Vegas Golden Knights

Cliff Ronning on China, '94 Finals & How Vegas Should Emulate Nashville
June 14, 2017, 5:56 PM ET [11 Comments]
Sheng Peng
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Cliff Ronning was a high-energy presence as an instructor at the Kunlun Red Star/Team China Draft Camp which took place in Burnaby this past weekend. The camp was part of China's search for North American players of Chinese descent who will represent the national team at the 2022 Olympics and beyond. Legendary coach Mike Keenan is heading up Team China's efforts.

Ronning, a 17-year NHL veteran, skated for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, and New York Islanders, notching over 900 points in regular and postseason play.

I caught up with Ronning and asked him about his role with the Kunlun Red Star, the 1994 Finals, Keenan, hockey's explosion in Nashville, and how the Vegas Golden Knights should emulate the Predators' success.




HockeyBuzz: Are you officially with the Kunlun Red Star?

Cliff Ronning: I'm not officially with them yet. I'm hoping so. I think when people see me on the ice, the passion I have for the game...being a smaller player, I bring intensity. And really, a no-nonsense approach. But having fun too.

Mike Keenan asked me to do this. I think he was very pleased with the skill level and professionalism that I brought.

I'm hoping in the future that the Chinese hockey community calls for me to come out and help make them better players.

HB: How do you think your NHL career can inspire Chinese players?

CR: If they see someone my size, 5'7", play over 1,200 NHL games, they're thinking, "What's the secret?" I have the secret.

I spent a lot of time on the ice. Practicing and practicing. Over and over. And enjoying it. It was definitely hard work, but the hard work was easy because it's what I loved doing.

I've been coached by Pat Quinn, Jacques Lemaire, Dave King, Barry Trotz. A lot of the stuff that I've done and teach kids is really coming from these legends that I've learned from.

HB: What have you talked about doing with Kunlun and Team China?

CR: They have talked to me about possibly working with the U20's on skill development in Beijing and also Toronto. If something does formulate here in Vancouver, obviously, that's an easy fit for me being here.

My kids are older now. My son [Ty] is now playing pro hockey. It's a lot easier for me now to go away for a month at a time and work with the [youth players] because that is my passion.

HB: What do you think of the players at these tryout camps?

CR: What's really interesting is I've coached six of the kids who are here. They played with my son. I know the kids and the passion and how hard they've worked to get to where they are. And they're close. They're close to being at that next level. It's just getting the right guidance. Getting the right skill-sets. But also getting the opportunity.

What a great program the Chinese government has put in place with the Kunlun Red Star. It's fabulous. It gives them hope. It gives them opportunity to play at the highest level...the Olympics, and possibly, turn pro in the KHL. Or turn pro in the NHL.

I've definitely seen potential. Guys like Mike Keenan, he can separate that. He kind of knows what that 15-year-old could be one day.

I have seen some kids, that I thought had some major potential with speed. Unbelievable speed down the wing. With a little bit of skill development, they definitely have something going on that could be at that next level.

HB: Does Mike ever tease you about the '94 Finals?

CR: He's only brought it up once. (laughs) When we were at another event [in Toronto].

He was doing a speech and kind of looked over at me.

He obviously remembered that I played against him. I remembered him sending guys out after me. MacTavish. Always hitting me or cross-checking me.

I said to him, "Our team gave it everything we had." Our Canucks team from '94 are still friends to this day because we knew that there was no one...every shift, they did their best. The other team was better. It easy to sit back and wish, but they were the better team. They had more skill. They had a lot more championships in the dressing room. Two great coaches, Pat Quinn and Mike Keenan. We did our best.

I have a lot of people that, to this day, think that was one of the best series they've seen. That was wide-open, firewagon hockey. It was fun times.

HB: Going forward in your career, you were an original Nashville Predator. Can you talk about how David Poile encouraged you guys to connect with the local community back then?

CR: A lot of times in a contract, you have three or four public appearances [required]. It's just part of an NHL contract.

But David Poile, especially early on, came to us, and said, "Hey guys, I need a little more out of you. This is why I need more out of you. We need to build this game in Nashville." And the players did it. We went out there. We hosted ball hockey games. They didn't even know hockey at all. But the kids started coming out.

And we'd be hosting different things. We'd go to the hospitals. We'd be handing out stuff. We became very popular because we were in the community. We cared about the people. The kids. Going to old folks' homes. To this day, they're very good at being a part of the community.

That's so important. It's not just because hockey's a beautiful game. It's the people that hockey attracts...are usually people that are very passionate about things. They can tell if you're giving them kind of a half-try. And people there, they really understood that the Predators give a full try, not just on the ice, but off the ice. They go the extra mile to make people into fans.

Poile understood we were in a position that we had to build the brand of hockey. He was right. And it worked. To this day, it's the most exciting building to watch a hockey game in. There's no doubt about it.

HB: Even when you were playing there and the team hadn't made the playoffs yet?

CR: It was still loud. We played one night [the first year]. It was a snowstorm. We figured no one was going to show up.

It was like [December 23rd] against the Detroit Red Wings. They were the big team then. We ended up winning [5-3]. It was like the biggest talk in the town for a year, us actually beating the Detroit Red Wings.

The place was packed through a snowstorm. That's when I knew, oh my God, this place, it's special. I try to get back there as much as I can.

Now there are enough guys for a Preds Alum. Now there are enough guys, we can actually put a team together.

The only difference is when I go play with the Predators alum team, me and Stu Grimson are the oldest guys on the team at 52. The other guys are like 34. So we're a good team. (laughs)

HB: Was approaching the Nashville market different than say, in Minnesota? Where hockey was already easy to sell?

CR: That's right. Nashville was a town that didn't know anything about hockey.

You have to take your hat off to them. They keep the same mentality [now]. They're in community. They're at charity events all the time. I think it's so important. I think that's why they're successful.

It's David Poile. It's not just that they're a fun team to watch. They're...the whole state of Tennesse...that's their team. They've taken over football. That's not easy. It's all due to being part of the community.

HB: Speaking of a community not familiar with hockey, would you recommend a Nashville-like approach for connecting with the community to the Vegas Golden Knights?

CR: That is the key to success. Especially now. And especially in a place like Las Vegas where it's a little different. A little faster-paced.

Nashville called upon their country music stars to help. I remember doing a commercial with Little Jimmy Dickens. Stuff like that. Las Vegas, if they could pull in some of their stars and work together...I think it could be a great marriage.

I do know George McPhee. He understands that.

He knows [what] David Poile [did], by going out in the community...[McPhee] has already started stuff like ball hockey for kids.

Get out to the community and the community will take care of you as a team.