Former Penguins, Devils GM Ray Shero dies at 62

Former Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero died at 62, the NHL announced Wednesday.

Shero also served as senior advisor for the Minnesota Wild since the 2021-22 campaign.

"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 wrote 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."

Shero was general manager of the Penguins from 2006-14, helping the club win its first Stanley Cup of the Sidney Crosby era in 2009. After his stint in Pittsburgh, Shero helmed the Devils from 2015-20. He brought in several key players during that span, drafting Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt.

The longtime executive began his career as assistant general manager of the Ottawa Senators in 1993. He held the same role on David Poile's staff for the Nashville Predators' first eight seasons in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Shero was also 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," Bettman said. "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."