Ray Ferraro has been such a revelation in recent years as one of hockey’s most knowledgeable and insightful analysts/colour commentators that some have assumed he is being inducted for his media accomplishments.
And maybe someday he will be. But let’s give Ray his due as an athlete first. Over an 18-season NHL career, Ray was known as one of the most consistent goal scorers in the NHL and he stands as one of the best ever born and raised in BC.
Growing up in Trail, Ray had no shortage of locals to idolize. Past and present Trail Smoke Eater legends like Mike Buckna, Seth Martin, and Cesare Maniago were neighbours and family friends. Ray wanted nothing more than to play at Cominco Arena at 8:30pm on Friday nights where the Smokies battled against other top senior men’s hockey teams from the Kootenays and beyond. He also played other sports including baseball and his Trail Little League team coached by Andy Bilesky won the BC and Canadian titles before playing at the 1976 Little League World Series.
Next Ray lit it up with the Penticton Knights of the BC Junior Hockey League collecting 135 points in 48 games and winning the league MVP award. Ray then spent two seasons in the WHL with the Portland Winter Hawks and Brandon Wheat Kings. In the former, he helped Portland to the 1983 Memorial Cup title. In the latter Ray scored a WHL record 108 goals in only 72 games, a record that still stands today. His 192 points earned 1983-84 WHL player of the year honours.
Ray was selected 88th overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft and two years later began an NHL journey that lasted until 2002 with six teams: Hartford, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, and St. Louis Blues. Ray went on to score 20+ goals 12 times and 40+ goals twice. His 1258 NHL regular season games, 408 goals, and 898 points rank fourth, fifth, and seventh all-time among BC-born players as of 2025.
In 1991-92, Ray produced a career-best season with the Islanders scoring 40 goals and 80 points in 80 games and earning an appearance in the 1992 NHL All-Star Game. He represented Canada three times at the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships, helping Canada to silver medal finishes in 1989 in Sweden and 1996 in Austria.
Since 2002 Ray has become one of the most in-demand analysts and commentators in hockey working on regional and national NHL broadcasts for NBC, ESPN, ABC, TSN, and Rogers Sportsnet.
Written and researched by Jason Beck, Curator of the BC Sports Hall of Fame.