Ray Shero, the longtime NHL executive and son of a Hockey Hall of Fame coach, has died, the NHL announced in a statement on Wednesday. He was 62.
Shero started out as a sports agent before launching an NHL front office career spanned three decades. He served as GM for the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins, turning the latter from a franchise that hadn’t made playoffs in five seasons into a Stanley Cup winner in 2009 with the first championship of the Sidney Crosby era. Shero held his post with the Penguins from 2006-2014, guiding Pittsburgh to the postseason in every year of his tenure.
After leaving the Penguins, Shero landed in New Jersey and went to work rebuilding the Devils’ core. From 2015-2020, he added the likes of Taylor Hall (who was the NHL’s MVP in 2018), Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier.
“On behalf of the ownership, management, staff, and players of the New Jersey Devils, we are all stunned and deeply saddened by the passing of former General Manager Ray Shero,” said Tom Fitzgerald, Devils president and GM said in a statement. “Ray was a highly-respected executive, enthusiastic mentor, and most importantly, tremendous friend to many during his time in New Jersey. Ray came from a family that dedicated themselves to the game, and he continued to pass that commitment on. The organization is extremely grateful for the impact Ray had during his tenure in New Jersey, and it is without question that his fingerprints are on the current group we see today both on and off the ice. We send our sincere condolences to his family, and countless friends throughout the hockey world.”
The following year after being fired in New Jersey, Shero joined the Minnesota Wild as a senior advisor and held that position until his death.
Hockey was always in Shero’s blood, although he never played the game professionally. His father was famed coach Fred Shero, who won back-to-back Cups with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975 and was the NHL’s Jack Adams winner as coach of the year in 1974.
Fred Shero was a pioneer behind the bench, becoming the first head coach to hire assistants and adopting morning skates. He was inducted posthumously to the Hall of Fame’s builder category in 2013.
Like his father before him, Ray was able to leave his own lasting impression on the NHL.
“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 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…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.”
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