Ronald Lawrence Wilson (born May 28, 1955) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey player and head coach. He was selected in the eighth round, 132nd overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1975 NHL entry draft. He served as a coach for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks, and Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was also the head coach of the United States men's national ice hockey team for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey along with the 1998 and 2010 Winter Olympics; he won the World Cup in 1996 and won the silver medal in 2010. Wilson holds dual citizenship of Canada and the United States.

Personal life Wilson was born in Windsor, Ontario, and raised in Fort Erie, Ontario. He moved from Fort Erie to Riverside, Rhode Island, when he was 12 years old. As a result, Wilson holds dual citizenship of Canada and the United States, and has represented Team USA in both playing and coaching.

Both his father, Larry Wilson, and his uncle, Johnny Wilson, played for the Detroit Red Wings in the 1950s and later coached in the NHL.

Wilson and his wife Maureen have two daughters together.

In December 2016, Wilson suffered a stroke and underwent rehabilitation.

Playing career

Collegiate Wilson began playing with Providence College in 1973–74, where he led the Friars in scoring in his rookie season with 16 goals and 38 points in 26 games, helping the Friars reach the ECAC quarter-finals, where they were defeated by the Harvard Crimson, 9–3.

In the 1974–75 season, Wilson broke out offensively, scoring 26 goals and 87 points in 27 games, helping the Friars into the ECAC tournament for the second consecutive season. In the tournament, the Friars would lose in the quarter-finals to the Vermont Catamounts, 7–5.

Wilson had another solid season with the Friars in 1975–76, scoring 19 goals and 66 points in 28 games, though the team struggled and failed to ultimately qualify for the tournament.

In his final season at Providence, in 1976–77, Wilson's offense declined, though he still put up solid numbers, scoring 17 goals and 59 points in 30 games to lead the team in scoring. Providence qualified for the tournament as the eighth seed, but lost to Clarkson 6–3 in the quarter-finals.

Professional career Wilson was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the eighth round, 132nd overall, at the 1975 NHL entry draft. He was also drafted by the Houston Aeros in the 1974 WHA Amateur Draft, but opted to sign instead with the Maple Leafs and pursue an NHL career.

Wilson saw his first professional action in the 1976–77 season after his college hockey career was over, where he appeared in four games with the Dallas Black Hawks of the Central Hockey League (CHL), scoring a goal.

Wilson began the 1977–78 season with the Black Hawks, where in 67 games, he scored 31 goals and 69 points to lead the team in scoring. He earned a late-season promotion to the NHL and played in 13 games with the Maple Leafs, scoring two goals and three points. Wilson did not see any playing time in the post-season, however, as the Maple Leafs lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the third round of the playoffs.

He split the 1978–79 season between the New Brunswick Hawks of the American Hockey League (AHL), as in 31 games, Wilson had 11 goals and 32 points, and the Maple Leafs. In Toronto, Wilson played in 46 games, scoring five goals and 17 points. He appeared in three playoff games for Toronto, earning an assist, as the Leafs lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the quarter-finals.

Wilson spent the majority of the 1979–80 season in New Brunswick, where in 43 games, he scored 20 goals and 63 points to finish fourth in team scoring. He appeared in only five games with the Maple Leafs, earning two assists. Wilson skated for the Leafs in the post-season, where he scored a goal and three points in three games as Toronto was swept by the Minnesota North Stars in the first round. He returned to the Hawks for the Calder Cup playoffs, and in 14 games, Wilson had three goals and five points, as New Brunswick lost to the Hershey Bears in the final round.

Wilson signed with EHC Kloten of NDA in Switzerland for 1980–81, where in 38 games, Wilson scored 22 goals and 45 points.

After only one season with Kloten, Wilson signed with HC Davos for the 1981–82 season. In 38 games, Wilson scored 24 goals and 47 points, helping the team finish in second place.

In 1982–83, Wilson improved his offense to 32 goals and 64 points in 36 games, as Davos finished the first round of the season with a League-best 20–0–8 record, before slumping to a 3–2–5 record in the final round to finish the season in third place.

Wilson saw more improvement with his offense in 1983–84, scoring 33 goals and 72 points in 36 games, helping Davos win the championship.

In 38 games in the 1984–85, Wilson scored 39 goals and 101 points, leading the club to their second-straight Swiss championship.

Following his season with Davos, Wilson returned to the NHL and signed with the Minnesota North Stars for the remainder of the 1984–85 season. In 13 games, Wilson had four goals and 12 points, helping the club secure the fourth and final playoff position in the Norris Division. In nine playoff games, Wilson had a goal and seven points, as Minnesota swept the first place St. Louis Blues before losing to the Chicago Black Hawks in the division finals.

Wilson returned to HC Davos in Switzerland for the 1985–86 season after his late-season stint with the North Stars in 1984–85. In 27 games, Wilson scored 28 goals and 69 points, helping the club into the post-season. In five playoff games, Wilson had six goals and eight points, however, HC Davos lost to HC Lugano in the final round.

