Ray Scapinello grew up in a small community called Glen Christie, located between Guelph and Hespeler in Ontario, Canada. Glen Christie had a population of approximately 80 and was built around a quarry. Ray is the son of Dorothy and George "Sonny" Scapinello. He has one older sister, Dianne, and one younger brother, Dougie. Scapinello played hockey growing up and earned the nickname "Scampy" due to his small stature and exceptional skating ability. Despite being a skilled skater, Scapinello never made it into professional hockey, and had stopped playing by the age of 21.