The Minnesota Wild announced on Wednesday that Ray Shero, a special advisor and former NHL general manager, had passed away. In a statement, the Wild announced the news, saying the club was "deeply saddened" by his passing. They went on to say, "Ray was the best. He will be greatly missed by us all."
Shero last GM job was as the head of the New Jersey Devils front office. He took on a difficult role, first partnering with and eventually taking over for Lou Lamoriello, who had been the head of the Devils organization for more than two decades. Lamoriello was on his way out, leaving a few months after Shero's arrival, as a new ownership group was looking to build the Devils back into a winner.
Shero made the hard decision to tear it all down and put the Devils, who had an again roster and no prospect pool to speak of, into a full-blown rebuild. At first, the bold move worked. The Devils got the number-one overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and Shero's decision to take Nico Hischier over Nolan Patrick is still paying massive dividends today.
Shero had a multitude of draft wins with the organization, including taking Nathan Bastian, Jesper Bratt,Jesper Boqvist, Fabian Zetterlund, Akira Schmid, Yegor Sharangovich, and Arseni Gritsyuk outside of the first round. He was also the man who got to announce Jack Hughes' name when the Devils won the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery.
While Shero's legacy is complicated by some unfortunate moves, like the P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev trades, it's hard to say the positives don't outweigh the negatives. He was an executive who would make incredibly hard decisions and drive incredibly hard bargains. He got what we learned later became a bounty for Taylor Hall. Shero hired Tom Fitzgerald and kept him in-house despite other organizations targeting him for their own GM jobs. Fitz is now running the Devils on their way to their second playoff berth in three years, something that hasn't happened in more than a decade.
The Devils released a statement on Shero's passing:
"“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. 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.” "Tom Fitzgerald, Devils President & GM
The thoughts of the Pucks and Pitchforks staff goes out to Mr. Shero and his family. We hope they can eventually find peace after this tragic news. Ray Shero was only in New Jersey for four years, but he made a profound impact on the franchise, even if it took a few years to realize it.