Jim Rutherford
James E. Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and former front office executive. He is the former general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, having been named to that position on June 6, 2014, and resigning on January 27, 2021.[2] Prior to holding the general manager position with the Penguins, Rutherford held the same position with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes franchise for almost two decades, assuming the position in June 1994 and stepping down from that position in April 2014.[3]
| Jim Rutherford | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2019 (Builder) | |||
|
Rutherford following the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals | |||
| Born |
February 17, 1949 Beeton, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | ||
| Weight | 168 lb (76 kg; 12 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left[1] | ||
| Played for |
Detroit Red Wings Pittsburgh Penguins Toronto Maple Leafs Los Angeles Kings | ||
| National team |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada | ||
| NHL Draft |
10th overall, 1969 Detroit Red Wings | ||
| Playing career | 1969–1983 | ||
Rutherford also played in the NHL from 1969 to 1983; the majority of his career was spent with the Detroit Red Wings, but he also spent time with the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Los Angeles Kings. As a goalie Rutherford won 151 games and lost 227 games.[4] Rutherford retired as a player in 1983 at the age of 33.
Post-playing career
Prior to serving with the Penguins as general manager, he was the president and general manager, as well as a part owner, of the Carolina Hurricanes – known as the Hartford Whalers until 1997 – having joined the franchise in 1994 and helping build the Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup in 2006. Later he helped build the Penguins team that won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and again in 2017.[5][6][7]
Jim Rutherford was one of the pioneers of the popular trend of hockey goalies decorating his mask in 1976. Initially, a friend painted a pair of red wings at the temples of Rutherford's mask without his permission. Because he didn't have time to get another fitted mask before game time, he reluctantly wore the decorated mask on the ice.
Rutherford has won the Stanley Cup three times as a general manager; in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, and in 2016 and 2017 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. On June 23, 2016, he won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. In 2019, Jim Rutherford was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Rutherford resigned from his post as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 27, 2021, due to personal reasons.[8]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 1966–67 | Aurora Tigers | SJHL | 30 | — | — | — | 1800 | 63 | 2 | 2.10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1967–68 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA-Jr. | 9 | — | — | — | 510 | 19 | 0 | 2.24 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | ||
| 1968–69 | Hamilton Red Wings | OHA-Jr. | 45 | — | — | — | 2730 | 163 | 3 | 3.36 | — | 5 | — | — | 300 | 27 | 0 | 5.40 | — | ||
| 1968–69 | Montréal Jr. Canadiens | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | 0 | 366 | 20 | — | 3.28 | — | ||
| 1969–70 | Fort Worth Wings | CHL | 35 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 2060 | 92 | 1 | 2.68 | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | 244 | 12 | 0 | 2.95 | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 29 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 1498 | 94 | 1 | 3.77 | .877 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Fort Worth Wings | CHL | 3 | — | — | — | 180 | 11 | 0 | 3.66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1971–72 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 40 | 17 | 15 | 5 | 2160 | 116 | 1 | 3.22 | .894 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 240 | 14 | 0 | 3.50 | .903 | ||
| 1971–72 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 7 | 0 | 2.33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1972–73 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 49 | 20 | 22 | 5 | 2660 | 129 | 3 | 2.91 | .912 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 26 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 1428 | 82 | 0 | 3.45 | .883 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1973–74 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 25 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 1418 | 86 | 0 | 3.64 | .888 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1974–75 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 59 | 20 | 29 | 10 | 3475 | 217 | 2 | 3.75 | .877 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 44 | 13 | 25 | 6 | 2633 | 158 | 4 | 3.60 | .885 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 7 | 34 | 6 | 2736 | 180 | 0 | 3.95 | .867 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1977–78 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 43 | 20 | 17 | 4 | 2466 | 134 | 1 | 3.26 | .880 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 180 | 12 | 0 | 4.01 | .862 | ||
| 1978–79 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 32 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 1890 | 103 | 1 | 3.27 | .884 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 23 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 1321 | 92 | 1 | 4.18 | .854 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 10 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 600 | 43 | 0 | 4.30 | .850 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 18 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 959 | 81 | 0 | 5.07 | .853 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 10 | 0 | 3.33 | .896 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 6.00 | .750 | ||
| 1981–82 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 380 | 43 | 0 | 6.79 | .792 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 29 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 1614 | 89 | 0 | 3.31 | .877 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 7 | 0 | 7.00 | .821 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 12 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 591 | 44 | 0 | 4.47 | .853 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 457 | 151 | 227 | 59 | 25,852 | 1575 | 14 | 3.66 | .879 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 440 | 28 | 0 | 3.82 | .883 | ||||
References
- "Jim Rutherford NHL Statistics". Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- Rutherford named GM of Penguins, Bylsma fired
- "Ron Francis is promoted to Hurricanes general manager". USA Today. April 28, 2014.
- "Jim Rutherford Stats".
- Canes' Rutherford expected to give up GM duties at end of the season, News Observer
- Francis replaces Rutherford as Hurricanes' GM
- Bob McKenzie [@TSNBobMcKenzie] (June 6, 2014). "Jim Rutherford is going to be announced as the new GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. #TSN" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Rutherford resigns as Penguins general manager". TSN.ca. January 27, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Jim Rutherford's Day with the Stanley Cup
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steve Andrascik |
Detroit Red Wings first round draft pick 1969 |
Succeeded by Serge Lajeunesse |
| Preceded by Paul Holmgren |
General manager of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes 1994–2014 |
Succeeded by Ron Francis |
| Preceded by Jason Botterill (interim) |
General manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins 2014–2021 |
Succeeded by Patrik Allvin (interim) |