Penguins Update: In Ray We Trusted

I remember how excited I was when the Penguins hired 43-year-old Ray Shero in the spring of 2006 to replace Hall-of-Famer Craig Patrick as general manager.

Although Patrick and his chief scout, Greg Malone, had drafted brilliantly, adding the likes of future superstars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang along with a stable of other young hopefuls, he’d lost his ability to fill in the missing pieces.

Indeed, a team loaded with high-profile free-agents such as Sergei Gonchar, Mark Recchi and John LeClair, to say nothing of Crosby and Mario Lemieux, sank like a stone the previous season to the tune of 58 points.

I was hopeful Shero, who’d served a 13-year apprenticeship in Ottawa and Nashville as an assistant GM, would be able to right the Pens’ fortunes and complete our championship puzzle.

Boy, did he ever.

One of his first priorities was to make the team harder to play against. With a few notable exceptions, the Pens had generally been one of the softer clubs in the league through their history.

Shero changed that.

Perhaps taking his cue from his dad, Fred Shero, who’d coached Philly’s rollicking Broad Street Bullies to back-to-back Stanley Cups in the 1970s, Ray signed abrasive winger Jarkko Ruutu and shortly afterward acquired iron-tough forwards “Scary” Gary Roberts and “Big” Georges Laraque to protect his budding corps of young stars. A trend that would continue throughout his tenure.

The turnaround was instant and dramatic. The Pens improved by a staggering 47 points in Shero’s first season at the helm and made it to the Cup Final in 2008. When the team faltered the following season he moved boldly, replacing hard-line coach Michel Therrien with upbeat Dan Bylsma and reinforcing his club with gritty scoring wingers Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz.

Suddenly piping hot, the Pens tore through the stretch run at an incendiary 18-3-4 clip and went on to hoist the Stanley Cup.

Thanks to his calculated but aggressive approach, Shero kept us on a short list of Cup contenders. “In Ray we trust,” became a popular sentiment among Penguins Nation. Count me among those who thought he did a terrific job.

Much like his predecessor, he was never afraid to move in bold strokes or take big swings. Indeed, his motto may well have been, “Think big, be big.”

Shero pulled off several high-profile trades during his tenure, acquiring snipers Marian Hossa and James Neal as well as capable foot soldiers Pascal Dupuis and Matt Niskanen.

During the spring of 2013, he stunned the hockey world with a series of blockbuster trades. In rapid succession, he acquired established forwards Brenden Morrow and Jussi Jokinen and rugged defenseman Douglas Murray along with the biggest prize of them all—future Hall-of-Fame Jarome Iginla.

“We’re all in,” he declared. “We want to win.”

The Pens did just that, promptly reeling off 15 wins in a row.

Although they fell short in their quest for another Cup, it wasn’t for a lack of effort or try on our GM’s part. Shortly afterward, Shero was named General Manager of the Year.

Among his most noteworthy achievements, he wisely inked Crosby, Malkin and Letang to long-term extensions, setting the course for the Stanley Cups to come.

Ray proved equally adept and insightful at the draft table. Third-rounder Matt Murray would go on to backstop our ’16 and ‘17 Cup winners. Two of Shero’s other third-round picks, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust, blossomed into scorers at the NHL level.

Unfortunately, one of his finest traits, loyalty to his players and staff, would ultimately prove to be his undoing in the ‘Burgh. In 2013, he inked former Cup hero Rob Scuderi to a four-year deal precisely when the game was trending away from stay-at-home defensemen to mobile puck-movers.

Prodded by ownership to replace his good friend, Bylsma, Shero instead stood by his man. Following another upset defeat in the 2014 playoffs at the hands of a lower seed, both were relieved of their duties.

Shero departed with the highest points percentage (.645) of any GM in club history and the second-most wins. Classy to the end, he betrayed no bitterness.

“Eight years,” he said. “A lot of games. I have good memories.”

So do we, Ray. Great ones, in fact.

God bless, and may you rest in peace.