Penguins Hire Ron Hextall As New General Manager

Pittsburgh PA

09 February, 2021

2:47 PM

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PITTSBURGH, PA — The Penguins on Tuesday hired Ron Hextall to be the team's new general manager. He replaces Jim Rutherford, who abruptly resigned last month. Co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle also named Brian Burke as president of hockey operations. Hextall will oversee the Penguins hockey operations and report to Burke, who will report to team president David Morehouse. "We feel incredibly lucky to bring in two highly-respected executives with a combined 50-plus years of NHL management experience," Morehouse said. "Ron and Brian are well-known in the hockey world as fierce competitors with championship pedigrees. They're very well-connected and experienced in all aspects of the game. They are both excited to get to work here in Pittsburgh, blending their skills and building on our long tradition of success." Hextall, 56, a former NHL goalie, was general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers from 2014-2018. He also was assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Kings from 2006-2013, helping the Kings to their first Stanley Cup in 2012. He began his post-playing career as a scout for the Flyers in 1999. Burke, 65, a Harvard Law School graduate, has spent 31 years as an NHL executive and won the Stanley Cup as general manager of the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07.He also served as general manager of the Hartford Whalers and the Canucks; president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs; and president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames. From 1993-98 he was executive vice president and director of hockey operations for the NHL, working closely with commissioner Gary Bettman. Patrik Allvin, the interim general manager since Rutherford resigned on Jan. 27, will resume his role as assistant general manager under Hextall and Burke. "It's an honor to be joining the Pittsburgh Penguins - an organization well-known for its excellence on and off the ice," Hextall said in a lease. "I look forward to working with ownership, Brian and the entire organization toward the ultimate goal of bringing another Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh." Hextall played 13 seasons as an NHL goaltender with the Flyers, Quebec Nordiques and New York Islanders, posting 296 wins and a 2.98 goals-against average. His father, Bryan Hextall, was a center for the Penguins from 1969 through 1974. "I've come full circle," Hextall said, "as I have fond memories as a youth in Pittsburgh watching the Penguins and my father."