Former Leafs Captain Bought Alcohol Before Crash That Killed Blackhawk Keith Magnuson

A criminal trial involving former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Rob Ramage is hearing that he bought a six-pack of beer just hours before getting into a car crash that killed another former NHL player.

Video surveillance evidence shown in court Wednesday shows Ramage making the purchase with fellow former hockey player Keith Magnuson.

Magnuson, a former defenceman with the Chicago Blackhawks, was killed in a horrific car crash several hours later. Ramage had to be extracted from the driver’s seat of the car they were traveling in.

Robert Pitoscia, a Beer Store employee, testified both men appeared sober at the time the alcohol was bought. On Tuesday, the court heard Ramage was surprised to hear he had been driving the rented Chrysler Intrepid when it crossed a centre line and slammed head-on into a westbound Nissan Pathfinder in Woodbridge, Ont., injuring Michelle Pacheco who was behind the wheel.

Ramage, 48, is charged with impaired and dangerous driving causing the death of Magnuson, and impaired and dangerous driving causing bodily harm to Pacheco. He’s also charged with having a blood alcohol level over the legal limit in the Dec. 15, 2003 crash.

During his 15-year NHL career, Ramage played for eight teams, winning Stanley Cups with the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens, and captaining the Toronto Maple Leafs.