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Jim Rutherford resigns as Penguins general manager

By Ian Oland

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January 27, 2021 2:09 pm

Jim Rutherford resigned as Pittsburgh Penguins general manager on Wednesday. He cited personal reasons.

Penguins assistant general manager Patrik Allvin will take his place in the interim.

“It has been a great honor to serve as general manager of the Penguins, and to hang two more Stanley Cup banners at PPG Paints Arena,” Rutherford said in a release. “I have so many people to thank, beginning with the owners, Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux, and team president David Morehouse. There always has been so much support from everyone involved with the Penguins, both on the hockey and business staffs, and, of course, from a special group of players led by Sidney Crosby. The fans here have been tremendous to me and my family. I know it’s a little unusual to have this happen during a season, but just felt this was the right time to step away.”

According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Rutherford was not pressured into resigning by the team.

He also did not resign for health reasons.

The Penguins will search for a new general manager to replace him in the coming weeks and months.

Rutherford is a Hockey Hall of Famer (2019), who led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He was also very aggressive about constantly improving and tinkering with his rosters sometimes to its detriment. Rutherford had an active offseason before 2020-21, which included revamping the team’s defense with guys like Cody Ceci and Mike Matheson. He also praised and defended Jack Johnson for months in the media before buying him out.

In the past, Rutherford has also picked fights with Tom Wilson in the media.

The Penguins are currently tied for second in the Massmutual East (9 points) and have a 4-2-1 record.

More from the Penguins:

Jim Rutherford has resigned as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, citing personal reasons, the team announced today.

Patrik Allvin, the Penguins’ assistant general manager, has been promoted to interim GM, and the search for a new GM will begin immediately.

Rutherford, 71, has been GM of the Penguins since the 2014-15 season, making the playoffs every year and leading the team to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.

“Jim has been an amazing representative of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he’ll always have a special place in our team’s history, his own legacy,” said David Morehouse, the Penguins’ president and CEO. “He’ll always be part of the Penguins. On behalf of our ownership, management, staff, coaches and players, we want to thank him for his many contributions, which go far beyond those two Stanley Cups. Jim is a great friend and teammate. We wish him and his family the best.”

Allvin, 46, was named assistant general manager in November, 2020. The native of Falun, Sweden is in his 15th season with the Penguins hockey operations staff, having started as a scout in 2006-07. He served as director of amateur scouting from 2017-20.

“I’m excited for this new opportunity with the Penguins, but I would not be in this position were it not for Jim’s faith in me over these past seven years,” Allvin said. “I want to thank him and wish him the best. Moving forward, I want everyone to know – from our ownership to our fans – that I’m committed to doing the best job possible for the Penguins, building on our strong start to the season.”

During this interim period, Allvin will be able to consult with the team’s Hall of Fame owner, Mario Lemieux, for input and advice.

Before coming to Pittsburgh, Rutherford spent twenty years as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise, winning the Stanley Cup in Carolina in 2006. He played 13 seasons in the NHL as a goaltender, including two stints with the Penguins.

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