PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford has been selected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The three-time Stanley Cup Champion was elected in the builders’ category Tuesday.
He won one Stanley Cup in Carolina in 2006 and back-to-back championships in Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017.
"I remember winning that first Cup in Carolina," said Rutherford, who was a goalie and spent three years with the Penguins in the early 1970s. "We were not odds-on favorite to win, but we were able to jump on some good opportunities coming out of the work stoppage and get some free agents. We knew we had a good team. There was excitement winning the Cup. And then, to win my second Cup in Pittsburgh and go back-to-back, that feeling was special."
“We’ve always thought of Jim Rutherford as a Hall of Fame general manager and builder, and today’s announcement that he will formally be inducted into the Hall is richly deserved,” said David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Penguins. “He has ties to the Penguins dating back to his playing days in the 1970s, and his impact on the franchise as our GM, in leading us to back-to-back Stanley Cups, has been exceptional. In addition to his Hall of Fame credentials, Jim is a down-to-earth, honest, straight-talking guy who does his job every day with class and dignity. We know we are very lucky to have him as part of the Penguins organization.”
"(Carolina) was a great experience and I probably would’ve been happy with my career ending with that," he said. "But I got the call from David Morehouse, I met with Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle and David, and it was just a good meeting. I knew, at that meeting, with everything they said, that I had a chance to win a Cp. I had lived in Pittsburgh before so I knew how much I liked the people here. It was an opportunity to come back and it’s been a great experience. Pittsburgh is home now and we’ll have a house here forever. I’m very fortunate to have the opportunities I’ve been given."
Still though, not every year has ended with champagne. In 25 years as a general manager, Rutherford has finished on top three times. But other seasons have finished in disappointment, such as the 2018-2019 one.
"There were years where I’ve been disappointed, where we’ve missed opportunities," he said. "This last year was a year that I knew we missed a good opportunity. You think about those and those really bother you."
So, with a General Manager of the Year award and three titles under his belt, where does he go now?
"Probably back to my office to see if we can change this team like I’ve been trying to do for two months," he said. "This is a step in my career, but I still have that drive to be successful and I still think the Penguins can win at least another championship in the next few years.?
Former Penguins defenseman Sergei Zubov was also elected to the Hall of Fame Tuesday. He only played one year with the Penguins in 1995-96.
In 64 games that year, Zubov had 11 goals, 55 assists and was a plus-28.
The 2019 Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take play on Monday, November 18 in Toronto. The Penguins are off that night.