Rejean "Ray" Shero (born July 28, 1962) is an American former

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

executive who served as the

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

and

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

franchises. Shero was the general manager of the Penguins from 2006 to 2014. He was fired after the Penguins' second round exit from the 2014 playoffs. His tenure with the Devils lasted from May 4, 2015, when he replaced

Lou Lamoriello Louis P. Lamoriello (born October 21, 1942) is an American professional ice hockey executive who is the president of hockey operations and general manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also the former gene ...

, until he was fired on January 12, 2020. Shero is the son of former

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...

and

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

coach Fred Shero.

Playing career

Shero played his college ice hockey for the

St. Lawrence Saints The St. Lawrence Saints are composed of 33 teams representing St. Lawrence University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's alpine skiing, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, nordic skiing, riding, rowing, so ...

, captaining the team during the 1984–85 season. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

, but never played in the NHL.

Executive career

Before joining the Penguins in 2006, Shero was an assistant general manager first for the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

from 1993 to 1998 and then for the

Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...

from their entrance into the league in 1998 until 2006.

Pittsburgh Penguins (2006–2014)

In his first season on the job with the

, Shero made a small splash in the free agent market, signing forwards

Mark Recchi Mark Louis Recchi (; born February 1, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former assistant coach. Recchi played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, ...

and

Jarkko Ruutu Jarkko is a given name. Notable people with the given name include: *Jarkko Ahola (born 1977), Finnish performing artist, composer and singer * Jarkko Ala-Huikku (born 1980), Finnish Greco-Roman wrestler * Jarkko Hattunen (born 1987), Finnish ice h ...

, along with defenseman Mark Eaton. In addition to these moves, he traded for forwards

Nils Ekman Nils Karl "Nisse" Ekman (born 11 March 1976) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey right winger. During his 15-year career as a player at the professional level he played in the National Hockey League, Swedish Elite League (SHL), Kontinent ...

and

Dominic Moore Benjamin Dominic Moore (born August 3, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He most recently played for the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL), and has played nearly 900 National Hockey League (NHL) games. Initially draft ...

, after drafting center Jordan Staal with the second overall pick in the

2006 NHL Entry Draft The 2006 NHL Entry Draft was the 44th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 24, 2006. The draft order for the first 14 picks was decided during a lottery held on April 20, 2006. The draft was ...

. This choice paid immediate dividends, as Staal would score 29 goals and 42 points in his rookie year with fellow rookie Evgeni Malkin. At the trade deadline of the 2006–07 NHL season, Shero swung two major trades, sending

Noah Welch Noah Paul Welch (born August 26, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Atlanta Thrashers. Welch ...

to the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

for veteran Gary Roberts, and sending

Daniel Carcillo Daniel Carcillo (born January 28, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He most recently played under contract to the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). His on-ice reputation as an enforcer has led ...

and a draft pick to the

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

for enforcer Georges Laraque. Shero made several tweaks to his club during the next off-season, signing defenseman

Darryl Sydor Darryl Marion Sydor (born May 13, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey defenceman. He won two Stanley Cups during his career: with the Dallas Stars in 1999, and with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. He also reached the Sta ...

, forwards

Petr Sýkora Petr Sýkora (; born November 19, 1976) is a Czech former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Pengu ...

and

Jeff Taffe Jeffrey Charles Taffe (born February 19, 1981) is an American former professional ice hockey center. Taffe was drafted in the first round, 30th overall, by the St. Louis Blues in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career After playing three seaso ...

, and backup goaltender Dany Sabourin. Shero also took several steps to ensure that his nucleus of talent remained in Pittsburgh by re-signing defenseman Ryan Whitney to a six-year, $24 million contract extension, and re-signing center and captain Sidney Crosby to a five-year, $43.5 million extension. On July 16, 2007, Shero announced that he had re-signed head coach

Michel Therrien Michel Therrien (born November 4, 1963) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. (NHL). Therrien formerly coached the Montreal Canadiens, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. Prior to his coaching career, Therrien played pr ...

to a one-year extension through the

2008–09 NHL season The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation (91st season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the sea ...

