Ray Shero, the long-time NHL executive who won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, has passed away at age 62.
A cause of death has not been revealed for the Minnesota native, who had spent the four years serving as a senior advisor to Wild 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,’ NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said 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. … 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.’
Shero is survived by his wife, Karen, and their two sons, Chris and Kyle.
Ray Shero, the NHL executive who won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins, has passed away
Ray Shero addresses the media prior to the game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers at the Prudential Center on September 20, 2019 in Newark
A college hockey player at St. Lawrence, Shero was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1982, but never played in the NHL.
Instead he became an assistant general manager for the Ottawa Senators in 1993 before taking a similar position in Nashville.
But it was in Pittsburgh where Shero made a name for himself within hockey circles by adding the likes of Jordan Staal and Marián Hossa to a team that already boasted elite talents like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. By 2009, that team would beat the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Ultimately Shero was fired in 2014 after the Penguins were bounced from the playoffs by the New York Rangers, marking the fifth straight year Pittsburgh was beaten in the postseason by a lower seed.
Shero then moved on to the New Jersey Devils, where he’d ultimately add stars such as Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, P. K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Jack Hughes, and Nico Hischier.
The Devils would reach the playoffs once under Shero and he was ultimately dismissed in January of 2020.
‘Ray was a highly-respected executive, enthusiastic mentor, and most importantly, tremendous friend to many during his time in New Jersey,’ read Wednesday’s statement from the Devils on his passing. ‘Ray come from a family that dedicated themselves to the game, and he continued to pass that commitment on.’
