Mike Ramsey

Michael Allan ("Mike") Ramsey (born December 3, 1960) is an American former professional defenceman who played 1070 regular season games in the NHL for the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings between 1980 and 1996.

Amateur
Mike Ramsey attended Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis before entering the University of Minnesota He was considered top high school defenseman in Minnesota as a senior in 1977–78. He also attended the U.S. National Junior training camp in summer of 1978 and participated in the 1979 world junior championship. Ramsey was the youngest member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal in an event known as the Miracle on Ice during the 1980 Olympics.

Professional
Drafted 11th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, Ramsey would go on to play in the National Hockey League immediately after the Olympics. He had one of the most successful NHL careers of the 1980 U.S. Olympians. Primarily known as an offensive defenseman as an amateur, he successfully adapted to the bigger and tougher NHL by becoming a "stay at home" defensive specialist for the Sabres. Highlights of his career with the Sabres include playing in the NHL All-Star Game four times (1982, 1983, 1985, 1986) as well as being a member of the NHL All-Star team that played the Soviet national hockey team in Rendez-Vous '87. Ramsey also served as the Sabres team captain during his 14 seasons with club. He continued to play for Team USA, participating in the 1984 Canada Cup, 1982 Ice Hockey World Championship and 1987 Canada Cup tournaments.

Ramsey was brought to the Pittsburgh Penguins by his old Buffalo coach Scotty Bowman in 1992–93 to shore up the Pens' defensive corps while making a run for a third-straight Stanley Cup victory. As the Penguins fell short of that goal, Ramsey was offloaded to the Detroit Red Wings in 1994. He played one more complete season plus an extra two games in 1996 before finally retiring from the game.

Post-playing career
Ramsey returned to Minnesota after finishing his NHL career where he ran a sporting goods store and played senior league hockey. He has been an assistant coach for the Minnesota Wild since 2000 after serving in the same capacity for the Buffalo Sabres from 1997 to 2000.

Mike Ramsey was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001

Awards and achievements

 * Played in NHL All-Star Game (1982, 1983, 1985, 1986)
 * Played in NHL Rendez-Vous'87

Career statistics
--- Regular Season ---  Playoffs Season  Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM  GP   G   A Pts PIM -- 1978-79 U. of Minnesota             NCAA    0    0    0    0    0  --  --  --  --  -- 1979-80 U.S. Olympic Team           Intl   63   11   24   35   63  --  --  --  --  -- 1979-80 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    13    1    6    7    6  13   1   2   3  12 1980-81 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    72    3   14   17   56   8   0   3   3  20 1981-82 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    80    7   23   30   56   4   1   1   2  14 1982-83 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    77    8   30   38   55  10   4   4   8  15 1983-84 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    72    9   22   31   82   3   0   1   1   6 1984-85 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    79    8   22   30  102   5   0   1   1  23 1985-86 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    76    7   21   28  117  --  --  --  --  -- 1986-87 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    80    8   31   39  109  --  --  --  --  -- 1987-88 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    63    5   16   21   77   6   0   3   3  29 1988-89 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    56    2   14   16   84   5   1   0   1  11 1989-90 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    73    4   21   25   47   6   0   1   1   8 1990-91 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    71    6   14   20   46   5   1   0   1  12 1991-92 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    66    3   14   17   67   7   0   2   2   8 1992-93 Buffalo Sabres              NHL    33    2    8   10   20  --  --  --  --  -- 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins         NHL    12    1    2    3    8  12   0   6   6   4 1993-94 Pittsburgh Penguins         NHL    65    2    2    4   22   1   0   0   0   0 1994-95 Detroit Red Wings           NHL    33    1    2    3   23  15   0   1   1   4 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings           NHL    47    2    4    6   35  15   0   4   4  10 1996-97 Detroit Red Wings           NHL     2    0    0    0    0  --  --  --  --  -- --        NHL Totals                       1070   79  266  345 1012 115   8  29  37 176