PITTSBURGH -- Jim Rutherford doesnt believe the Pittsburgh Penguins need to
undergo a massive overhaul to regain their spot among the NHLs elite.
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Grey . One thing is for certain: Dan Bylsma wont be part of the
process. The Penguins fired the franchises all-time winningest coach on Friday
while hiring Rutherford away from the Carolina Hurricanes to replace Ray Shero
as general manager. Rutherfords first decision was to end the three weeks of
limbo for Bylsma, whose star-laden teams had fallen well short of the Stanley
Cup since winning it all in 2009. "What ownership wants here is a complete
change in direction, one with the GM and one with the coach," Rutherford said.
Bylsma won 252 games behind the bench and was the Jack Adams Award winner in
2012 as the NHLs Coach of the Year but failed to produce a bookend to the
championship he captured with stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in 2009. The
Penguins were just 4-5 in playoff series since raising the 2009 Cup, with each
loss coming to a lower-seeded team. Pittsburghs latest defeat came last month
when the Penguins fell to the New York Rangers in seven games in the Eastern
Conference semifinals. Rutherford met with Bylsma on Friday morning as part of
an organization-wide shake-up. In addition to dismissing Bylsma, the Penguins
promoted Jason Botterill to associate general manager, named Bill Guerin and
Tom Fitzgerald assistant general managers. The 65-year-old Rutherford takes over
for Shero, who was fired on May 16. The new gig is a homecoming for the former
goaltender. Rutherford played for the Penguins in the 1970s before spending 20
years with the franchise that began as the Hartford Whalers, moved to North
Carolina in 1997 and won the Stanley Cup in 2006. The Hurricanes struggled
maintaining that success, missing the post-season each of the last five years.
It led to Rutherford stepping down in April when the Hurricanes promoted
Ron Francis -- who helped Pittsburgh win consecutive Cups in 1991 and 92 -- to
the GMs job. Rutherford took on an advisory role in Carolina with a small
ownership stake in the team, a position he will relinquish in the near future.
The Penguins, meanwhile, plan to get their moneys worth out of a man closer to
the end of his career than the beginning. Rutherford allowed he will likely only
be around "two or three years" and will serve as a mentor to his new staff,
adding he will give Botterill and company "big roles with a lot to say."
Rutherford hopes to find Bylsmas replacement by the time free agency begins in
July. Considering the talent at the top of the roster, the job will certainly be
attractive. Finding the right fit, however, may be challenging. "With some
changes, they dont have to be sweeping changes, we can (win another Cup) in the
near future," Rutherford said. While its unlikely Rutherford will do much to
mess with the core of Crosby, Malkin and defenceman Kris Letang, there are some
serious depth issues, particularly along the bottom two lines. "Our supporting
cast needs to be improved," Rutherford said. "I look at our fourth-line players
and some of those guys are in double-digit minuses and we cant have that." What
the Penguins do have is arguably the leagues best player in Crosby and one of
its most dynamic in Malkin. The duo has dominated during the regular season when
healthy -- with Crosby the favourite to pick up his second Hart Trophy as league
MVP after leading the NHL with 114 points this season -- but that success hasnt
translated into deep playoff runs. Crosby struggled in the post-season. He
scored just once in 13 games while maintaining he was not injured. Rutherford
will try to find the right kind of role players to take some of the pressure off
his high-wattage stars. Coincidentally, the Hurricanes are also looking for a
new coach -- Francis first big decision in his new job was firing Kirk Muller
after three years -- and Carolina has been mentioned as a possible landing spot
for Bylsma. The move by Rutherford -- who won 44 games in net for the Penguins
from 1971-74 -- is the latest in a series of significant ties between the
organizations. Carolina has the longest active playoff drought among Eastern
Conference teams. Its last post-season appearance came in 2009 -- when the
Hurricanes were swept in the East final by a Penguins team that went on to win
its only Stanley Cup under Sheros leadership, the crowning achievement of his
eight years as Pittsburghs GM. Rutherford and Shero orchestrated the blockbuster
trade of the 2012 NHL draft when forward Jordan Staal was sent to Carolina and
reunited with big brother Eric in exchange for Sutter and prospects.
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Clearance . Will Venable and Ryan Ludwick drove in a run each for
the Padres, who have taken six of their last seven contests and clinched their
third straight series win after winning the first two in this set. Clayton
Richard (4-9) allowed five hits and a pair of runs over seven innings, while
fanning five.
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Red Wearable Sneakers .com) - Colorado may be ahead of the
Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference standings, but they are a club that
the Avalanche may want to avoid in the playoffs.EDMONTON -- Oilers captain
Andrew Ference has won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and
humanitarian contributions. Ference has worked on behalf of the Edmonton Oilers
Community Foundation and other charitable organizations since signing with the
team last summer. The veteran defenceman, who brought the community
fitness-oriented November Project to Edmonton from Boston, was named captain
just a couple off months after signing a US$13-million, four-year deal with the
Oilers.
Salomon Speedcross 3. . Ference is the third
Oilers player to win the King Clancy. Ethan Moreau won the award in 2009 and
current team president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe won in 1990. Former
Bruins teammate Patrice Bergeron was the 2013 recipient. The Edmonton native
will be honoured at the NHL awards gala next week in Las Vegas.
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