Penguins Extend GM Jim Rutherford’s Contract

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed general manager Jim Rutherford to a three-year contract extension through the 2021-22 season.

Rutherford managed the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017, becoming the only GM since the 1967 expansion to manage multiple teams to NHL titles.

He also won a Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.

The 69-year-old native of Beeton, Ont., is in his 25th year as an NHL general manager and his fifth season with the Penguins.  He currently ranks eighth in NHL history among general managers in both career wins (850) and games managed (1,834).

“We think Jim Rutherford is one of the best general managers in all of sports and, during his tenure in Pittsburgh, arguably the best GM In the NHL,” Penguins co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle said in a joint statement. “His goal every year is to win the Stanley Cup and that kind of commitment to excellence is what drives us all. Jim is already a big part of Penguins history with back-to-back championships, but his goal is to achieve even more, and we want to help him do that. We appreciate his continuing dedication to the Penguins.”

The deal extends Rutherford’s existing contract, which was scheduled to run through the current season.

The Canadian Press