Positive Thoughts Regarding Pens’ General Manager, Jim Rutherford

Here is a positive note in sports, few and far between these days.

It concerns Jim Rutherford, the general manager of the new Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The classy Mr. Rutherford has now helped build Stanley Cup winners 10 years apart, first with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and now with the Penguins in 2016.

I met Jim Rutherford once, in Los Angeles when he was with the Kings in 1981.

He said hello to me as a friendly gesture and somehow we introduced ourselves.

When he said Jim Rutherford, I said you mean the goaltender who was in goal in the last game of the last Red Wings’ full season playing at the famed Olympia in Detroit, in a (1-0) win against the great Montreal Canadiens, who did go on to win a 4th straight Stanley Cup in 1979.

That game enabled the New York Islanders, who were eventually “semi’d” by the New York Rangers, but who would go on to win 4 straight titles, starting the next season, to beat out the Canadiens for the best regular season record that season.

That game was a personal highlight for Jim Rutherford, the player, and he enjoyed hearing about it from a seemingly surprise source.

Now he has two Stanley Cup titles and in the past days thoughts turned to the great Gordie Howe and others at the famed Olympia and in the last full season game there, Jim Rutherford stood out.

He stands out as a gentleman and now after an especially great year with trades and decisions, most notably moving in Mike Sullivan as coach, as a two time and current Stanley Cup winning general manager.

Congratulations on a great job to Pittsburgh Penguins’ general manager, Jim Rutherford, pictured above.