Canucks hire Rutherford as team president, interim GM

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Canucks hired veteran NHL executive Jim Rutherford as team president on Thursday.

Rutherford will also serve as interim general manager while leading the search for a new GM.

The Canucks cleaned house on Sunday, firing general manager Jim Benning, coach Travis Green and other front-office staff. The team hired Bruce Boudreau as coach on a two-year deal, and has gone 2-0 since, beating the Los Angeles Kings 4-0 and the Boston Bruins 2-1.

“Jim has tremendous experience building and leading winning organizations and I believe he will help build the Vancouver Canucks into a team that can compete for championships again,” Canucks chairman Francesco Aquilini said in a statement.

The 72-year-old Rutherford, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders' category, was most recently GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2014-21. The team won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and ’17.

Before that, he served as Carolina's GM for 20 years and saw the Hurricanes win the Cup in 2006.

“It is an honor to join the Vancouver Canucks and to lead an NHL team in Canada,” Rutherford said. “The Canucks have an exciting young group of players, and I look forward to building a plan that will take this team to the next level and excite Canucks fans everywhere.”

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