Terry Ruskowski
Encyclopedia
Terry W. "Rosco" Ruskowski (born December 31, 1954 in Prince Albert
, Saskatchewan
) is a former National Hockey League
centre, who played for the Chicago Black Hawks
, Los Angeles Kings
, Pittsburgh Penguins
, and Minnesota North Stars
.
Previously, he played for the Houston Aeros
and Winnipeg Jets of the WHA
. Ruskowski's leadership on the ice was recognized with his tenure as captain of the Aeros, Blackhawks, Kings, and Penguins, the only player in major professional history to captain four different clubs.
in Laredo
, Texas
, a part of the Central Hockey League
. On March 18, 2009, Ruskowski secured his 500th coaching win, as the Bucks defeated the Texas Brahmas of Fort Worth
, 4-3, in the Southern Conference playoffs.
In 2007, Ruskowski entered the final year of a four-year contract extension with the Bucks. Ruskowski told the Laredo Morning Times
that his tenure was in the hands of Bucks chairman Glenn Hart, owner Julian "Kiki" DeAyala
, and team president John Beckelhymer and that he had "full faith" that he will obtain his third contract with the club. Ruskowski's optimism paid off, for he was shortly thereafter given a "lifetime contract" as the coach of the Bucks.
Ruskowski led the Bucks to the postseason in seven of his years as head coach. The team won President Cup championships in 2004 and 2006 and four consecutive Southern Conference titles. As of 2007, Ruskowski had compiled a 209–78–28 overall record in Laredo and was the CHL "Coach of the Year" during the 2005-2006 season.
Ruskowski became a well-known figure in the Laredo community. A giant poster featuring the coach plastered on city buses advertised Doctor's Hospital of Laredo. On June 3, 2010, Ruskowski was named a Paul Harris
Fellow by Laredo Rotary International
in a ceremony at Texas A&M University
.
The Laredo Morning Times
described Ruskowski as: "one of a kind. He was gracious in victory and even more kind in defeat. He was balanced in temperament and truly loved the city his team represented. Members of the Bucks never got too high or too low, and when you have a professional team like that, people appreciate it. Not only did Ruskowski win [two professional championships], but his affable personality, easily won over Laredoans. . . . When he revealed his departure from the Bucks last month, he did so face-to-face with season ticket holders and fans . . . when a news release would have done the job. . . . And his final sight of the fans and the people he once so enthusiastically thrilled was a lasting standing ovation, as he walked off with tears in his eyes . . . "
On June 28, 2011, Ruskowski became the coach of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
hockey team, based in McAllen
, a staunch rival of the Laredo Bucks. Ruskowski has a two-year contract with the Bees.
From 1971-74, Terry played for the Swift Current Broncos where he became captain in his 2nd & 3rd year and helped lead the team to until they lost in the semi-finals in 1974. As well, he still holds the team record for most assists in one year, 93 assists in 1973-74. Tery could always be counted on to stick up for his teammates and which led to many fighting penalties each year.
Terry Ruskowski is married and has two daughters.
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the last major centre along the route to the resources of northern Saskatchewan...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
) is a former National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
centre, who played for the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
, and Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
.
Previously, he played for the Houston Aeros
Houston Aeros (WHA)
The Houston Aeros were a professional ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1978.-Franchise history:The Aeros became one of the original franchises in the World Hockey Association when the Dayton Arrows franchise was moved to Houston in 1972...
and Winnipeg Jets of the WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
. Ruskowski's leadership on the ice was recognized with his tenure as captain of the Aeros, Blackhawks, Kings, and Penguins, the only player in major professional history to captain four different clubs.
The Laredo years
In 2001, he was named the head coach of the Laredo BucksLaredo Bucks
The Laredo Bucks are an ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League. They play in Laredo, Texas, USA at the Laredo Energy Arena.-History:Arena Ventures, made up of six businessmen, teamed up with the City of Laredo to build a state-of-the-art facility for the Laredo area and South Texas...
in Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, a part of the Central Hockey League
Central Hockey League
The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....
. On March 18, 2009, Ruskowski secured his 500th coaching win, as the Bucks defeated the Texas Brahmas of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, 4-3, in the Southern Conference playoffs.
In 2007, Ruskowski entered the final year of a four-year contract extension with the Bucks. Ruskowski told the Laredo Morning Times
Laredo Morning Times
The Laredo Morning Times is a daily newspaper publication based in Laredo, Texas, USA. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation.The Laredo Morning Times was founded on June 14, 1881 as "the Laredo Weekly," a four-page newspaper published by James Saunders Penn. Two years later, the paper became a...
that his tenure was in the hands of Bucks chairman Glenn Hart, owner Julian "Kiki" DeAyala
Kiki DeAyala
Julian Lewis DeAyala is a former American football linebacker in the United States Football League and the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 1983 NFL Draft, but first played for the USFL's Houston Gamblers. He played college football for...
, and team president John Beckelhymer and that he had "full faith" that he will obtain his third contract with the club. Ruskowski's optimism paid off, for he was shortly thereafter given a "lifetime contract" as the coach of the Bucks.
Ruskowski led the Bucks to the postseason in seven of his years as head coach. The team won President Cup championships in 2004 and 2006 and four consecutive Southern Conference titles. As of 2007, Ruskowski had compiled a 209–78–28 overall record in Laredo and was the CHL "Coach of the Year" during the 2005-2006 season.
Ruskowski became a well-known figure in the Laredo community. A giant poster featuring the coach plastered on city buses advertised Doctor's Hospital of Laredo. On June 3, 2010, Ruskowski was named a Paul Harris
Paul P. Harris
Paul Percy Harris was a Chicago, Illinois, attorney best known for founding Rotary International in 1905, a service organization that currently has well over one million members worldwide.-Biography:...
Fellow by Laredo Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
in a ceremony at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
.
From the Bucks to the Killer Bees
In May 2011, Ruskowski announced his resignation after ten years as the coach of the Bucks. The decision to step down despite a lifetime contract came after declining revenues to the Bucks.The Laredo Morning Times
Laredo Morning Times
The Laredo Morning Times is a daily newspaper publication based in Laredo, Texas, USA. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation.The Laredo Morning Times was founded on June 14, 1881 as "the Laredo Weekly," a four-page newspaper published by James Saunders Penn. Two years later, the paper became a...
described Ruskowski as: "one of a kind. He was gracious in victory and even more kind in defeat. He was balanced in temperament and truly loved the city his team represented. Members of the Bucks never got too high or too low, and when you have a professional team like that, people appreciate it. Not only did Ruskowski win [two professional championships], but his affable personality, easily won over Laredoans. . . . When he revealed his departure from the Bucks last month, he did so face-to-face with season ticket holders and fans . . . when a news release would have done the job. . . . And his final sight of the fans and the people he once so enthusiastically thrilled was a lasting standing ovation, as he walked off with tears in his eyes . . . "
On June 28, 2011, Ruskowski became the coach of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
The Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees are a professional ice hockey team based in Hidalgo, Texas, and play their home games at State Farm Arena. They are a member of the Central Hockey League, and two time Central Hockey League franchise of the year...
hockey team, based in McAllen
McAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
, a staunch rival of the Laredo Bucks. Ruskowski has a two-year contract with the Bees.
THE EARLY YEARS
Terry started his junior hockey career in Humboldt, Saskatchewan in the the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL - Tier II) in 1970-71, playing for the Humboldt Broncos. His leadership ability at age 16 was evident, as was his ability and toughness and he helped propel the Broncos to the league final that year.From 1971-74, Terry played for the Swift Current Broncos where he became captain in his 2nd & 3rd year and helped lead the team to until they lost in the semi-finals in 1974. As well, he still holds the team record for most assists in one year, 93 assists in 1973-74. Tery could always be counted on to stick up for his teammates and which led to many fighting penalties each year.
Terry Ruskowski is married and has two daughters.