Pens lose Fletcher to Wild

[Captain Chaos]

WILD TO NAME PENS' FLETCHER AS NEXT GENERAL MANAGER
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=279478
5/21/2009 10:25:28 PM

Chuck Fletcher will be the next general manager of the Minnesota Wild. The formal announcement will be made by the team on Friday.

Fletcher will replace Doug Risebrough, whose contract as president and general manager of the team was not renewed after the regular season ended. He is the son of longtime NHL executive and Hall of Fame member Cliff Fletcher.

Chuck Fletcher, 41, is currently the assistant GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported earlier this month that even though the Penguins are still active in the playoffs, they would not stand in the way if Fletcher was approached to take the job with the Wild.

TSN hockey analyst Pierre McGuire also interviewed for the GM's job with the Wild. The Minnesota Tribune reported that other strong candidates for the position included former Maple Leafs and Canucks general manager and head coach Pat Quinn, Nashville Predators assistant general manager Paul Fenton, and Tom Lynn, the acting general manager for the Wild.

Fletcher brings strong credentials to Minnesota. A Harvard graduate, he spent nine years in the front office of the Florida Panthers before joining the Anaheim Ducks. During his four years in Anaheim, Fletcher served in senior roles including director of hockey operations, assistant general manager, and vice president of amateur scouting and player development.

He was hired as assistant general manager to Pittsburgh's Ray Shero in July, 2006.

A nice feather in Ray Shero's cap.

[pensodyssey]

Congrats to Mr. Fletcher.  Must be a dream come true for him.  No doubt he was chosen to change the concrete-footed style in Minnesota.  Do they have a coach out there yet?

[PghSteel-43]

I wish Fletcher all the best.  Rumors of his departure to Minnesota have been flying around for months and it's good to see him land a job in a city where hockey is loved and respected.

Penguins Promote Jason Botterill to Assistant General Manager

[Captain Chaos]

It's nice to see some teams going away from recycling the same old crusty names and actually infusing a little youth into the league management. It can only do the NHL good to remove the old guard and get some forward thinking executives running teams and making the decisions for the league.