. The trade deadline of the

2007–08 NHL season The 2007–08 NHL season was the 91st season of operation (90th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). It began on September 29, 2007, and the regular season ended April 6, 2008. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended on June 4, with the D ...

brought two other major trades for Shero and the Pittsburgh Penguins, sending

Colby Armstrong Colby Joseph Armstrong (born November 23, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in a 9-y ...

Erik Christensen Erik Christensen (born December 17, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who last played for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Playing career Christensen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round (69t ...

, prospect

Angelo Esposito Angelo Esposito (born February 20, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who last played for České Budějovice Motor of the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League. Esposito was drafted in the first round (20th overall) by the Pi ...

, and a future draft pick for the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...

Marián Hossa Marián Hossa (; born 12 January 1979) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger. Hossa was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round, 12th overall, of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. After spending his first seven NHL seasons wi ...

and

Pascal Dupuis Pascal Dupuis (born April 7, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Dupuis played 14 seasons in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Dupuis retired in December 20 ...

, as well as bringing the Toronto Maple Leafs' defenseman

Hal Gill Harold Priestley Gill III (born April 6, 1975) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 NHL seasons with six different teams, winning the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. He also played for the Bo ...

to his team for two future draft picks. In 2009, the Penguins defeated the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

in seven games to win the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

. They won the cup on the road at the Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings defeated the Penguins the year before in the

2008 Stanley Cup Finals The 2008 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2007–08 season, and the culmination of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings ...

at Mellon Arena. On May 16, 2014, the Penguins fired Shero after the team fell to the Rangers in seven games during the second round of the

2014 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 16, 2014, and ended June 13, 2014 when the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New York Rangers four games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Boston Bruins made the ...

. The Penguins had held a 3–1 series lead heading into Game 5 of the series. This was also the fifth straight year the Penguins were eliminated by a lower-seeded opponent.

New Jersey Devils (2015–2020)

Shero became the general manager of the

on May 4, 2015. Notable acquisitions and free agent signings during Shero's tenure as general manager include Taylor Hall,

Will Butcher William Butcher (born January 6, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing for the Texas Stars in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

Jesper Bratt Jesper Bratt (born 30 July 1998) is a Swedish professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), winger for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bratt was selected by the Devils in the sixth round, 162nd overall, of the 2016 NHL ...

Kyle Palmieri Kyle Charles Palmieri (; born February 1, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey right winger for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks. Growing up ...

Sami Vatanen Sami Vatanen (born 3 June 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman for Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL). He was drafted in the fourth round, 106th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Playing car ...

P. K. Subban Pernell-Karl Sylvester Subban ( ; born May 13, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Between 2009 and 2022, he played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, a ...

Wayne Simmonds Wayne Simmonds (born August 26, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Simmonds has previously played for the Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predato ...

Jack Hughes Jack Hughes (born May 14, 2001) is an American professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). A product of the U.S. National Development Team, Hughes was drafted first ove ...

, and

Nico Hischier Nico Hischier (; born 4 January 1999) is a Swiss professional ice hockey centre and captain of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hischier made his professional debut in his native Switzerland in 2015, spending time bo ...

. Despite struggling for the first few years, the Devils returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

but were eliminated in the first round 4–1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Shero was fired by the Devils on January 12, 2020. Assistant general manager

Tom Fitzgerald Tom Fitzgerald or Thomas Fitzgerald, Thomas FitzGerald may refer to: * Tom Fitzgerald (economist) (1918–1993), Australian, delivered 1990 Boyer Lectures * Tom Fitzgerald (handballer) (born 1966), American handball player * Tom Fitzgerald (soccer ...

was named as his replacement.

References

External links

*
Hockey Smarts Run in Shero Family at NHL.com
7 Aug 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Shero, Rejean 1962 births Living people American men's ice hockey centers American people of Russian descent Ice hockey people from Minnesota Los Angeles Kings draft picks Nashville Predators personnel National Hockey League general managers New Jersey Devils executives Ottawa Senators general managers Pittsburgh Penguins executives Sportspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota St. Lawrence Saints men's ice hockey players Stanley Cup champions Ice hockey players from Saint Paul, Minnesota