Getty

Longtime NHL Stanley Cup-Winning Executive Dies At 62

Originally posted on The Spun | By Hunter Hodies | Last updated Apr 9, 2025 2:11 PM ET

The NHL community was hit with some crushing news on Wednesday when Ray Shero passed away.

Shero, the son of former Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers head coach Fred Shero, had been an assistant to Minnesota Wild general manager Billy Guerin for the previous four seasons and had also spent time with the Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New Jersey Devils.

He was the GM of the Penguins from 2006-14 and was the architect behind the Penguins' Stanley Cup team in 2009. He showed that the Penguins were all-in to win Stanley Cups in the Sidney Crosby era when he traded for former NHL star winger Marian Hossa in 2008.

Shero also acquired Hal Gill and Pascal Dupuis that year, two players who went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009. Even though Hossa left after the 2008 season, it still signaled that it was a new era for Penguins hockey.

He also drafted players who went on to become major contributors for the Penguins in their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017, including Jake Guentzel, Matt Murray, Bryan Rust, Olli Maatta, and many more.

After his Penguins tenure, he was the GM of the New Jersey Devils from 2015-20 and made some big moves while at the helm, including trading for Taylor Hall, drafting Nico Hischier first in the 2017 NHL Draft, and Jack Hughes first overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.

He even drafted star forward Jesper Bratt in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. He had a keen eye for talent and was a great front-office executive during his career.

We send our condolences to Shero's family and friends.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: