NEW YORK– The Nationwide Hockey League right now introduced that Ray Shero has been named the recipient of the 2025 Lester Patrick Trophy for excellent service to hockey in the US.
The annual award, one of the vital prestigious in hockey, was introduced to the Nationwide Hockey League by the New York Rangers in 1966. It honors the reminiscence of Lester Patrick, who spent 50 years in hockey as a participant, coach and basic supervisor and was a pioneer within the sport’s improvement.
Shero, a local of Saint Paul, MN, who handed away April 9 on the age of 62, spent 13 seasons as an NHL basic supervisor, together with a Stanley Cup championship season with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008-09. He additionally served as GM of the New Jersey Devils, along with lengthy stints as an government with the Ottawa Senators, Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild.
“Ray Shero’s legacy as an NHL government is immortalized by the engraving of his title on the Stanley Cup and the success of the Gamers he scouted, drafted and traded for in Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Ottawa, Nashville and Minnesota,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated. “His contributions to rising the sport in the US are equally noteworthy and in depth – from captaining his group at St. Lawrence College to serving to assemble 13 U.S. World Championships groups to serving as an affiliate basic supervisor for the 2014 U.S. Olympic Staff.
“Nevertheless, his true legacy shall be as a person who embodied one of the best of our recreation: fierce competitors on the ice and welcoming fellowship off the ice. Broadly revered all through hockey for his team-building acumen and eye for expertise, he was much more beloved for a way he handled everybody lucky sufficient to have recognized him.”
After a four-year taking part in profession at St. Lawrence College, Shero labored as a participant agent for seven years earlier than changing into Assistant Normal Supervisor of the Senators in 1993. He spent 5 seasons in that place, earlier than transferring on to the identical function with the Predators in 1998. After serving to to information the Predators by way of their first eight years of their existence, Shero was employed as Government Vice President and Normal Supervisor of the Penguins in 2006.
Shero helped construct the Penguins squad that went to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals in 2008 and 2009 and emerged victorious over the Detroit Crimson Wings within the second of these two journeys to seize the franchise’s third Stanley Cup. His eight-year tenure in Pittsburgh additionally included recognition by the NHL because the 2012-13 winner of the Jim Gregory Normal Supervisor of the Yr Award, after a season during which the Penguins completed with the Japanese Convention’s finest report and registered a franchise-record .750 factors proportion (36-12-0 in 48 GP).
Following his time with the Penguins, Shero turned Government Vice President and Normal Supervisor of the Devils Could 4, 2015. Amongst his contributions throughout practically 5 full seasons in that function had been overseeing the picks of franchise cornerstones Jack Hughes (within the 2019 NHL Draft) and Nico Hischier (within the 2017 NHL Draft), in addition to the acquisition in 2016 of Taylor Corridor, who would go on to submit an MVP season for the Devils in 2017-18.
Shero’s final NHL function commenced in June of 2021, when he joined the Wild as Senior Advisor to the Normal Supervisor, a place which he nonetheless held on the time of his passing.
n addition to his NHL accomplishments, Shero was an essential contributor to USA Hockey’s males’s nationwide group efforts throughout his profession, together with serving to discovered the U.S. Males’s Nationwide Staff Advisory Group in 2007. He served as affiliate basic supervisor of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Males’s Ice Hockey Staff and was additionally concerned in deciding on 13 totally different U.S. Males’s Nationwide Groups for the IIHF Males’s World Championship.
Shero shall be formally honored as a part of the U.S. Hockey Corridor of Fame Induction Celebration Dec. 10 in Saint Paul. That occasion will embrace the enshrinement of U.S. Hockey Corridor of Fame Class of 2025 honorees Bruce Bennett, Scott Gomez, Tara Mounsey, Zach Parise and Joe Pavelski.
Previous winners of the Lester Patrick Trophy embrace Sam Rosen (2024), Joe Bertagna (2023), Warren Strelow (2022), Jack Barzee (2021), Lynn Olson (2020), Dr. Jack Blatherwick (2019), Jim Johansson (2018), Peter Lindberg & Dave Ogrean (2017), Mark Howe & Patrick J. Kelly (2016), Jeremy Jacobs & Bob Crocker (2015), and Invoice Daly & Paul Holmgren (2014). Ray Shero’s father, Fred Shero, was honored with the 1980 Lester Patrick Trophy. For the total listing of Lester Patrick Trophy recipients please click on right here.
