Pittsburgh's Big Three Reflects on Ray Shero's Impact

Winning the first Stanley Cup of their careers with Ray Shero is a memory that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang all cherish. But when they reflect back on their time with Shero, who died on Wednesday at age 62, how he treated them is what stands out the most. Shero helped them develop into the future Hall of Famers they are today with his guidance and support.

“I remember just being a young player and just how instrumental he was,” said Crosby, named Pittsburgh’s captain on May 31, 2007. Shero had worked with Crosby to give him that responsibility when he felt ready for it, just one example of how he made those guys felt comfortable and confident, encouraging them to take advantage of his open-door policy.

“For a young player, you're pretty intimidated to talk to the GM. But he made it a point to bring me in there sometimes, talk hockey, kind of tell me what he expected of us. Just someone who really empowered me personally, and I think us as a group. You could see what developed there.”

Malkin remembers Shero reaching out while he was in Russia and helping him get to the United States. In the 2006-07 season, Malkin’s first in the NHL, Kris Letang had a terrific training camp at 19 years old. The Penguins decided to give him some regular-season games for his development, and the defenseman remained in Pittsburgh for good the following year.

"When I came into the league, Ray gave me all the opportunity to become the player I am today. I'm really grateful for that,” Letang said. “Had the chance to win a Stanley Cup with him, also, so I only have great memories. I can only speak out to the gentleman he is and how great he's been to me.

“Ray did a pretty good job of taking care of us and making sure we came through into more of men, became adults and the person we are today. Obviously, it doesn't happen if you don't have a guy like this that cares about his players."

Not only did Shero empower and support the Big Three as individuals – he completely changed the culture, sparing no expense to build a new one that helped the team thrive.

“I think that the way he talked, the people that he brought in – we got the message right away that we're a group that should believe in ourselves. He definitely does,” Crosby said. “He was going to give us an opportunity to win. With it being a young team, it's easy to be patient sometimes, and look at the long outlook. But we showed pretty early on that we're going to be pretty competitive. I think all the people that he brought in and the group that he assembled was a big reason for that.”

Shero was willing to take risks to build the right teams around his two franchise centers, orchestrating deadline blockbusters like the Marian Hossa and Ryan Whitney trades.

“It's huge. I mean, that gives you a huge boost of confidence. That sends a message to the group. You know exactly what the expectation is,” Crosby said. “And as a player, you know you work so hard to have that opportunity to win. To basically given every opportunity, as far as management's concerned – every resource, making trades like that – that's all you could ask for. It’s so important if you want to win.”

It says so much about Shero’s character that some of the big names in those deals that weren’t able to ultimately win with Pittsburgh, like Whitney and Colby Armstrong, still have so much respect and admiration for Ray. Whitney called Shero “the best guy,” while Armstrong said he loved seeing Ray at NHL events or around the rink.

“That says a lot,” Crosby said. “He was involved with hockey for so long. I think everybody that you talk to that he either worked with or has some connection to him has some way that he impacted them. I think that that says everything you need to know about him. We're forever grateful for everything that he did and the impact he had. It’s something that you look back and you see where things started and where they got to, and that's a lot of him.”