Mike Ramsey

For other uses, see: Mike Ramsey (disambiguation).

Position	Defence
Shot	Left
Height Weight	ft  in ( m) 190 lb (86 kg)
Pro Clubs	Buffalo Sabres Pittsburgh Penguins Detroit Red Wings
Nationality	United States
Born	December 3 1960 (1960--) (age 46), Minneapolis, MN, U.S.
NHL Draft	11th overall, 1979 Buffalo Sabres
Pro Career	1980 – 1996

Michael Allan ("Mike") Ramsey (born December 3, 1960 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is a retired American professional ice hockey defenceman who played 1070 regular season games in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings between 1980 and 1997.

Amateur career

Mike Ramsey attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis before entering the University of Minnesota He was considered top high school defenceman in Minnesota as a senior in 1977-78. He also attended the U.S. National Junior training camp in summer of 1978 and participated in the 1979 world junior championship. Ramsey was the youngest member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal in an event known as the Miracle On Ice during the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Professional career

Drafted 11th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, Ramsey would go on to play in the National Hockey League immediately after the Olympics. He had one of the most successful NHL careers of the 1980 U.S. Olympians. Primarily known as an offensive defenceman as an amateur, he successfully adapted to the bigger and tougher NHL by becoming a "stay at home" defensive specialist for the Sabres. Highlights of his career with the Sabres include playing in the NHL All-Star Game four times (1982, 1983, 1985, 1986) as well as being a member of the NHL All-Star team that played the Soviet national hockey team in Rendez-Vous '87. Ramsey also served as the Sabres team captain during his 14 seasons with club. He continued to play for Team USA, participating in the 1984 Canada Cup, 1982 Ice Hockey World Championship and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments.

Ramsey was brought to the Pittsburgh Penguins by his old Buffalo coach Scotty Bowman in 1992-93 to shore up the Pens' defensive corps while making a run for a third-straight Stanley Cup victory. As the Penguins fell short of that goal, Ramsey was offloaded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1994. He played one more complete season plus an extra two games in 1996 before finally retiring from the game.

Post-playing career

Ramsey returned to Minnesota after finishing his NHL career where he ran a sporting goods store and played senior league hockey. He has been an assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild since 2000 after serving in the same capacity for the Buffalo Sabres from 1997 to 2000.

Mike Ramsey was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001

Awards and Achievements

• Played in NHL All-Star Game (1982, 1983, 1985, 1986)
• Played in NHL Rendez-Vous'87

See also

• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• List of members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame

References

• Ramsey's bio at hockeydraftcentral.com
• Mike Ramsey's biography at Legends of Hockey

Note: Ramsey was named Sabres captain during the 1990-91 NHL season, (after Foligno was traded). He later resigned the captaincy during the 1992-93 NHL season, in favor of LaFontaine.

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