Ron Tugnutt was drafted 81st overall in the 1986 Entry Draft by the Québec Nordiques. On December 29, 1987, he made his NHL debut with a victory against the Sabres. After playing five more games that season, Ron went 10-10-3 in 26 games in 1988-89. In 1989-90, Ron led all Nordiques' goalies with 35 games. In 1990-91, he played 56 games and posted a 88.5 save percentage. On March 21, he faced 73 shots (the second most in league history) from the second-best team in the league and came out with a 3-3 tie with the Bruins. In 1991-92, Ron led all Nordiques' goalies with 30 games played. On March 10, he was traded with Brad Zavisha to the Edmonton Oilers for Martin Rucinský. He then played three regular season games and two playoff games as the Oilers reached the Campbell Conference finals. In 1992-93, Ron worked as Bill Ranford's goaltending partner and posted a 9-12-2 record.
On June 24, 1993, Ron was claimed in the Expansion Draft by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. After 28 games in which he posted a 3.00 goals-against average, Ron was traded to the Montréal Canadiens for Stéphan Lebeau. In the playoffs, he played one game for the Canadiens.
On September 25, 1995, Ron signed as a free agent with the Washington Capitals. After spending the full year with the AHL affiliate, Ron then signed as a free agent with the Ottawa Senators on August 14, 1996. That year, Ron shared goaltending duties with Damian Rhodes and led the team to a 36-point improvement. In April, Ron won Player of the Month honours and helped the Senators clinch their first playoff berth in franchise history. Ron went 17-15-1 during the regular season and then played all seven playoff games (1.98 GAA) against the Sabres.
In 1997-98, Ron went 15-14-8 with a 2.25 GAA. In the playoffs, the Senators reached the second round. In 1998-99, Ron paced the league with a 1.79 GAA and made his All-Star Game debut. Ron went 22-10-8 and helped the Senators win the Northeast Division title. In 1999-2000, now playing with Patrick Lalime as his goaltending partner, Ron played 44 games and posted an 18-12-8 record at the start of the season. Then, on March 14, he was traded with Janne Laukkanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tom Barrasso. When he left the Senators, he was the team's all-time shutouts leader (13). In seven games down the stretch with the Penguins, Ron posted a 4-2 record. In the playoffs, Ron led the Penguins to a first-round upset over the Capitals and led all goalies with a 94.5 save percentage.
On July 4, 2000, Ron signed as a free agent with the Columbus Blue Jackets. On October 12, he made 19 stops in the club's first-ever win. Ron played 53 games that year, sharing goaltending duties with Marc Denis; he went 22-25-5 with a 91.5 save percentage.
