1.89 |— | |||||||||||||||||
| 1971–72 | Richmond Robins | AHL | 1 |0 |0 |60 |2 |0 |2.00 |— | — |— |— |— |— |— | |||||||||||||||||
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 12 |24 |4 |2339 |152 |1 |3.90 |.881 | — |— |— |— |— |— | ||||||||||||||||
| Tulsa Oilers | CHL | 23 |23 |8 |3213 |169 |1 |3.16 | | — |— |— |— |— | ||||||||||||||||
| Washington Capitals | NHL | 8 |36 |2 |2587 |235 |1 |5.45 |.855 | |||||||||||||||||
| Washington Capitals | NHL | ||||||||||||||||||
| Washington Capitals | NHL
54 16 27 5 2910 188 0 3.88 .881 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Detroit Red Wings
NHL 32 9 12 9 1813 102 1 3.37 .886 4 1 3 240 17 0 4.25 .879 | |||||||||||||||||||
| colspan=3 ! NHL totals !382 !96 !192 !34 !20466 !1463 !4 !4.29 !.869 !7 !1 !6 !452 !29 !050385 .892 |
Coaching record
| Team | Season | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Division standing | Outcome | ||
| Edmonton Oilers | 1994–95 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 1 | — | 11 | 5th place Pacific | Did not qualify |
| Edmonton Oilers | 1995–96 | 82 | 30 | 44 | 8 | — | 68 | 5th place Pacific | Did not qualify |
| Edmonton Oilers | 1996–97 | 82 | 36 | 37 | 9 | — | 81 | 3rd place Pacific | Eliminated in Second Round (COL) |
| Edmonton Oilers | 1997–98 | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | — | 80 | 3rd place Pacific | Eliminated in Second Round (DAL) |
| Edmonton Oilers | 1998–99 | 82 | 33 | 37 | 12 | — | 78 | 2nd place Northwest | Eliminated in First Round (DAL) |
| New York Rangers | 2000–01 | 82 | 33 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 74 | 4th place Atlantic | Did not qualify |
| New York Rangers | 2001–02 | 82 | 36 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 80 | 4th place Atlantic | Did not qualify |
| NHL career totals | 505 | 208 | 243 | 49 | 5 | ||||
Awards and achievements
- Winner of the Turnbull Cup MJHL Championships (1969 & 1970)
- EHL South Rookie of the Year Award recipient (1971)
- Selected for CHL Second All-Star Team (1974)
- Named to CHL First All-Star Team and earned MVP honors (1979)
- Two-time NHL Stanley Cup Champion with the Edmonton Oilers (1987 & 1990)
- Inducted as an Honoured Member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame