Ray Ferraro
Raymond Vincent Ferraro (born August 23, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current broadcaster for ESPN/ABC and select Vancouver Canucks games on CBC Sports/Sportsnet. He played for 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whalers (1984–1990), New York Islanders (1990–1995), New York Rangers (1995–1996), Los Angeles Kings (1996–1999), Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2002), and St. Louis Blues (2002).
 |
| Ray Ferraro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
August 23, 1964 Trail, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Hartford Whalers New York Islanders New York Rangers Los Angeles Kings Atlanta Thrashers St. Louis Blues | ||
| National team |
 Canada | ||
| NHL draft |
88th overall, 1982 Hartford Whalers | ||
| Playing career | 1984–2002 | ||
Raymond Vincent Ferraro (born August 23, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current broadcaster for ESPN/ABC and select Vancouver Canucks games on CBC Sports/Sportsnet. He played for 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Hartford Whalers (1984–1990), New York Islanders (1990–1995), New York Rangers (1995–1996), Los Angeles Kings (1996–1999), Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2002), and St. Louis Blues (2002).
Playing career
[edit]Ferraro was a prolific scorer in junior hockey, including a 108-goal and 192-point season for the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Brandon Wheat Kings in 1983–84. He also was a member of the 1982–83 Portland Winter Hawks squad that won the 1983 Memorial Cup, becoming the first American team to win the Cup. Ferraro's teammates on the championship-winning team included Cam Neely, Mike Vernon, Brian Curran, John Kordic, and other future NHLers.[1] He was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.[2]
Although nicknamed "The Big Ball of Hate", he scored 408 goals and 490 assists for a total of 898 points in 1,258 NHL games spanning 18 seasons. He was named to the NHL All-Star Game in 1992, held in Philadelphia. He also had two 40-goal seasons, and (as of April 2025) ranks 103rd all-time in total NHL goals scored. Ferraro had a memorable Stanley Cup playoff run for the New York Islanders in 1993, scoring two overtime goals against the Washington Capitals as the Islanders defeated both the Capitals and the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Ferraro assisted on David Volek's game- and series-winning goal during overtime of Game 7 against the Penguins. The goal advanced the Islanders to the Wales Conference Finals, which they lost to the eventual champion Montreal Canadiens. Ferraro finished that playoff season with team-leading totals in goals (13) and points (20).
On February 28, 1999, he played in his 1,000th game.[3] He signed as a free agent for the Atlanta Thrashers that year. He played three seasons (while being named captain in 2001). He recorded his 400th goal on December 28, 2001. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues in March 2002 for a fourth-round draft pick, where he recorded six goals in 15 games. He closed his career out with three assists for the Blues in the 2002 Stanley Cup playoffs.[4][5] Prior to retiring, Ferraro served as an analyst for ESPN's playoff coverage in 1999. Among all players with at least 400 goals, Ferraro ranked sixth in shooting percentage with 18.9%.[6] In his career, Ferraro had twelve seasons with at least 20 goals.[7][8]
Broadcasting
[edit]Ferraro retired from the NHL on August 2, 2002. He has worked for ESPN hockey broadcasts, including on NHL 2Night with John Buccigross and Barry Melrose, where he began working while still an active player.[9][10] On that show, Ferraro was often referred to as "Chicken Parm" by Buccigross after an accident with Chicken Parmesan moments before going on the air. He later worked as a studio analyst for the NHL on NBC, as a colour commentator on Edmonton Oilers broadcasts on Rogers Sportsnet West, and on Sportsnet's other hockey programs.
Ferraro works as a colour commentator and studio analyst for TSN Hockey, including the 2010 Winter Olympics for CTV. After Pierre McGuire left TSN for NBC/Versus, he became the lead colour commentator.[11][12] After Rogers Media, the parent of TSN's rival Sportsnet, gained the national NHL rights with effect in the 2014–15 NHL season, Ferraro became a colour commentator for the network's regional NHL telecasts, primarily working Toronto Maple Leafs games.
On May 5, 2014, EA Sports announced that Ferraro would be an "Inside-the-Glass" reporter for NHL 15 along with play-by-play commentator Mike Emrick and colour commentator Eddie Olczyk. The trio worked together for five years.[13] On November 23, 2015, Ferraro became the first hockey broadcaster to broadcast a game where his child also played in the same game, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Boston Bruins at the Air Canada Centre.[14]
During the 2019 NHL Awards, Ferraro was promoted to lead color commentator in NHL 20.[15] Also in 2019, he and Darren Dreger started a podcast, The Ray and Dregs Hockey Podcast, hosted by TSN.[16]
On April 7, 2008, Ferraro returned to ESPN to call his first-ever Frozen Four as a replacement for Barry Melrose, who left ESPN to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning.[17][18] With Ferraro switching from NBC to ESPN, there have been repeated rumours that the lead team of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement might re-partner at ESPN as well.
