Ronnie Stern - NHL Enforcer

NHL right winger and enforcer who spent much of his time in the penalty box.

Prior to being drafted by the Calgary Flames at the end of the 1990-1991 season, Stern had bounced back and forth between the Vancouver Canucks and their minor league affiliates, where he became known as an "enforcer." In fact during that period he rang up no less than 304 penalty minutes in in 55 games. The 6 foot, 195 lb, right winger was also voted, the "most aggressive" Canuck.

Despite his popularity among the fans, he lost none of his enthusiasm when he packed up and left for Calgary in 1991. Described as a "dirty" player, known for taking out other players with knee checks, Stern was a legendary scrapper and was feared by other players. Not by any stretch of the imagination considered a great offensive player--scoring rarely--, Stern was the go to guy to "open a lane" for someone who could score.

Despite his ferocity on the ice, According to hockey journalist, Joe Pelletier, Stern was "more than a tough guy":

True, he would drop the gloves without complaint and racked up some gaudy PIM totals, but I always considered him to be more of a honest, blue collar winger who knew his job and performed it to the best of his ability. He was a surprisingly good skater, allowing him to excel at a bang-and-crash game where he was a punishing hitter. He was a guy who you had to admire because he gave it everything he had on every shift.

He spent roughly seven years with the Flames before he joined the San Jose Sharks in 1998. Over the course of his career, Stern played in over 600 NHL games.

He retired on September 22, 2000.