Hextall officially announced as Pens new GM, Brian Burke joins him
The Pittsburgh Penguins have reportedly found their new General Manager, as well as President of Hockey Operations.
According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Brian Burke will join the Penguins as President of Hockey Operations, while former Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall will become the team's new General Manager.
Well this is something. Hearing Brian Burke will join Ron Hextall in PIT. Burke as president of Hockey Ops; Hextall as GM
Going to miss this teammate, loved working with you Burkie— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 9, 2021
The Penguins confirmed the news a short while later.
"We feel incredibly lucky to bring in two highly-respected executives with a combined 50-plus years of NHL management experience," President and CEO David Morehouse said. "Ron and Brian are well-known in the hockey world as fierce competitors with championship pedigrees. They're very well-connected and experienced in all aspects of the game. They are both excited to get to work here in Pittsburgh, blending their skills and building on our long tradition of success."
"It's an honor to be joining the Pittsburgh Penguins - an organization well-known for its excellence on and off the ice," Hextall said. "I look forward to working with ownership, Brian and the entire organization toward the ultimate goal of bringing another Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh."
"I've come full circle," Hextall said, "as I have fond memories as a youth in Pittsburgh watching the Penguins and my father."
Hextall, 56, had a 13 year career in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, Quebec Nordiques, and New York Islanders. Since retiring in 1999, he's held several front office positions with the Flyers and Los Angeles Kings.
"To me, Pittsburgh is a take-your-breath-away destination for any GM or president of hockey ops," Burke said. "I'm so excited for the opportunity. The Penguins are a storied franchise with outstanding ownership in Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, and Pittsburgh is just a great hockey city. Ron Hextall and I are very fortunate. We can't wait to get started."
Burke, 65, has been working in NHL front offices since the 1987-88 season. He's been with the Vancouver Canucks, Hartford Whalers, Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Calgary Flames, before joining Sportsnet in Canada as an analyst.
The Penguins have named Ron Hextall as general manager and Brian Burke as president of hockey operations.
Full details: https://t.co/gBGqDIMMql pic.twitter.com/0pzDJvwynH— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 9, 2021
Back in 2012, Burke had an interesting take when asked about the Penguins franchise model.
"They won a lottery. They won a goddamn lottery and got the best player in the game. Pittsburgh model, my ass. They got the best player in the lottery, Ray Shero's an excellent GM and a friend of mine, but I love when people talk about the Pittsburgh model."
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Taylor Hall | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Brayden Point | 3 | - | 3 | |
| Brock Nelson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Bryan Rust | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Pavel Zacha | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Quinn Hughes | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Carter Verhaeghe | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Erik Karlsson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Elias Lindholm | - | 3 | 3 | |
| David Pastrnak | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Tim Stutzle | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Adam Gaudette | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Dylan Holloway | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brad Marchand | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Aleksander Barkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sean Couturier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex DeBrincat | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 23 | 18 | 5 | - | 36 | |
Hurricanes | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 33 | |
Wild | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 32 | |
Devils | 25 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 32 | |
Capitals | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 31 | |
Golden Knights | 23 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 31 | |
Maple Leafs | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Flames | 23 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 28 | |
Panthers | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 27 | |
Kings | 23 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 27 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||