With ESPN regaining the rights to air NHL games, Ferraro returned to ESPN/ABC for the 2021–22 season, this time as lead colour commentator, sharing with Brian Boucher.[19][20][21][22] That season also saw him work him work his first ever Stanley Cup Finals series as a colour commentator at his ice-level analyst position. He teamed with Sean McDonough and Emily Kaplan for the entire series.[23] Ferraro left TSN after the season to focus on his work at ESPN/ABC[24][25][26] and after Boucher left the network for TNT, he became the lead colour commentator on August 29, 2023.[27][28]
On September 19, 2023, Sportsnet announced that Ferraro will be a colour commentator for the Vancouver Canucks regional broadcasts on Sportsnet for select games and that Dave Tomlinson will call most Canucks games.[29][30] He co-hosts a podcast with Darren Dreger called the Ray & Dregs Hockey Podcast.
Personal life
[edit]As a youngster, Ferraro played in the 1976 Little League World Series.[31]
Ferraro currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia[32] with his wife Cammi Granato (married in 2004).
Ray has four sons, Matt and Landon from a previous marriage, as well as Riley (born December, 2006) and Reese (born December, 2009) with Cammi.
His brothers-in-law are former NHL head coaches Tony Granato and Don Granato.
Ferraro was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.[33]
Transactions
[edit]- November 13, 1990 — Traded by the Hartford Whalers to the New York Islanders in exchange for Doug Crossman
- August 9, 1995 — Signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers
- March 14, 1996 — Traded by the New York Rangers, along with Ian Laperrière, Nathan LaFayette, Mattias Norström and New York's 1997 fourth-round draft choice (Tomi Kallarsson), to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jari Kurri, Marty McSorley and Shane Churla
- August 9, 1999 – Signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Thrashers
- March 18, 2002 — Traded by the Atlanta Thrashers to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2002 fourth-round draft choice
Video games
[edit]Ferraro was the color analyst for EA Sports' hockey video games from 2014 to 2023. He was the ice level reporter starting in NHL 15, working with NBC Sports' Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk.[13] He partnered with new play-by-play man James Cybulski, starting with NHL 20 through NHL 23.[34][35] Starting with NHL 24, Ferraro was replaced by Cheryl Pounder.[36]
Career statistics
[edit]Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1980–81 | Trail Smoke Eaters | KIJHL | 40 | 86 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Penticton Knights | BCJHL | 48 | 65 | 70 | 135 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 50 | 41 | 49 | 90 | 39 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 13 | ||
| 1982–83 | Portland Winter Hawks | MC | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1983–84 | Brandon Wheat Kings | WHL | 72 | 108 | 84 | 192 | 84 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 20 | ||
| 1984–85 | Binghamton Whalers | AHL | 37 | 20 | 13 | 33 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 44 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 76 | 30 | 47 | 77 | 57 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 1986–87 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 27 | 32 | 59 | 42 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1987–88 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 68 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 81 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1988–89 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 80 | 41 | 35 | 76 | 86 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1989–90 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 79 | 25 | 29 | 54 | 109 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1990–91 | Hartford Whalers | NHL | 15 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | New York Islanders | NHL | 61 | 19 | 16 | 35 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | New York Islanders | NHL | 80 | 40 | 40 | 80 | 92 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Capital District Islanders | AHL | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | New York Islanders | NHL | 46 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 40 | 18 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 18 | ||
| 1993–94 | New York Islanders | NHL | 82 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 83 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1994–95 | New York Islanders | NHL | 47 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | New York Rangers | NHL | 65 | 25 | 29 | 54 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1995–96 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 11 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996–97 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 25 | 21 | 46 | 112 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1997–98 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 40 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 65 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 81 | 19 | 25 | 44 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 81 | 29 | 47 | 76 | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Atlanta Thrashers | NHL | 61 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 15 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 1,258 | 408 | 490 | 898 | 1,288 | 68 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 54 | ||||
International
[edit]| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Canada | WC | 9 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | |
| 1992 | Canada | WC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 1996 | Canada | WC | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 23 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 16 | |||
Awards
[edit]- Bob Brownridge Memorial Trophy (WHL leading scorer) – 1984
- WHL East First All-Star Team – 1984
- Bob Nystrom Award – 1992
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Kepke, Cami (May 22, 2024). "Memorial Cup flashback: remembering the first Memorial Cup on American soil". CHL.ca.
