NY Islanders mourn the passing of the Stanley Cup dynasty trainer Ron Waske

Ron Waske, the longtime New York Islanders trainer who worked with the team during its run of four consecutive Stanley Cup championships, has died. He was 77.

The Islanders announced his death Sunday with a statement on social media that included a photo of Waske holding the Stanley Cup. “The Isles are saddened by the passing of Ron Waske,” the post read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Ron’s family, friends and loved ones.”

Waske, a native of Camden, New York, spent 10 seasons with the Islanders from 1974 to 1984. He also served as Team Canada’s athletic trainer at the 1982 Canada Cup.

A graduate of St. Lawrence University, Waske returned there after leaving the Islanders, working for the school for more than two decades as an athletic trainer. He also coached the women’s hockey program from 1997 to 1999. In 2019, he was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame.

Waske, who played both hockey and baseball at St. Lawrence, remains the only player in the school’s hockey history to appear in a game as both a forward and a goaltender.

In 2006, Waske was honored by the Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Society with induction onto the PHATS/SPHEM Wall of Honor, which features a plaque displayed in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Over his 26 years at St. Lawrence University, Waske worked with thousands of student-athletes, helping them build strength, recover from injuries, and return to competition. He also mentored hundreds of student trainers, many of whom went on to long careers in athletic training.

His contributions were recognized again in 2010, when he received the John P. “Jack” Taylor Distinguished Career Service Award. He was also the inaugural recipient of the Doc Littlejohn/Ron Waske Athletic Service Award, an honor created to recognize members of the athletic department who make significant and lasting contributions to the program’s success.