Bill Ranford

Born in Brandon, Manitoba on December 14, 1966, Bill Ranford was selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, 10th pick of that round. The left-catching goaltender went on to play 647 NHL games, recording 240 wins, a 3.41 goals-against average, an .888 save percentage, and 15 shutouts across his professional career.

After his playing days, Ranford moved into coaching and development. He has spent 17 years with the Los Angeles Kings organization in the role of Director of Goaltending — a tenure he has noted was marked by a complete absence of hip surgeries among his goalies, which he attributes to the net-play system he developed and teaches.

That system, which Ranford describes as "left-shoulder dominant," focuses on how left-catching goalies position and move on pucks behind the net. He explains the approach using five pucks set below the goal line, walking through stationary positioning before adding movement and live pass-outs. The system is designed to simplify puck tracking, reduce the risk of being caught on same-side pass-outs, discourage goalies from using mid-net windows, and limit hip stress associated with heavy use of the reverse-VH. "We want to be left-shoulder dominant as much as we can," Ranford has said of the Kings' approach. Pro Tips with Bill Ranford

Ranford has been a recurring presence in InGoal Magazine's coverage. InGoal Magazine has covered Bill Ranford in one podcast appearance and four InGoal articles. He appeared as a guest at TendyFest 6, hosted by The Hockey Shop, where he delivered on-ice instruction and a Q+A session covering topics ranging from his playing and coaching career, to the evolution of the goaltending position, to technical guidance and mental management at all levels of the game. LA Kings Director of Goaltending Bill Ranford Q+A Pro Tips with Bill Ranford InGoal also hosted Ranford for an InGoal InPerson webinar in May 2020 InGoal InPerson Webinar with Bill Ranford – Replay Webinar with NHL Goaltending Coach Bill Ranford, and he appeared on InGoal Radio Episode 233 in November 2023. InGoal Radio Episode 233 with Bill Ranford