Those banners will serve as long-lasting reminders of the success of Rutherford s tenure, one that came to an abrupt end on Wednesday when the 71-year-old Hall of Famer resigned just two weeks into the abbreviated 2021 season.
Rutherford, whose contract was set to expire in June, cited personal reasons behind the decision. He told team president and CEO David Morehouse on Tuesday night and confirmed it again when the two spoke Wednesday morning. It just got to a point that I decided my time was up here, Rutherford told The Associated Press.
Rutherford, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019, stressed the move had nothing to do with his health.
Will Graves
FILE - In this May 28, 2016, file photo, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford watches the team during NHL hockey practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa., in this Saturday, May 28, 2016, file photo. Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, a Hall of Famer who helped lead to a pair of Stanley Cup titles, resigned abruptly on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File) January 27, 2021 - 4:07 PM
PITTSBURGH - Jim Rutherford arrived in Pittsburgh in the summer of 2014 tasked with jumpstarting a star-laden but stalled franchise to life.
By the end of his third season as general manager, the Penguins became the first team in a generation to win consecutive Stanley Cup titles.
Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images
2020 was a disappointing year for the New Jersey Devils. After trading their best player in December 2019, they were unable to even make it into an expanded playoffs. The Devils were just a few points away from being in the play-in round, but the team’s ineptitude and the slowness Ray Shero took in firing John Hynes doomed them from the year 2019. Without any Devils games to watch following the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, we have resorted to a few things over the past months - including the 2020 Draft, the performances of prospects overseas, and now the World Juniors Championship. This could only tide us over for so long though, and now we have more to look forward to in 2021.
Insider Trading: World Juniors remain all systems go amid COVID-19 concerns
What is the plan to keep the World Juniors on track? And who will be in charge of Canada’s men’s national team for the Olympics in 2022? The TSN Hockey Insiders discuss this and more in Insider Trading.
TSN.ca Staff Team Canada World Juniors , The Canadian Press
What is the plan to keep the World Juniors on track? And who will be in charge of Canada’s men’s national team for the Olympics in 2022? The TSN Hockey Insiders discuss this and more in Insider Trading.
As Team Canada continues to whittle down its roster ahead of the World Juniors, the pandemic is also knocking out players from a number of different teams. What’s the plan over the next few days in terms of keeping this tournament on track?