Penguins' Sidney Crosby pens heartfelt note for his ex-GM Ray Shero

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby dropped a heartfelt note after learning of former team GM Ray Shero’s passing on Tuesday.

Shero, passed away at the age of 62, insider Chris Johnston reported in The Athletic. Shero was instrumental in building the team that won the 2009 Stanley Cup. Shero was also at the helm of the New Jersey Devils during his career as an NHL executive.

As such, Sidney Crosby took to social media to express his grief for the loss of a longtime friend and mentor. Crosby wrote on X:

“Ray Shero was a big part of my early days in Pittsburgh. He gave me a lot of opportunity as a young captain and supported me throughout his time. He did so much for our organization and my memories with him are special. I am grateful for our time spent here and that we were able to share a Stanley Cup championship together.”

The picture in Crosby’s post depicted Ray Shero celebrating the Penguins’ 2009 championship alongside Sidney Crosby.

Shero arrived in Pittsburgh in 2006. He was pivotal in mentoring Crosby while drafting Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. Shero left the Penguins following the 2014 season before taking on the GM role with the New Jersey Devils.

Shero will be sorely missed in the hockey world, family, and loved ones. Shero served as a special advisor to the Minnesota Wild until his sad passing on April 9.

Ray Shero’s illustrious career went beyond mentoring Sidney Crosby

Ray Shero first made his mark on the hockey world as a player. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1982 with the 216th overall pick. Unfortunately, Shero never made it to the NHL.

As a player, Shero captained the St. Lawrance Saints, his college team through the 1984-1985 season. After calling it quits on his playing career, Shero pursued a role as an executive.

Shero, the son of former Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers player and coach Fred Shero, eventually rose to prominence in the front office of the Ottawa Senators. Ray Shero became an assistant GM for the Sens from their inaugural season in 1993 until 1998.

From there, Shero moved on to another expansion team, the Nashville Predators from 1998 to 2006. After leaving the Predators, Shero got his big break, becoming the Penguins’ GM that offseason.

His success in Pittsburgh was almost immediate. Shero put the pieces for the 2009 Penguins championship team, which started with taking a young Sidney Crosby under his wing. The Penguins’ core blossomed into a championship-caliber squad.

However, the Penguins ran into consecutive early playoff exits, prompting team ownership to move on from Shero. He then took the helm of the New Jersey Devils from 2015 to 2020. Since 2020, Shero had been in the Wild’s front office as a special advisor.

Ray Shero and his father Fred both won Stanley Cups, with Fred as a coach of the Philadelphia Flyers and Shero as GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins.