The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Ray Shero to a five-year contract as their new general manager, it was announced today by team president and CEO Ken Sawyer.
Shero, 43, has been assistant general manager of the Nashville Predators for the past eight seasons, working closely with Predators GM David Poile on all aspects of the club’s hockey operations. His specific responsibilities included scouting at the amateur and professional levels, contract negotiations, and personnel matters such as arbitration, in addition to overseeing operations of the Predators’ top affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.
Before joining the Predators organization, Shero spent six seasons as assistant general manager of the Ottawa Senators – joining the club in its second year of existence as an expansion team.
A native of St. Paul, Minn., Shero played college hockey at St. Lawrence University, serving twice as team captain, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1982. He worked as a player agent for seven years before entering NHL management.
Shero is the son of the late Fred Shero, a former Calder Cup-winning defenseman and head coach who later coached the Philadelphia Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in the 1970’s.
Shero has played an important role in the success of the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate. In 2003-04, the Admirals led the AHL in wins (43) and points (102) and won the Calder Cup by defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Finals. On Wednesday night, the Admirals won their second AHL Western Conference championship in three seasons by defeating the Grand Rapids Griffins.
