PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He was the general manager who helped build the 2009 Stanley Cup champion Penguins, the Minnesota Wild announced today that 62-year-old Ray Shero passed away.
Shero added veterans Gary Roberts, Petr Sykora, Pascal Dupuis, Bill Guerin to the young mix of players along with making the decision to move on from Michel Therrien and bringing in Dan Bylsma leading to the championship in '09.
The Minnesota native moved on to the New Jersey Devils in 2015 after his time with the Pens ended. He would also work with the Wild, Nashville and Ottawa. Shero was the NHL's GM of the Year in 2012-13 and actively involved with USA Hockey and a member of its National Team Advisory Board.
No cause of death was released, just that the family asks for privacy.
"Ray Shero's smile and personality lit up every room he walked into and brightened the day of everyone he met," said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in a statement. "Widely respected throughout hockey for his team-building acumen and eye for talent, he was even more beloved for how he treated everyone fortunate enough to have known him.
"The son of legendary NHL coach Fred Shero, Ray forged his own path in the NHL following his successful playing career at St. Lawrence University. After stints as an assistant general manager in Ottawa and Nashville, he became general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006, and assembled the missing pieces of a team that became Stanley Cup finalists in 2008 and Stanley Cup champions in 2009. From 2015-2020, he was GM of the New Jersey Devils, drafting current stars Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, and had spent the past four seasons as a senior advisor to Minnesota GM Bill Guerin. He also served on the United States' management teams for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
"Whenever we ran into each other at a rink when he was scouting, it was clear he loved what he was doing and I always marveled at his infectious enthusiasm. The entire National Hockey League family mourns his passing and sends our deepest condolences to the Shero family and Ray's many friends throughout the hockey world."