For the second consecutive season, Wilson joined the North Stars after his season with HC Davos, and finished 1985–86 with Minnesota, scoring a goal and four points in 11 games, helping the club finish in second place in the Norris Division. In the 1986 playoffs, Wilson had two goals and six points in five games, as Minnesota lost to the St. Louis Blues in the division semi-finals.

Wilson remained with the North Stars in 1986–87, as in a career-high 65 games, he had 12 goals and 41 points to finish second among North Stars defensemen in team scoring, however, the club struggled and failed to qualify for the post-season.

Wilson began the 1987–88 season with the North Stars, where in 24 games, he scored two goals and 14 points. He played in his last NHL game on December 16, 1987, earning an assist in a 4–2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Shortly after the game, the North Stars released Wilson.

Following his release from Minnesota, Wilson rejoined HC Davos to finish the 1987–88 season in Switzerland. In 36 games, Wilson had eight goals and 32 points and in six playoff games, he had two goals and seven points, as HC Davos finished in fourth place.

After the season, Wilson announced his retirement as a player.

Coaching career

Milwaukee Admirals (1989–1990) Wilson joined the Milwaukee Admirals of the International Hockey League (IHL) as an assistant coach, working under Head Coach Ron Lapointe. In his only season with the Admirals, the club finished with a 36–39–7 record, finishing in third place in the West Division. In the playoffs, the Admirals lost to the Salt Lake Golden Eagles in the first round.

Vancouver Canucks (1990–1993) Wilson joined the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff as an assistant coach under Bob McCammon in the 1990–91 season. After the Canucks struggled to a 19–30–5 record, the club fired McCammon and replaced him with Pat Quinn. Wilson remained as an assistant, and under Quinn, the Canucks went 9–13–4 to sneak into the fourth and final playoff spot in the Smythe Division. In the 1991 post-season, the Canucks lost to the Los Angeles Kings in six games in the first round.

In 1991–92, Vancouver improved their point total by 31 points, as the team finished the year with a 42–26–12 record, finishing in first place in the Smythe Division. The heavily favoured Canucks managed to defeat the Winnipeg Jets in seven games before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in six games in the Smythe Division Finals.

Vancouver improved their point total once again in 1992–93, going 46–29–9, earning 101 points and their second consecutive Smythe Division title. In the 1993 playoffs, the Canucks defeated the Winnipeg Jets in the first round before losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the division finals.

After the season, Wilson left the Canucks and became the first head coach of the expansion team Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–1997) Wilson became the first head coach of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for the 1993–94 season. On October 8, 1993, his first game as an NHL head coach, Wilson and the Mighty Ducks lost to the Detroit Red Wings, 7–2. He won his first game on October 13, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4–3. The team finished the season with 33–46–5 record for 71 points, falling short of the 1993 playoffs.

The Mighty Ducks continued to struggle in the following season, 1994–95, finishing 16–27–5 in the lockout-shortened season to post the poorest record in the Western Conference.

Anaheim made a big improvement in 1995–96, however, as the club went 35–39–8 record (78 points). Nonetheless, Wilson and the Mighty Ducks' efforts came just shy of qualifying for the 1996 playoffs, finishing one spot out of post-season contention, ninth, in the Conference. Despite accumulating the same point total as the eighth-placed Winnipeg Jets, they lost the tie-breaker separating the two, as they finished with one fewer win.

The Mighty Ducks continued their improvement in 1996–97 season, finishing with their first-ever winning record, 36–33–13, and qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in team history. In the post-season, Anaheim defeated the Phoenix Coyotes in seven games before being swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the second round. Despite team improvement, on May 20, 1997, the Mighty Ducks fired Wilson.

Washington Capitals (1997–2002) On June 9, 1997, the Washington Capitals hired Wilson to become the head coach of the team, replacing Jim Schoenfeld after the club failed to reach the playoffs in 1996–97.

In his first season with the Capitals, Wilson led the team to a 40–30–12 record, a 17-point improvement over the previous season's total, as Washington qualified for the 1998 playoffs. In the post-season, the fourth-seeded Capitals defeated the Boston Bruins in the first round, then the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, the first time the team reached the Finals in their 24 years of existence. In the Finals, however, the Capitals were swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings, who won their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

Washington regressed in the subsequent 1998–99 season, going 31–45–6 record and finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference, well out of a playoff spot.

The Capitals, however, rebounded in 1999–2000, as they won the Southeast Division with a 44–24–12–2 record and finished in second place in the East. In the 2000 playoffs, the Capitals were upset by the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games in the first round.

The Capitals won their second consecutive Southeast Division title in 2000–01, going 41–27–10–4 and earning 96 points, solid enough for a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference. In the 2001 playoffs, however, the Capitals were once again upset by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won the series in six games.

In the summer of 2001, the Capitals acquired superstar Jaromír Jágr from the Penguins and were thought to be a Stanley Cup contender for 2001–02. Despite the high-profile acquisition, the club struggled for much of the season, posting a 36–33–11–2 record and finishing in ninth place in the East, out of the 2002 playoffs. On May 10, 2002, the Capitals fired Wilson after their disappointing season.

San Jose Sharks (2002–2008)