Clifford John Ronning was born October 1, 1965, in Burnaby, British Columbia. Ronning played for the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders in a career that spanned 18 years.
Ronning played minor hockey in Burnaby, where he led his midget team to a gold medal at the 1982 Air Canada Cup. Ronning was named most valuable player and led the tournament in scoring. Prior to being drafted, he played in the Western Hockey League for the New Westminster Bruins, displaying the same excellent scoring touch. In 1983–84, Ronning’s draft year, he posted 136 points in 71 games, earning the Stewart “Butch” Paul Memorial Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year.
Ronning was drafted 134th overall in the 1984 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. In 1984-85, he returned to New Westminster and accumulated an astonishing 197 points, establishing a WHL record (he was later surpassed by Rob Brown’s 212-point season in 1986–87). Accordingly, Ronning earned the WHL Most Valuable Player Award and the Bob Brownridge Memorial Trophy as the league’s leading scorer. He was also named the league’s most sportsmanlike player award after he only accumulated 20 penalty minutes for the season.
After Ronning’s record setting season, he joined the Canadian National Team, where he played for one and a half seasons. During this stint, Ronning made his first appearance in the NHL with the Blues, playing five games in the 1986 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ronning began the next season with the National Team again before joining the Blues for the remainder of 1986–87.
Ronning spent part of 1988–89 with the Blues’ International Hockey League affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, and played the entirety of the following season in Italy with HC Asiago. When he returned to the Blues in 1990–91, he was traded to his hometown team, the Vancouver Canucks, in a five-player deal.
Ronning quickly became a key element on the rapidly improving Canucks. In 1992–93, he posted a career-high 29 goals and 85 points. On April 15, 1993, in a game against the Los Angeles Kings, he nearly tied Brian Trottier’s record for most points in a single period, notching 3 goals and 2 assists in the third.
Ronning became a free agent after the 1995–96 season and signed with the Phoenix Coyotes for their first season post-Winnipeg. After two seasons in Phoenix, Ronning was dealt with Richard Lintner to the Nashville Predators for future considerations.
Ronning took on a leadership role with the fledgling Predators and served as an alternate captain during his time in Nashville. During his four seasons with the Predators, Ronning led the team in scoring. He also played an important role in mentoring young players, such as David Legwand. His best seasons were 1999-2000 and 2000-2001, where he scored 62 points each season.
At the 2001–02 trade deadline, the Predators sent Ronning to the Los Angeles Kings for their playoff push. In the off-season, he was traded from Los Angeles to yet another recent expansion team, the Minnesota Wild. Ronning was a veteran presence, recording 48 points, as the Wild reached the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
In 2003–04, Ronning signed with the New York Islanders, mostly as a powerplay specialist, recording 24 points in 40 games played. As the NHL lockout suspended play, Ronning was inactive the following season. When the NHL resumed, Ronning announced his decision to retire on February 15, 2006.
Ronning and his wife, Ivana, have four children: Taryn, Kristin and Carly and Ty. Ronning returned to live in Vancouver after his retirement. He plays with the Old-timers’ Hockey Challenge and also coaches a spring hockey team, the Vancouver Selects. In 2009, Cliff Ronning and Ron Kunisaki formed BASE Hockey Labs. Ronning heads up Base Hockey’s Shooting Analysis and Custom Fitting protocol division in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Ronning’s son, Ty, was drafted by the New York Rangers in the seventh round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. As of 2023, Ty Ronning plays with Ingolstadt ERC in the German DEL.