Ray Shero, longtime NHL executive, dies at 62

Ray Shero, a longtime NHL executive who most recently was a senior adviser to the general manager of the Minnesota Wild, died on Wednesday. He was 62.

“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.

“The son of legendary NHL coach Fred Shero, Ray forged his own path in the NHL following his successful playing career at St. Lawrence University. After stints as an assistant general manager in Ottawa and Nashville, he became general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006 and assembled the missing pieces of a team that became Stanley Cup finalists in 2008 and Stanley Cup champions in 2009. From 2015-2020, he was GM of the New Jersey Devils, drafting current stars Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, and had spent the past four seasons as a senior adviser to Minnesota GM Bill Guerin. He also served on the United States’ management teams for the 2010 and 2014 Olympics.

“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 was in his fourth season as senior adviser to Guerin, whom he acquired as a player in 2008-09 and hired as a development coach in 2011-12 with the Penguins. Shero spent 13 seasons as an NHL GM, first with the Penguins from 2006-14 before his five seasons with the Devils.

In New Jersey, Shero hired current Minnesota coach John Hynes to his first NHL head coaching job in 2015.

"Ray was a guy that meant a lot to me and my family and obviously he was a guy that as we go through life, you need people that can champion you and believe in you and and give you opportunities and Ray was certainly a guy that did that, with my start pro hockey in the American League, starting I was an assistant and then promoting me as a head coach when he got to the New Jersey Devils job, gave me a first opportunity there and he was just a great mentor to me," Hynes said. "Someone that I have a ton of respect for. We had a great relationship and I couldn’t be more thankful to him and who he was for the opportunities that were granted for me and also my family at this point. Not only just a good hockey man, he's just a great person. Just when you look at his legacy of what he did in the game, but I think also who he was as a person was really, really special."

Shero was an assistant GM with the Ottawa Senators from 1993-98 and held the same position with the Nashville Predators from 1998-2006.

"The GM job now is a tough job," Shero told NHL.com in January. "It's great to be able to back with Billy, knowing what he's about as a person and how he cares about the players and families. His experiences both on and off the ice have really helped a lot of people. He's got a lot of good people. It's really good to be able to contribute to that."

Shero was Penguins GM when they won the Stanley Cup in 2009, months after acquiring Guerin prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. He also won the Jim Gregory GM of the Year award in 2012-13 when he guided Pittsburgh to its first division title in five seasons and the Penguins advanced to the conference final for the first time since 2009.

He was Devils GM when they selected Hischier, their current captain, with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and Hughes with the No. 1 choice in the 2019 NHL Draft.

“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,” Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald 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.”

Former Predators GM David Poile hired Shero to be the team's assistant GM prior to its inaugural season in 1998-99.

"Ray made me laugh at least once every single day," Poile said. "He was that type of person. It was his personality. It's a tough job. And when you are around a hockey guy who is really smart and is also fun to be with, it's ideal. It was terrific for me, terrific to be with. … He was raised in hockey his whole life. He was used to going to games with his dad, his dad's teams. He had the interest, the knowledge, the package from a young age. He started as an agent, then was hired by Ottawa, then by me.

"You can close your eyes and the first thing you see is that huge smile. Open them, and here comes that huge burst of energy walking towards you. He doesn't have to say anything, and you're already laughing. Everybody wanted to be with Ray. Everybody wanted to hang out with Ray. He just brought that upbeat energy to the room no matter where you were."

Shero was proud of the way the Wild were playing this season after not qualifying for the playoffs in 2023-24.

"We've got skill, but there's an identity to the team, how we play," he said. "It's a heavy team. It's got size. There's a lot of good things going on.

"It's a fun group to watch. If people haven’t seen a game in St. Paul, it's an amazing place. It's packed every night, and they're a great fan base. They've had something to cheer about, and hopefully that can continue."

The St. Paul, Minnesota, native was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the 11th round (No. 216) of the 1982 NHL Draft but never played in the NHL. Prior to that, Shero played four seasons for St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, from 1980-85 including serving as captain during his senior season in 1984-85.

“Ray was respected throughout the hockey community and even more within the scouting ranks,” said Dan Marr, vice president and director of NHL Central Scouting. “He loved being in the rinks with scouts at games and tournaments and was very forward thinking in approaching new concepts concerning the NHL Draft Combine and NHL Draft.”

Shero's father, Fred Shero, played for the New York Rangers from 1947-1958 and was a coach for the Philadelphia Flyers (1971-1978), winning the Stanley Cup twice (1974, 1975), and the Rangers (1978-1981). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder category in 2013.

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report