Longtime NHL executive Ray Shero, who was general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won the 2009 Stanley Cup, has died. He was 62.
His death was announced by the Minnesota Wild, where he had been special adviser to GM Bill Guerin for the past four years.
Shero, the son of Hall of Fame coach Fred Shero, had been an assistant GM with the Ottawa Senators and Nashville Predators before being hired by the Penguins in 2006.
Ray Shero helped build around young stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and acquired Marian Hossa in 2008 before the Penguins’ run to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final.
They lost to the Detroit Red Wings and Hossa signed with Detroit in the summer. But the Penguins returned to the Final and beat the Red Wings after Shero acquired Guerin and Chris Kunitz at the trade deadline.
Shero was named GM of the Year in 2012-13 after the Penguins won a division title and reached the conference final. He was fired after the following season.
He was New Jersey Devils general manager from 2015-2020. During his time there, he drafted Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. He also traded for Taylor Hall, who was voted NHL MVP in his second season in New Jersey.
‘Ray was a highly respected executive, enthusiastic mentor, and most importantly, tremendous friend to many during his time in New Jersey,’ the Devils said in a statement. ‘Ray came from a family that dedicated themselves to the game, and he continued to pass that commitment on.’
Shero joined the Wild in 2021. He was also on USA Hockey’s management teams for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.
His sons, Chris and Kyle, are NHL scouts.
