In Shero We Trust: Penguins Stars Share Memories; ‘Just Forever Grateful’

The news of the death of former Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero this week still resonated in the team’s locker room on Thursday.

In particular, centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as well as defenseman Kris Letang had a strong connection to Shero, who took over as Penguins GM in 2006 and led a then-young club to a meteoric rise to the 2008 Stanley Cup final and the 2009 Cup title.

“He was involved with hockey so long, and everybody you talk to who he either worked with or has some connection to him, has some way that he impacted them,” Crosby said. “I think that says everything you need to know about him. We’re forever grateful for everything he did and the impact he had.”

Certainly, the Penguins’ remaining core three had meaningful interactions with Shero that they have been thinking about since the news of his death. Here are some of those thoughts and anecdotes that they shared:

Sidney Crosby

For Crosby, strong communication with Shero was instrumental early in his career.

“As a young guy, he encouraged me to talk to him,” Crosby recalled. “He said his door was always open. When you’re a young player, you’re pretty intimidated to talk to the GM, but he made it a point to bring me in there sometimes to talk hockey, kind of tell me what he expected of us.

“Just someone who really empowered me personally and I think us as a group. You could see what developed from there. He had a huge impact on me, had a huge impact on the organization. Just forever grateful.”

When Crosby, now 37, was a teenager, Shero approached him about becoming the Penguins’ team captain. Crosby respectfully said he wasn’t ready.

That launched an ongoing conversation among Crosby, Shero and then-coach Michel Therrien, and before too long Crosby felt comfortable enough to become the youngest captain in NHL history, 19 years, 297 days, when he accepted the “C” in May 2007.

“That was a conversation, a couple conversations,” Crosby said. “It’s something that when you get the confidence from Ray, who had been around for a long time, and then seeing Mike and the older guys, that combination gives you a lot more confidence, especially as a young player.”

Shero also was the GM when Crosby went through a tough time with a concussion and neck issue that limited him to 63 games over two seasons and perhaps threatened the continuation of his career.

“Having that open door and making sure that we were communicating during that time. It was kind of new territory … navigating through a fairly unknown situation, so he was great to deal with,” Crosby said. “It wasn’t an easy situation, but he did his best to make sure it was as painless as possible.

“Whether it was that or numerous other things during his time here, it made a huge impact.”

Evgeni Malkin

Malkin, as many recall, was drafted in the first round in 2004, but his somewhat harrowing move from Russia to the United States so that he could begin his NHL career did not happen until 2006, the same offseason when Shero became GM.

“He’s probably the first guy who texted me when I was in Russia,” Malkin recalled.

Even after Malkin arrived, Shero made sure to provide what the hulking young star needed.

“He’s always nice to me, but I’m not speaking English really well,” Malkin said. “He got me everything. He got a translator (George Birman). He helped me. He signed (Russian defenseman Sergei) Gonchar because he knew he would help me, too. That was a big deal because Sergei Gonchar helped me so much.”

Malkin, like Crosby a sure future Hall of Famer, will remember Shero as one of the people who helped him get established in the NHL.

“He’s an amazing guy,” Malkin said. “We won together. He gave me a nice contract.”

That was a five-year, $43.5 million deal Malkin signed following his entry-level contract. It kicked in in 2009.

Kris Letang

Letang played his first seven NHL games during Shero’s first season with the Penguins, 2006-07. Letang credits Shero with helping him to then blossom.

“He gave me all my chances at the pro level,” Letang said. “When I came into the league, Ray gave me all the opportunities to become the player I am today. I’m really grateful for that, and I had the chance to win a Stanley Cup with him also.

“I only have great memories, and I can only speak (to) how much of a gentleman he is and how great he was to me.

“We were all kind of young when we came in, and Ray did a pretty good job of taking care of us and making sure we could grow into … men, became adults and the person we are today. It doesn’t happen if we don’t have a guy like this that cares about his players.”

Asked to try to pick out one interaction that underscored his relationship with Shero, Letang recalled a talk they had before that 2009 Cup run about his expanding role.

“Winning the Stanley Cup is special,” Letang said. “The fact that he decided that at this moment he was going to trust me to take a bigger role in the organization, the discussion we had (about) that.

“And keeping me in Pittsburgh for an extra eight years was a pretty big moment for myself, my family.”

That contract extension, eight years for $58 million, came in July 2013.