FanHouse RobRamage

Back in October, we reported that ex-NHL player Rob Ramage had been found guilty in the death of fellow former player Keith Magnuson. The charge? Impaired driving causing death.

The death seemed ironic since both men had just been at a funeral to mourn the death of another hockey personality. While sources and friends claimed Ramage wasn't drunk, blood tests showed Ramage had FOUR time the legal blood alcohol limit, and was more blotto than Chief Engineer Scotty.

Today, Ramage was sentenced for his crime, and got off quite light, it would seem.

Rob Ramage was called an "exemplary citizen" Thursday, but an Ontario judge said he had to send a message of deterrence against drunk driving and ordered Mr. Ramage to prison for four years for a crash that killed his friend, a former Chicago Blackhawks player.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Alexander Sosna called the accident that killed Keith Magnuson, when a car driven by Mr. Ramage slammed head-on into another vehicle just north of Toronto, on Dec. 15, 2003, "tragic and senseless."

Let's not forget that a Missouri jury already awarded the Magnuson family $9.5 million in their civil suit against Ramage and National Car Rentals of Canada, so it's not as if Ramage isn't going to suffer financially for this ordeal.

Of course, this story isn't QUITE over, since Ramage plans to appeal the sentence. Rather than just serve his rather lenient four years (which would be less with good behavior), Ramage wants to drag this out and deny his responsibility in the manner. How 'exemplary' of him.

Not too long ago, Leafs forward Mark Bell was suspended by the NHL for his drunken driving, an incident which he faces jail time for.

At the time, we pointed out how the culture of beer drinking seems to permeate through the NHL ranks, with numerous incidents to back up the claim.

Well, even old time players can't seem to escape the grip of the bottle, and it ends up resulting in lost lives. Case in point: Rob Ramage, a defenseman with over 1,000 games experience, who has been found guilty of causing the death of another former NHLer, thanks to driving while under the influence. Ironically, the crash happened just after the two men were at a funeral for another hockey personality.

A jury has found former NHL player Rob Ramage guilty on all five charges he faced in connection with a fatal 2003 crash that killed a former Chicago Blackhawks player.

That includes a guilty verdict on the most serious charge, impaired driving causing death.

Keith Magnuson died on Dec. 15, 2003, when a rental car driven by Ramage slammed head-on into another vehicle.

The prosecution said scientific evidence showed Ramage had up to four times the legal blood-alcohol limit at the time of the crash, though none of the hundreds of people at an earlier reception could say he had a single drink.

So, I guess we can check off another addition to 'the list'.