Ray Shero: A legacy that lives on: Builder of dreams for the Stanley Cup dies at 62

As one of the greatest minds in hockey, Ray Shero stood tall in a sport filled with legends, not just across the ice but off it as well. He was known for the brilliance he brought to the front offices while also carrying forward his father's legacy with the name Fred Shero. The guiding force behind many a championship-winning team has given rise to remarkable talents. His sudden demise at the age of just 62 has plunged the world of hockey into mourning, but his legacy will inspire generations to come within the game.

The hockey played by Ray Shero started long before he had even thought about stepping into the front office. He grew up around NHL locker rooms, courtesy of his father Fred Shero, a coaching pioneer with the Philadelphia Flyers. This spirit of the game entered his young body at an early age: the feel of the greats like Jacques Plante and Pat Quinn as an excitable child put him into the business end of how he understood hockey.

Shero played college hockey at St. Lawrence University and was even a captain at one point, yet he chose to be part of the sport through different avenues. His management career began when he joined the Ottawa Senators in 1993, following a very short stint as a player and a hockey agent. This marked the first of what would come to be three incredible decades in shaping rosters, guiding franchises, and building championship contenders.

His greatest achievement came in 2009 when, as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, he orchestrated the team that delivered Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's first Stanley Cup. That enabled him to leave his name on the Cup and made him the second recipient of such recognition after his father.
Ray brought those talents with him to the New Jersey Devils, where he eventually became general manager and helped the franchise learn and grow during some difficult transitional years. Most recently, he served in a senior advisory role with the Minnesota Wild, staying near the game he loved until his last.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has mentioned of Ray's remarkable energy level and the emotional bonds that he shared with the sport, all to add magnification to the effects of his work throughout the league.
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His career was proof of true passion, persistence, and deep-rooted hockey knowledge. A child in locker rooms, now inside executive offices of the NHL, he left behind a path others can tread. It's not about wins; it is about all the lives he touched during his hockey journey.