- ^ "Ray Ferraro - BC Sports Hall of Fame". BC Sports Hall of Fame.
- ^ HODGES, JIM (March 2, 1999). "Ferraro Reaches 1,000 Mark".
- ^ Knoll, Andrew (June 20, 2017). "The most important draft pick by every expansion team since 1991". ESPN.
- ^ "Thrashers trade Ferraro to Blues". CBC. March 18, 2002.
- ^ Buccigross, John (February 4, 2001). "From a pool of marinara, a star is born". ESPN.
- ^ "For combined seasons, playing skater, in the regular season, requiring Goals >= 400, sorted by descending Shooting Percentage". Stathead. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
- ^ "Number of seasons player meets criteria, playing skater, in the regular season, requiring Goals >= 20, sorted by descending instances". Stathead. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
- ^ "Out of Bounds: An interview with John Buccigross". old.post-gazette.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ Robenhymer, Julie (April 30, 2016). "Ties After Three Periods Send the Fans to Twitter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Koo, Ben (June 28, 2011). "Industry Moves- Charissa Thompson To ESPN and Pierre McGuire Leaving TSN". Awful Announcing. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ "Pierre McGuire leaves TSN for Versus, NBC". National Post. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ a b "EA SPORTS NHL 15 Starts a New Generation of Hockey Videogames This Fall". EA Sports. May 5, 2014. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
- ^ Feschuck, David (November 24, 2015). "The father, the son and a night to boast". Toronto Star. Toronto Star. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (June 21, 2019). "NHL 20 Game From EA Revealed: Battle Royale, Cover Star, Release Date, New Commentary Team, And More". GameSpot. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "The Ray and Dregs Hockey Podcast". TSN. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "Eagles Carry Seven-Game Win Streak To Denver For 2008 NCAA Frozen Four". Boston College Athletics. April 7, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Lightning hires Barry Melrose as its new head coach". The Hockey News. The Canadian Press. June 24, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ Marchand, Andrew (May 10, 2021). "ESPN adding Ray Ferraro, Brian Boucher as NHL analysts". New York Post. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ The Athletic Staff (May 11, 2021). "Ray Ferraro and Brian Boucher to join ESPN as NHL analysts: Sources". The Athletic. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ Coryell, Grace (June 29, 2021). "Dynamic, Diverse and Accomplished Team to Present ESPN's NHL Coverage to Fans". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ "Ray Ferraro's move to ESPN all about work-life balance". theprovince. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Best, Neil (June 3, 2022). "ESPN's ups and downs in Year 1 of hockey's return to the network". Newsday. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ "Hockey commentator Ray Ferraro announces his departure from TSN | Offside". dailyhive.com. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ "Ray Ferraro leaves TSN after 14 years". HockeyFeed. October 11, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ Bondurant, Jordan (October 18, 2022). "Ray Ferraro Steps Away From TSN Obligations Entirely". Retrieved November 28, 2022.
- ^ Marchand, Andrew (August 29, 2023). "Brian Boucher joins TNT's NHL coverage". Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "Brian Boucher to join NHL on TNT as their "between the benches" analyst, reuniting with his former NBC teammates". Overtime Heroics. August 29, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sportsnet announces 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks broadcast schedule". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ Ewen, Steve (September 19, 2023). "Canucks: Dave Tomlinson calling games with John Shorthouse, with help from Ray Ferraro".
- ^ "Notable Little League Graduates" (PDF). LittleLeague.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 21, 2016.
- ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean (February 2, 2022). "Ray Ferraro, a son's career-long grind, and the Olympic 'lightning bolt' that makes it all worthwhile". The Athletic. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "Soccer legend Christine Sinclair leads B.C. Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025". cbc.ca. October 16, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Bertz, Matt. "Breaking Down The 16 Biggest Changes Coming To NHL 20". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ^ Arts, Electronic (July 26, 2019). "EA SPORTS - NHL 20 Gameplay - Broadcast and Presentation Overhaul". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (August 17, 2023). "Cheryl Pounder to replace Ray Ferraro as NHL 24 colour commentator". TSN. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Ray Ferraro on X