Ron Tugnutt

Early years

Tugnutt was born in Scarborough, Ontario and played three seasons with the OHL Peterborough Petes. During that time, he won the F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy for the rookie with the best goals against average, followed by the Dave Pinkney Trophy for Top Team Goaltending, and was named to the OHL All Star team in 1987.

NHL beginnings

He was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 4th round (87th overall) of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. He was primarily used as a backup during his first three pro seasons, bouncing up and down between the AHL's Halifax Citadels and the parent club in Quebec City. During 1990–91 NHL season, Tugnutt played what would be a career high 56 games for Quebec and established himself as a quality NHL starter despite playing for what was then the worst team in the league.

On March 21, 1991, Tugnutt stopped 70 of 73 shots to earn his team a 3-3 tie against the Boston Bruins, the second highest number of saves made in a regular season game in NHL history. His performance in that game evoked such respect that after it was over, several Bruins players skated over to congratulate Tugnutt. The hometown Bruins fans gave him a standing ovation after the game ended as well.

In the midst of an inconsistent 1991–92 NHL season, and with the emergence of Stéphane Fiset as the Nordiques' #1 goaltender, Tugnutt was demoted to the Nordiques' AHL affiliate. In exchange for Martin Ručínský, he was soon traded to the Edmonton Oilers to serve as Bill Ranford's backup. Tugnutt remained in this role until he was selected by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 1993 expansion draft. In Anaheim, he split goaltending duties with Guy Hebert.

As Anaheim quickly decided that Hebert was to be their future starter, and as the Montreal Canadiens decided that André Racicot and Les Kuntar were not adequately serving as Patrick Roy's backup, Tugnutt was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Stephan Lebeau. In his new role, Tugnutt's performance suffered; for Anaheim he posted a .908 save percentage in 28 games. For Montreal, he posted an .860 save percentage in eight games during the 1993-94 season.

During the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins, Tugnutt started a match as starter Patrick Roy was recuperating from an appendectomy. He did not return to the Canadiens for the 1995–96 season, and was replaced by Patrick Labrecque. These experiences caused Tugnutt to ponder retirement.

Career breakthrough

In 1995, Tugnutt signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals, and subsequently spent the entire 1995-96 season with their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. He was productive in Portland, helping lead the Pirates to the Calder Cup Finals.

It was this strong performance that caught the attention of the Ottawa Senators. With the help of goaltending coach Phil Myre, Tugnutt worked on the fundamentals, gained some confidence and improved his game each season. While in Ottawa, he went from fighting for the backup position with Mike Bales behind starter Damian Rhodes to splitting duties with Rhodes the next two seasons and becoming the team's undisputed starting goaltender by 1999.

On April 12, 1997, Tugnutt backstopped the Senators to a 1-0 shutout of the Buffalo Sabres in the final game of the regular season. Tugnutt's father had just died and immediately following the win Tugnutt pointed to the rafters to signify the win was for his father. The moment was captured by cameras and became an iconic image of Tugnutt. This win propelled the Senators to their first playoff berth.

In 1998–99, Tugnutt had the best season of his career, and one of the best by an NHL goaltender in the modern era. He posted a league-best goals against average of 1.79, placed second in the league in save percentage at .925, had a career high in wins, and tied a career high in shutouts. This outstanding play, and an injury to Curtis Joseph, gave Tugnutt the opportunity to play in the 1999 NHL All-Star Game.

The next season, Rhodes was shipped to the expansion Atlanta Thrashers, giving Tugnutt sole possession of the starting job. However, he was unable to match his previous season and Ottawa decided to trade him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in favor of an experienced playoff performer, Tom Barrasso.

After arriving in Pittsburgh, Tugnutt took over the starting job from Jean-Sébastien Aubin and helped lead Pittsburgh deep into the playoffs. Tugnutt was in goal for the May 4, 2000, playoff game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He made 70 saves on 72 shots. The 72nd shot was a goal scored by Keith Primeau of the Flyers at 12:01 of the fifth overtime. The final score was Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1, after 152:01 minutes, the longest NHL game since the 1930s.

Following his performance with Pittsburgh, Tugnutt became one of the most sought after free agent goaltenders on the market. Both Ottawa and Pittsburgh attempted to re-sign Tugnutt but were unable to match the lucrative contract offered by the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets.

During Columbus' inaugural season, Tugnutt was considered their backbone. Tugnutt's 22 wins broke another NHL record for most wins on an expansion team, and his .917 save percentage was among the best in the league.

The team's second season was not as impressive as the first. Tugnutt battled injuries and ended up sharing time with young netminder Marc Denis. GM Doug MacLean decided that it was time to give Denis the opportunity to be the sole starter on the club, and traded Tugnutt to the Dallas Stars.

Tugnutt went to the Dallas Stars in 2002–03 as the backup to goaltender Marty Turco. In January 2003, Turco suffered an ankle injury that allowed Tugnutt to start almost 20 straight games. He posted back to back shutouts during that stretch. For the season, he played 31 games and posted a 15-10-5 record along with four shutouts.

2003–04 was possibly Tugnutt's toughest in the NHL. From the start of the season to January he only received three starts. He was sent down to the minors for the first time in almost ten years to get some playing time with the Utah Grizzlies. Just five games in, Tugnutt pulled his groin and was out until after the All Star break. Soon after, he was recalled to the Dallas Stars. After two solid starts, one of which was a shutout, Tugnutt finally got the break he was waiting for as Turco received a four-game suspension. He retired following the 2003-04 season.

Post-retirement

After the lockout, Tugnutt joined CBC as a color commentator for Hockey Night in Canada. From 2008-09 to 2009-10, Tugnutt served as the goaltending coach for the OHL's Oshawa Generals and was a goaltending consultant for the 2010 Canadian World Junior team. Tugnutt's contract with the Generals was not renewed after a major front office shakeup in May 2010. Tugnutt joined the Peterborough Petes coaching staff for the 2010-11 season. Tugnutt was a consultant with Hockey Canada until 2013 when that relationship ended. Tugnutt then moved behind the bench of his sons' team the Kemptville 73's.

Off the ice

Honours and records

International play

After a disappointing 4 game sweep in the NHL playoffs, Tugnutt was more than excited to play for Team Canada in the 1999 World Hockey Championship. The semi-final game was against the Czech Republic in which Canada lost after the game went undecided in overtime, ending in a shootout. This was Tugnutt's second appearance on Team Canada. He played for them in 1993 as well.

Trade history