Ronald Edward Busniuk (August 13, 1948 – March 8, 2024) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played six games in the National Hockey League, all with the Buffalo Sabres, during 1973 and 1974.[1] Busniuk then moved to the WHA, playing a total of four full seasons with the Minnesota Fighting Saints, New England Whalers and Edmonton Oilers between 1974 and 1978. Before turning professional Busniuk played NCAA hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs and was an All-American his senior year.[2] After graduation, he played in the AHL with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs and the Cincinnati Swords. He was named to the AHL First All-Star Team.
| Ron Busniuk | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
August 13, 1948 Fort William, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Died |
March 8, 2024 (aged 75) Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for |
Buffalo Sabres Minnesota Fighting Saints New England Whalers Edmonton Oilers | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 1970–1978 | ||
After retiring as a player, Busniuk became a coach. He led the Thunder Bay Twins Senior Hockey Team to two consecutive championships in the 1980s.[2] He was later inducted into the Northern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Minnesota Duluth Athletic Hall of Fame.[2]
Ron Busniuk was the older brother of Mike Busniuk, who also played in the NHL. Ron Busniuk died in Thunder Bay on March 8, 2024, at the age of 75.[3]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1964–65 | Fort William Kings | TBAHA | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1964–65 | Fort William Canadiens | TBJHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Fort William Canadiens | TBJHL | 30 | 15 | 17 | 42 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1966–67 | Fort William Canadiens | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 41 | ||
| 1967–68 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | WCHA | 28 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1968–69 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | WCHA | 29 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1969–70 | University of Minnesota-Duluth | WCHA | 28 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Voyageurs | AHL | 59 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 136 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 1971–72 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 67 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 133 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 74 | ||
| 1972–73 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Cincinnati Swords | AHL | 71 | 5 | 34 | 39 | 205 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 39 | ||
| 1973–74 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Cincinnati Swords | AHL | 68 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 146 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 1974–75 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 73 | 2 | 21 | 23 | 176 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 63 | ||
| 1975–76 | Minnesota Fighting Saints | WHA | 59 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 150 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | New England Whalers | WHA | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 55 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | ||
| 1975–76 | Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1976–77 | New England Whalers | WHA | 55 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 141 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 29 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 83 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 37 | ||
| 1977–78 | Edmonton Oilers | WHA | 59 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 157 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| WHA totals | 286 | 9 | 64 | 73 | 762 | 39 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 132 | ||||
| NHL totals | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| All-WCHA First Team | 1969–70 |
| AHCA West All-American | 1969–70 |
References
edit- ^ "Ron Busniuk". Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association. Archived from the original on 2006-12-30. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Ron Busniuk". Legends of the Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
- ^ Ronald Businiuk obituary
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
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