Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, the architect of back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, resigned Wednesday for personal reasons.
Patrik Allvin, the Penguins’ assistant general manager, has been promoted to interim GM, and the search for a new GM will begin immediately, the team said.
The stunning move comes seven games into the season with the Penguins off to a 4-2-1 start.
“It has been a great honor to serve as general manager of the Penguins, and to hang two more Stanley Cup banners at PPG Paints Arena,” Rutherford said. “I know it’s a little unusual to have this happen during a season, but just felt this was the right time to step away.”
Rutherford, 71, brought titles to Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017 after taking the reins in 2014. He also won the Stanley Cup as GM of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.
“Jim has been an amazing representative of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he’ll always have a special place in our team’s history, his own legacy,” said David Morehouse, the Penguins’ president and CEO. “He’ll always be part of the Penguins.”
Rutherford played 13 seasons in the NHL as a goaltender, including two-plus seasons with the Penguins (1971-74).
The Hockey News reported Rutherford did not step down for health reasons.
Allvin, 46, was named assistant general manager in November 2020. The native of Falun, Sweden, is in his 15th season with the Penguins hockey operations staff, having started as a scout in 2006-07. He served as director of amateur scouting from 2017-20.
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–Field Level Media