Ray Shero

American ice hockey player and executive

Rejean "Ray" Shero (born July 28, 1962) is an American former ice hockey executive who served as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils franchises. Shero was the general manager of the Penguins from 2006 to 2014. He was fired after the Penguins' second round exit from the 2014 playoffs. His tenure with the Devils lasted from May 4, 2015, when he replaced Lou Lamoriello, until he was fired on January 12, 2020. Shero is the son of former Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers coach Fred Shero.

Shero played his college ice hockey for the St. Lawrence Saints, captaining the team during the 1984–85 season. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1982, but never played in the NHL.

Before joining the Penguins in 2006, Shero was an assistant general manager first for the Ottawa Senators from 1993 to 1998 and then for the Nashville Predators from their entrance into the league in 1998 until 2006. The trade deadline of the 2007–08 NHL season brought two other major trades for Shero and the Pittsburgh Penguins, sending Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito, and a future draft pick for the Atlanta Thrashers' Marián Hossa and Pascal Dupuis, as well as bringing the Toronto Maple Leafs' defenseman Hal Gill to his team for two future draft picks. In 2009, the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games to win the Stanley Cup. They won the cup on the road at the Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings defeated the Penguins the year before in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals at Mellon Arena. On May 16, 2014, the Penguins fired Shero after the team fell to the Rangers in seven games during the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins had held a 3–1 series lead heading into Game 5 of the series. This was also the fifth straight year the Penguins were eliminated by a lower seeded opponent.

Shero became the general manager of the New Jersey Devils on May 4, 2015. Notable acquisitions and free agent signings during Shero's tenure as general manager include Taylor Hall, Will Butcher, Jesper Bratt, Kyle Palmieri, Sami Vatanen, P. K. Subban, Wayne Simmonds, Jack Hughes, and Nico Hischier. Despite struggling for the first few years, the Devils returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2018 but were eliminated in the first round 4–1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Shero was fired by the Devils on January 12, 2020. Assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald was named as his replacement.