Ray Shero obit

Long-time NHL executive Ray Shero passes away at 62

 

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Long-time NHL executive Ray Shero has passed away. He was 62.

Shero, the son of Hockey Hall of Fame coach Fred Shero, most recently worked with the Minnesota Wild as a senior advisor to general manager Bill Guerin.

“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 league 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.”

A native of Saint Paul, Minnesota, he worked as general manager and executive vice-president of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2006-07 to 2013-14, helping lead to the team to a Stanley Cup in 2009 and was named the GM of the Year in 2012-13.

Shero was also general manager and executive vice-president of the New Jersey Devils from 2015 to 2020. Over his career, he also served as assistant GM for the Ottawa Senators from 1993 to 1998 and the Nashville Predators from 1998 to 2006.

With USA Hockey, he was a member of the 2017 and 2018 United States Men's National Team Advisory Group that selected the IIHF World Men's World Championship teams and served as associate general manager for the men’s team for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Shero played ice hockey at the collegiate level for the St. Lawrence Saints. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1982, but never played in the NHL. Shero was an assistant general manager for the Ottawa Senators from 1993 to 1998 and then for the Nashville Predators from 1998 to 2006. He served as the general manager of the Penguins from 2006 to 2014. During his tenure, the Penguins advanced to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, winning a championship in 2009. He was fired after the Penguins' second round exit from the 2014 playoffs. Shero joined the Devils as general manager in May 2015, replacing Lou Lamoriello, and he held the position until being fired in January 2020. Shero was also an executive for the U.S. men's ice hockey team at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics.

Rejean (Ray) Shero was born on July 28, 1962 in Saint Paul, Minnesota to Fred and Mariette Shero. Both of his parents were born and raised Canadians: Fred in Winnipeg and Mariette in Shawinigan, Quebec. His father won two Stanley Cups with the Broad Street Bullies edition of the Philadelphia Flyers in the mid-1970s as their coach. Ray often went to Flyers practices with his dad and learned the ropes of NHL hockey management first hand at that time while also getting to know Terry Crisp, Pat Quinn and Jacques Plante — all Flyers assistant coaches — during that period.

Shero played his college ice hockey for the St. Lawrence Saints, captaining the team during the 1984–85 season.

Shero became general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006. In his first season, he made a small splash in the free agent market, signing forwards Mark Recchi and Jarkko Ruutu, along with defenseman Mark Eaton. In addition to these moves, he traded for forwards Nils Ekman and Dominic Moore, after drafting center Jordan Staal with the second overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. This choice paid immediate dividends, as Staal would score 29 goals and 42 points in his rookie year with fellow rookie Evgeni Malkin.

At the trade deadline of the 2006–07 NHL season, Shero swung two major trades, sending Noah Welch to the Florida Panthers for veteran Gary Roberts, and sending Daniel Carcillo and a draft pick to the Phoenix Coyotes for enforcer Georges Laraque.

Shero made several tweaks to his club during the next off-season, signing defenseman Darryl Sydor, forwards Petr Sýkora and Jeff Taffe, and backup goaltender Dany Sabourin. Shero also took several steps to ensure that his nucleus of talent remained in Pittsburgh by re-signing defenseman Ryan Whitney to a six-year, $24 million contract extension, and re-signing center and captain Sidney Crosby to a five-year, $43.5 million extension.

On July 16, 2007, Shero announced that he had re-signed head coach Michel Therrien to a one-year extension through the 2008–09 NHL season.

The trade deadline of the 2007–08 NHL season brought two other major trades for Shero and the Pittsburgh Penguins, sending Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito, and a future draft pick for the Atlanta Thrashers' Marián Hossa and Pascal Dupuis, as well as bringing the Toronto Maple Leafs' defenseman Hal Gill to his team for two future draft picks.

In 2009, the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games to win the Stanley Cup on the road at the Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings defeated the Penguins the year before in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals at Mellon Arena.

On May 16, 2014, the Penguins fired Shero after the team fell to the Rangers in seven games during the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins had held a 3–1 series lead heading into Game 5 of the series. This was also the fifth straight year the Penguins were eliminated by a lower-seeded opponent.

Shero became the general manager of the New Jersey Devils on May 4, 2015. Notable acquisitions and free agent signings during Shero's tenure as general manager include Taylor Hall, Will Butcher, Jesper Bratt, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, P. K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Jack Hughes, and Nico Hischier. Despite struggling for the first few years, the Devils returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2018 but were eliminated in the first round 4–1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Shero was fired by the Devils on January 12, 2020. Assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald was named as his replacement.