Ronald Ryan (born July 11, 1938) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

former professional

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coach and executive.

Biography

Ryan played junior hockey with the Guelph Biltmores and then enrolled in

Colby College Colby College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the ...

. He had 245 points in 73 games with his college hockey team. Ryan earned a graduate degree at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universit ...

before taking a job as an assistant athletic director at

Merrimack College Merrimack College is a private Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. Its campus has grown to a campus with nearly 40 ...

in 1964. In 1965, Ryan was hired as head coach of the Colgate University hockey team. He took a job with the

New England Whalers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

in 1972, serving as assistant general manager during their initial season of

World Hockey Association The World Hockey Association (french: Association mondiale de hockey) was a professional ice hockey major league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major league to compete with the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

play. After the Whalers won the

Avco Cup The Avco World Trophy, also known as the Avco Cup, is the playoff championship trophy of the defunct World Hockey Association ( 1972–1979). The trophy's naming rights were sold to the former Avco Corporation (a name originally derived from "Avia ...

during its first year of existence, coach Jack Kelley, who also served as general manager, moved into solely a front office position, and Ryan was hired as head coach. Ryan coached the Whalers to a division title in 1973–74, but his team was upset in the first round by the

Chicago Cougars The Chicago Cougars were a franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1975. The Cougars played their home games in the International Amphitheatre. During the 1974 Avco Cup Finals against Gordie Howe and the Houston Aeros, the team' ...

. He was relieved of his coaching duties and replaced by Kelley with five games left in the 1974–75 season, despite having his team sitting in first place once again. Ryan then briefly served as a scout, but he was elevated to the position of general manager in December 1975, holding this role for two seasons. Ryan then worked in several other front office roles for the Whalers and later served as president of SportsChannel, a cable sports network. Ryan joined the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wel ...

in 1988 as an executive vice president, and was named the chief operating officer of the team in 1991. He was named the team's president in 2003 and held that position for three years until his retirement.

Personal life

He is married to Brenda, a French teacher, and the father of actress Blanchard Ryan, who is also an avid

fan. She was also married to hockey player Neil Little, whom she divorced, without children.

Awards and honors

Head coaching record

College

WHA

References

*''2010–11 Philadelphia Flyers Media Guide''. Philadelphia Flyers. p. 32

External links

*
Ron Ryan's coaching record
a
Hockey-Reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Ron 1938 births Living people Canadian ice hockey coaches Colby College alumni Penn Quakers men's ice hockey coaches Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey coaches Colgate Raiders men's ice hockey coaches Hartford Whalers executives Hartford Whalers scouts Ice hockey people from Ontario National Hockey League executives New England Whalers coaches Philadelphia Flyers executives Sportspeople from Welland AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans