honestly, they'd be pretty damn close. Ranford's Smythe is just about his sole moment as an elite NHL goalie. Most people would say Cam Ward has been in the top 6-10 goalies in the league for three seasons now.
I'm obviously biased, but he did pull a Canada Cup MVP in '91, and was on the '96 World Cup team. Ward hasn't been on a best on best team, let alone started, let alone got the tournament MVP.
Ranford was also in net for Canada during the '94 World Championship Gold medal, the first gold for Canada since '61.
Another overlooked aspect is that the Oilers made the conference finals in both '91 and '92. '92 was post Messier, post-everybody really, with top scorers of damphousse and murphy.
His numbers are not very sexy, but he backstopped a pathetic Oiler squad of the mid-90s during his prime years. He is not even close to being considered an excellent regular season goalie. However, his continued tournament and postseason performance were commendable, and does give some best all-time conversation credence.
His technique was sort of the last, most fully realized homage to great 80s stand-up hybrid style. He battled hard, kicked pucks out with a trademark flair, and had one of the more controlled and effective pad stacks of all time, even going totally vertical with both legs straight up in the air. At his prime, he certainly was one of the more entertaining goaltenders to watch. But yes, technique evolved, and he did not, and he soon found himself outclassed in the mid to late 90s.
From a personal angle, I grew up watching him, and to this day style my play on his. At least once a year, an opposing player or goalie will tell me after a game that I remind them a lot of Ranford. I feel like it's my little part of keeping his legacy alive.
