Former Penguins GM Jim Rutherford Joins Vancouver

I’ll say this for former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford. He never fails to make headlines.

In a move that’s perhaps as stunning as his sudden resignation from the Pens back on January 27, Rutherford was hired today to serve as the Canucks’ president of hockey operations. He’ll also step in as interim GM while leading a search for a full-time GM to replace the recently fired Jim Benning.

In some ways similar to the black and gold when JR took over back in 2014, the Canucks possess a talented young core with the likes of Brock Boeser, Bo Horvat, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Pittsburgh native J.T. Miller but have fallen far short of expectations. It’ll be up to the 72-year-old exec and recently hired coach Bruce Boudreau to right the ship. A task the three-time Cup winner and Hockey Hall of Famer clearly relishes.

“It is an honor to join the Vancouver Canucks and to lead an NHL team in Canada,” Rutherford said. “I would like to thank [owner] Francesco [Aquilini] and the Aquilini family for the opportunity. The Canucks have an exciting young group of players, and I look forward to building a plan that will take this team to the next level and excite Canucks fans everywhere.”

Speaking of Canucks fans, they’re in for a treat. Win, lose or draw, things sure won’t be dull in the southwest corner of British Columbia with JR stirring the pot.

Sale Approved

In other noteworthy news, the NHL Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of our Penguins to the Fenway Sports Group today.

Current owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle will continue to hold a stake in the team.

“As the Penguins enter a new chapter, I will continue to be as active and engaged with the team as I always have been and look forward to continuing to build on our success with our incoming partners at FSG,” Mario said. “They have an organizational philosophy that mirrors the approach that worked so well for Ron and me over the past 22 years.”

In addition to the Pens, Fenway Sports Group owns the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball, Liverpool of the English Premier League, Roush Fenway Racing of NASCAR and Fenway Park. American businessman and investor John Henry is FSG’s principal owner.