Pittsburgh Penguins’ Ray Shero named GM of the year by NHL
By Larry Snyder
On Friday night, the National Hockey League named the Penguins’ Ray Shero as its 2013 General Manager of the Year. Shero, 50, was hired as the Pens GM back in May 2006. In the seven years he has been at the helm, Pittsburgh has won a Stanley Cup, played in two Cup Finals, played in three Eastern Conference Finals, won two Atlantic Division titles and made seven consecutive postseasons.
June 22, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero announces the Penguins first round draft choice in the 2012 NHL Draft at CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
In a 10-day span before the NHL annual trade deadline this season, Shero left his mark with four trades that brought in Brenden Morrow, Jarome Iginla, Doug Murray and Jussi Jokinen to the Penguins.
“It’s a great honor,” Shero told the NHL Network. “It’s not something you set out to do. Any general manager’s mandate is to place the best team possible and have a successful franchise, running that accordingly”
Shero went on to say, “It’s a reflection of our ownership group, our coaching staff led by Dan Bylsma, my assistants, Jason Botterill. I’m very proud of it and happy to accept that.”
Shero’s award is the second NHL award for the Shero family. His father, Fred, led the Philadelphia Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975. Fred Shero was named the first-ever recipient of the Jack Adams award for coach of the year. Now, both father and son have their names on several pieces of hockey hardware.
Bob Murray of the Anaheim Ducks and Marc Bergevin of the Montreal Canadiens were the other finalists for the award.
From The Clipboard: Pittsburgh’s captain Sidney Crosby was a finalist for the Masterton Trophy for perserverance, sportsmanship, and dedication. The award went to Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding, who is battling multiple sclerosis.