Vancouver – Francesco Aquilini, Chairman and Governor NHL, Vancouver Canucks announced Thursday that Jim Rutherford has been named President, Hockey Operations. Rutherford will also assume interim GM duties while he leads the search for a new General Manager.
“It is time for a new vision and a new leader who will set a path forward for this team,” said Aquilini. “Jim has tremendous experience building and leading winning organizations and I believe he will help build the Vancouver Canucks into a team that can compete for championships again.”
Jim Rutherford is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the builders’ category and is one of the most experienced, respected executives in hockey. He was most recently the General Manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2014 to 2021, leading the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He was also General Manager for the Carolina Hurricanes franchise for 20 years, building the team into the Stanley Cup Champions in 2006. 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.
“It is an honour to join the Vancouver Canucks and to lead an NHL team in Canada,” said Rutherford. “I would like to thank Francesco and the Aquilini family for the opportunity. The Canucks have an exciting young group of players, and I look forward to building a plan that will take this team to the next level and excite Canucks fans everywhere.”
Jim Rutherford will begin immediately assessing the Hockey Operations Department, roster, and franchise overall. As part of his role, he will also lead the search for a new General Manager.
Rutherford was named the NHL’s Executive of the Year by The Hockey News in 2002 and 2006 and by The Sporting News in 2006. Under his leadership, the Hurricanes made two trips to the Stanley Cup final, won the Eastern Conference championship in 2002 and 2006, reached the conference finals in 2009 and captured three division titles.
