Ron Ellis

Ronald John Edward Ellis (January 8, 1945 – May 11, 2024) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Ellis played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ellis won the Stanley Cup in 1967, and took part in the famed 1972 Summit Series against the Russian National team. After retiring, Ellis went into business and later joined the staff of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
==Playing Career==
Ellis was signed by the Leafs and played junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association from 1961–1964. He played on the team that won the Memorial Cup in 1964.
In 1963-64 the Leafs wanted to bring him up to the NHL for a five game trial, which was the maximum pro games allowed to an amateur. Ellis refused, saying that would have cost him his eligiblity for an NCAA hockey scholarship. He wanted that option open to him.
Ellis became a full-time Leaf in 1964–65 and played 11 seasons to 1974–75, winning the Stanley Cup in 1967. He was also a member of Team Canada at the 1972 Summit Series. Ellis retired at age 30 during training camp in 1975, coming off the most productive season of his career with 61 points. He said he no longer had the desire to play and denied that his decision had anything to do with being passed over as team captain in favour of Darryl Sittler a month earlier. In 1977, Ellis came out of retirement to play for Canada at the world hockey championships and then decided to resume his NHL career with the Leafs in 1977–78.
Punch Imlach was hired to run the Leafs for the 1979–80 season and didn't feel that Ellis was worth the money he was being paid. He offered to buy out Ellis's contract at the end of the season, but the two couldn't reach an agreement. Despite objections from new coach Mike Nykoluk, Imlach put Ellis on waivers during the 1980–81 season and gave him an ultimatum: retire or be sent to the minor leagues. The 36-year-old Ellis chose to retire. He had played 1,034 career NHL games scoring 332 goals and 308 assists for 640 points.
After his life in hockey, Ellis opened a sporting goods store but the stresses of life after hockey took its toll. In 1986 a bout with clinical depression began. He would later go public with his story by writing a book with Kevin Shea titled Over The Boards: The Ron Ellis Story, published in 2002. Today, he is a speaker on the importance of diagnosing and treating clinical depression. As of 2006, Ellis is director of public affairs for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
==Awards and Achievements==
Ellis earned an unusual tribute in 1968 when former Leafs star Ace Bailey—then working as a timekeeper at Maple Leaf Gardens—declared that he admired Ellis so much, he wanted the team to give his retired #6 to Ellis. Bailey's number had been retired following his career-ending injury in 1933. Ellis, who had been wearing #8, changed to #6 for the rest of his career, after which the number was re-retired.
* 1966–67 - Stanley Cup Champion
* 1963–64 - NHL All-Star Game
* 1964–65 - NHL All-Star Game
* 1967–68 - NHL All-Star Game
* 1969–70 - NHL All-Star Game
==Career Statistics==
National Hockey League - Regular season
* Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Season 	Team 	League 	GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
1963–64	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0
1964–65	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	62 	23 	16 	39 	14
1965–66	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	70 	19 	23 	42 	24
1966–67	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	67 	22 	23 	45 	14
1967–68	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	74 	28 	20 	48 	8
1968–69	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	72 	25 	21 	46 	12
1969–70	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	76 	35 	19 	54 	14
1970–71	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	78 	24 	29 	53 	10
1971–72	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	78 	23 	24 	47 	17
1972–73	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	78 	22 	29 	51 	22
1973–74	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	70 	23 	25 	48 	12
1974–75	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	79 	32 	29 	61 	25
1975–76	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	
1976–77	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	Retired from active playing	
1977–78	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	80 	26 	24 	50 	17
1978–79	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	63 	16 	12 	28 	10
1979–80	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	59 	12 	11 	23 	6
1980–81	Toronto Maple Leafs 	NHL 	27 	2 	3 	5 	2
NHL 	Regular season totals 	1034 	332 	308 	640 	207 	
International Competition
*Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Year 	Team 	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1972 	Team Canada	8 	0	3	3 	6
1977 	Team Canada	10	5	4	9 	2
Inter.	Totals 	18	5	7	12 	8
==International Play==
* 1972 - Member of Team Canada in the Summit Series
* 1977 - Member of Team Canada in the World Hockey Championships
==Gallery==
Ronellis1957.jpg|Ellis at left in the Ottawa Cradle League in 1957.
1969-70-Orr_Horton_Ellis_Gamble.jpg|Bobby Orr, Tim Horton, Ron Ellis, Bruce Gamble during the 1969-70 season.
==External Links==
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Category:1945 births
Category:2024 deaths
Category:1972 Team Canada players
Category:Stanley Cup champions
Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players
Category:Toronto Marlboros players
Category:Retired in 1975
Category:Retired in 1981
Category:Memorial Cup winners
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Hockey Hall of Fame employees