Ray Shero, a longtime NHL executive who constructed the Penguins’ Stanley Cup-winning roster in 2009 and assembled the Devils’ current star-filled core, died Wednesday, the league announced.
He was 62 years old.
No cause of death was announced.
“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 had spent the previous four years serving as a senior advisor to Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who said Wednesday that Shero “changed my life,” according to The Athletic.
The son of former Rangers coach Fred Shero, Ray Shero worked his way up to assistant general manager with the Senators (1993-98) and Predators (1998-2006) after playing collegiately at St. Lawrence University.
Then, in 2006, the Penguins hired him as their general manager, and within two years, they made the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Red Wings.
And the following year, in a rematch between the two teams, Shero’s team earned the right to hoist the Stanley Cup.
“Ray was instrumental in ushering in a new era of Penguins hockey,” the Penguins said in a statement. “… We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, his sons, Chris and Kyle, and all those fortunate enough to call him a friend. Ray was admired and loved in the hockey world, and especially here in Pittsburgh.”
The Penguins falling to the Rangers in the 2014 playoffs led to Shero being fired, but one year later, the Devils hired him as part of their Lou Lamoriello succession plan when the longtime GM shifted into a new role as the franchise’s president.
So Shero became responsible for acquiring Taylor Hall and watched as he won the Hart Trophy.
He became responsible for drafting Jack Hughes (No. 1 overall, 2019) and Nico Hischier (No. 1 overall, 2017) and witnessed them shape the future outlook of the Devils, too.
“Ray was a highly-respected executive, enthusiastic mentor, and, most importantly, tremendous friend to many during his time in New Jersey,” Devils president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald said in a statement. “… 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.”
The Predators, in a statement, described Shero as “one of the most influential people in our sport.”
