The hockey career of a future Vancouver Canucks fan favourite and BC Sports Hall of Fame inductee began in the basement of his family home in Burnaby.
In the late 1960s, the three-year-old would face off alongside his older brother Todd tending a homemade hockey net in the Ronning basement with their dad shooting tennis balls.
From these basement hockey games, Cliff went on to play 17 NHL seasons, appearing in over 1,100 regular season games and scoring 869 career points.
Six of those seasons—and arguably his best—came as a popular hometown hero with the Vancouver Canucks including a leading role in propelling the Canucks to Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final while playing with a broken hand.
Along the way, he silenced any doubters who questioned whether he had the size at 5’8” and 165 lbs to succeed in the NHL.
Cliff was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Incidentally, Cliff’s brother Todd has also gone on to great things, but in an entirely different direction than hockey. Todd chose to put hockey
aside to pursue music at age 15 and worked as a musician for over forty years.
Since 2012, Todd has played bass guitar in the legendary classic rock band Bad Company alongside one of rock’s greatest lead singers Paul Rodgers.
The BC Sports Hall of Fame celebrates over 150 years of sporting achievement in British Columbia, inspiring future generations through its collection of 28,000+ artifacts. With exhibits honouring legendary athletes, teams, and sports organizations, we highlight the history of sports in B.C. and the individuals who’ve shaped its rich sports culture.
Explore B.C.’s sports legacy — visit us online today!
