Mystery solved: Cliff Ronning reveals why he ruled in NHL ’93

One of the real joys of doing Puck Daddy Radio, or really any kind or radio, is unpredictability. Conversations take us in unexpected directions and the results can sometimes be revelatory.

Which brings us to Cliff Ronning.

As you know, we're old-school NHL video game obsessed here on Puck Daddy, worshiping at the simple altars of "Nintendo Ice Hockey", "Blades of Steel" and, of course, the EA Sports NHL series that captivated a generation (and co-starred in "Swingers").

Sometimes in these games, certain players would inexplicably be better in PixelWorld than in real life. Ronning was one of those players for the Vancouver Canucks in NHL '93: Skating around like a water-bug on speed and with an overall rating in the Pavel Bure neighborhood. In a word, he was awesome.

We brought this up with him today on PD Radio, and Ronning told us "the secret" to his NHL '93 prowess: He went to school with the guy who founded EA Sports, and there were shenanigans. Listen to the short clip for the rest.

The full episode of today's Puck Daddy Radio, and the Ronning interview, can be found on The Score. Also, we're on iTunes, in case you didn't know this.