USA Hockey has found its new general manager.
Tuesday, USA Hockey announced Bill Guerin, the current general manager of the NHL's Minnesota Wild, would serve as its general manager for the U.S. men's hockey team going into the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Chris Drury, current president and general manager of the New York Rangers, was also named Guerin's assistant general manager.
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Guerin has a long track record of success in managerial roles in the NHL. Before being hired as the Wild's general manager, Guerin spent eight years with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was hired as a player development coach in 2011 and was eventually promoted to assistant general manager under then-Penguins GM Jim Rutherford. He and the Penguins ended up winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Guerin then served as general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins — Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate — before joining the Wild in 2019.
Guerin also played in the NHL. Drafted in 1989, he went on to spend 18 years in the league, playing for the New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders and the Penguins. In 1,263 NHL games, Guerin posted 429 goals and 427 assists for 856 total points.
The Worcester, Massachusetts native comes in as the successor to Stan Bowman, who stepped down as USA Hockey's general manager in October. It was discovered that Bowman was connected to the sexual assault allegations surrounding former Chicago Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich, which resulted in Bowman stepping away not just from USA Hockey, but from the Blackhawks' front office as well.
Guerin is also being investigated for a separate sexual assault allegation dating back to his tenure with the Penguins. He, along with several others, were in danger of having a lawsuit filed against them, but a resolution to the matter was reached in November. However, he is still being investigated by the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
"Based on what we know — and the facts have been investigated multiple times already — this is not a Chicago situation," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Hockey News. "There is no indication that Bill Guerin (or any other member of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ organization) at any time neglected his reporting duties or failed to follow up appropriately on reported concerns. I am completely confident that when all is said and done, the US Center for Safe Sport will conclude the same."
