Longtime NHL executive Ray Shero, 2009 Stanley Cup-winning GM with Pittsburgh, dies at age 62

Longtime NHL executive Ray Shero, the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2009, has died. He was 62.

The Minnesota Wild announced Shero’s death Wednesday. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Devils confirmed the team found out in the morning. USA Hockey said Shero died Tuesday night.

Further details, including cause of death and where Shero was, were not available.

“Our hearts go out to his family and friends and the countless people he impacted in the hockey community throughout his successful career,” the Wild said in a statement. “Ray was the best. He will be greatly missed by all of us. The Shero family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”

Shero had been a senior adviser to Wild general manager Bill Guerin. The son of Hall of Fame coach Fred Shero, Ray worked in the league since the mid-90s with Ottawa, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Minnesota.

“Ray Shero’s smile and personality lit up every room he walked into and brightened the day of everyone he met,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Widely respected throughout hockey for his team-building acumen and eye for talent, he was even more beloved for how he treated everyone fortunate enough to have known him. ... It was clear he loved what he was doing, and I always marveled at his infectious enthusiasm."

Sidney Crosby, who captained the Penguins to the Cup in '09, said Shero was a big part of the early days of his career.

“He gave me a lot of opportunity as a young captain and supported me throughout his time,” Crosby said. “He did so much for our organization, and my memories with him are special. I am grateful for our time spent here and that we were able to share a Stanley Cup championship together.”

The Predators, for whom Shero worked from their inaugural season in 1998-99 through 2006 when he got the job with Pittsburgh, called him “one of the most influential people in our sport.”

Tom Fitzgerald, who was Shero's assistant with the Devils and succeeded him as GM, said the organization was stunned and saddened by his death.

“Ray was a highly-respected executive, enthusiastic mentor, and most importantly, tremendous friend to many during his time in New Jersey,” Fitzgerald said. “Ray came from a family that dedicated themselves to the game, and he continued to pass that commitment on. The organization is extremely grateful for the impact Ray had during his tenure in New Jersey, and it is without question that his fingerprints are on the current group we see today both on and off the ice.”

Agent Allan Walsh posted on social media: “There are no words to describe how devastated I am at the news. We had epic battles but always respected each other. He was a great GM and an amazing person. We had so many great times together over so many years. I love you, Ray, and will miss you terribly. Rest easy my friend.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Following a ceremony honoring the late Philadelphia Flyers' head coach Fred Shero, sculptor Chad Fisher, left, Flyers Chairman Ed Snider Shero's grandson Chris Shero and his son, Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach Ray Shero, hold replicas of the statute of the late coach that was unveiled during a ceremony, Saturday, March 15, 2014, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek, file)

FILE - New Jersey Devils General Manager Ray Shero speaks to members of the media before an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, file)

FILE - Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero holding up the Stanley Cup after the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 to win Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals, in Detroit, June 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

FILE - New Jersey Devils' general manager Ray Shero speaks during a news conference in Newark, N.J., Monday, June 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file)

RHO, Italy (AP) — No ice is colder and harder than speedskating ice. The precision it takes has meant that Olympic speedskaters have never competed for gold on a temporary indoor rink – until the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

In the pursuit of maximum glide and minimum friction, Olympic officials brought on ice master Mark Messer, a veteran of six previous Olympic speedskating tracks and the ice technician in charge of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada — one of the fastest tracks in the world with over 300 records.

Messer has been putting that experience to work one thin layer of ice at a time since the end of October at the new Speed Skating Stadium, built inside adjacent trade fair halls in the city of Rho just north of Milan.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in icemaking,’’ Messer said during an interview less than two weeks into the process.

If Goldilocks were a speedskater, hockey ice would be medium hard, for fast puck movement and sharp turns. Figure skating ice would be softer, allowing push off for jumps and so the ice doesn’t shatter on landing. Curling ice is the softest and warmest of all, for controlled sliding.

For speedskating ice to be just right, it must be hard, cold and clean. And very, very smooth.

“The blades are so sharp, that if there is some dirt, the blade will lose the edge,’’ Messer said, and the skater will lose speed.

Speedskater Enrico Fabris, who won two Olympic golds in Turin in 2006, has traded in his skates to be deputy sports manager at the speedskating venue in Rho. For him, perfect ice means the conditions are the same for all skaters — and then if it's fast ice, so much the better.

"It's more of a pleasure to skate on this ice,'' he said.

Messer’s first Olympics were in Calgary in 1988 — the first time speedskating was held indoors. “That gave us some advantages because we didn’t have to worry about the weather, wind blowing or rain,’’ he said. Now he is upping the challenge by becoming the first ice master to build a temporary rink for the Olympics.

Before Messer arrived in Italy, workers spent weeks setting up insulation to level the floor and then a network of pipes and rubber tubes that carry glycol — an antifreeze — that is brought down to minus 7 or minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to make the ice.

Water is run through a purification system — but it can’t be too pure, or the ice that forms will be too brittle. Just the right amount of impurities “holds the ice together,’’ Messer said.

The first layers of water are applied slowly, with a spray nozzle; after the ice reaches a few centimeters it is painted white — a full day’s work — and the stripes are added to make lanes.

“The first one takes about 45 minutes. And then as soon as it freezes, we go back and do it again, and again and again. So we do it hundreds of times,’’ Messer said.

As the ice gets thicker, and is more stable, workers apply subsequent layers of water with hoses. Messer attaches his hose to hockey sticks for easier spreading.

What must absolutely be avoided is dirt, dust or frost — all of which can cause friction for the skaters, slowing them down. The goal is that when the skaters push “they can go as far as possible with the least amount of effort,’’ Messer said.

The Zamboni ice resurfacing machine plays a key role in keeping the track clean, cutting off a layer and spraying water to make a new surface.

One challenge is gauging how quickly the water from the resurfacing machine freezes in the temporary rink.

Another is getting the ice to the right thickness so that the Zamboni, weighing in at six tons, doesn’t shift the insulation, rubber tubing or ice itself.

“When you drive that out, if there’s anything moving it will move. We don’t want that,’’ Messer said.

The rink got its first big test on Nov. 29-30 during a Junior World Cup event. In a permanent rink, test events are usually held a year before the Olympics, leaving more time for adjustments. “We have a very small window to learn,’’ Messer acknowledged.

Dutch speedskater Kayo Vos, who won the men’s neo-senior 1,000 meters, said the ice was a little soft — but Messer didn’t seem too concerned.

“We went very modest to start, now we can start to change the temperatures and try to make it faster and still maintain it as a safe ice,’’ he said.

Fine-tuning the air temperature and humidity and ice temperature must be done methodically — taking into account that there will be 6,000 spectators in the venue for each event. The next real test will be on Jan. 31, when the Olympians take to the ice for their first training session.

“Eighty percent of the work is done but the hardest part is the last 20 percent, where we have to try to find the values and the way of running the equipment so all the skaters get the same conditions and all the skaters get the best conditions,’’ Messer said.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Serpentines are set on the ice of the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Workers clean the ice surface during a peed skating Junior World Cup and Olympic test event, in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)