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Jim Rutherford resigned as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins just seven games in a 56-game season. It was staggering, unforeseen and, given the circumstances, unheard of in the National Hockey League, especially given the work Rutherford did to revamp this team.
His motivations are a mystery. His future is as unpredictable as it is for the team. Let it never be said that Jim Rutherford doesn’t know how to pull off a shocking deal.
“He’s a real Pittsburgher. He says what he wants to say and he means what he says,” Penguins CEO David Morehouse said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, Rutherford said he was done and thought he was, as evidenced by the reiteration of his intentions the next morning, when Morehouse checked to see if the 71-year-old architect of the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cups had reconsidered.
He had not.
“It’s a personal decision Jim made. Shocking? I’m not sure shocking is the right word. I think he’s accomplished a lot here. I think he still has things to do.” , Morehouse said.
Things that apparently don’t concern penguins. There are reports that Rutherford plans to wait until his contract expires this summer and then reassess his career. It could end in retirement. This could continue with a team other than the Penguins.
As the franchise struggles to figure out what just happened, the clock the Penguins watched is now ticking by decibels that beat your ears. Sidney Crosby is 33 years old. Evgeni Malkin is 34 years old. They have a playoff win between them over the past two seasons. If the window hasn’t closed – and there’s evidence that it does – who is the right person to support it?
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