Jim Rutherford

James Earl Rutherford (born February 17, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender and executive. He was the president of hockey operations of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL) where he now currently serves as senior advisor and alternate governor. Prior to his position with the Canucks, Rutherford held the same position with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes for almost two decades, assuming the position in June 1994 and stepping down from that position in April 2014. He then joined the Pittsburgh Penguins as general manager, having been named to that position on June 6, 2014, and resigning on January 27, 2021, citing "personal reasons". Rutherford has won the Stanley Cup three times as a general manager, with the Hurricanes in 2006 and with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

Playing career Rutherford played in the NHL as a goaltender from 1969 to 1983. Rutherford played primarily with the Detroit Red Wings, but he also spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Los Angeles Kings.

Rutherford retired as a player in 1983 at the age of 33 with the record of 151-227-59.

Post-playing career Prior to serving with the Penguins as general manager, Rutherford was the president and general manager, as well as a part-owner of the Carolina Hurricanes – known as the Hartford Whalers until 1997 – having joined the franchise in 1994 and helping build the Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup in 2006. Later he helped build the Penguins team that won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and again in 2017.

Rutherford in 1976, while a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Rutherford was one of the pioneers of the popular trend of ice hockey goaltenders decorating his mask in 1976. Initially, a friend painted a pair of red wings at the temples of Rutherford's mask without his permission. Because he did not have time to get another fitted mask before game time, he reluctantly wore the decorated mask on the ice. 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.

Rutherford resigned from his post as general manager of the Penguins on January 27, 2021, for personal reasons. He later stated that his passion and focus for the job faded in the eleven months that had followed the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. On December 9, 2021, Rutherford was named president of hockey operations and interim general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.

On May 5, 2026, soon after the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery where the Canucks dropped from 1st to 3rd overall, Rutherford announced that he would be stepping down as president of hockey operations after the Draft, and that he would move into an adviser role.

On August 20, 2026, Rutherford alongside Larry Murphy, Jack McGregor, & Marc-Andre Fleury was selected to the Class of 2026 for induction into the Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame. The now 2-time Hall of Famer will join the other 3 greats on November 14th before the Penguins meet the Ottawa Senators.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 1966–67 Aurora Tigers SJHL 30 — — — 1800 63 2 2.10 — — — — — — — — — 1967–68 Hamilton Red Wings OHA-Jr. 9 — — — 510 19 0 2.24 — 1 0 0 20 0 0 0.00 1.000 1968–69 Hamilton Red Wings OHA-Jr. 45 — — — 2730 163 3 3.36 — 5 — — 300 27 0 5.40 — 1968–69 Montréal Jr. Canadiens M-Cup — — — — — — — — — 6 6 0 366 20 — 3.28 — 1969–70 Fort Worth Wings CHL 35 12 14 8 2,060 92 1 2.68 — 4 3 1 244 12 0 2.95 — 1970–71 Detroit Red Wings NHL 29 7 15 3 1,498 94 1 3.77 .877 — — — — — — — — 1970–71 Fort Worth Wings CHL 3 — — — 180 11 0 3.66 — — — — — — — — — 1971–72 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 40 17 15 5 2,160 116 1 3.22 .894 4 0 4 240 14 0 3.50 .903 1971–72 Hershey Bears AHL 3 3 0 0 180 7 0 2.33 — — — — — — — — — 1972–73 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 49 20 22 5 2,660 129 3 2.91 .912 — — — — — — — — 1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 26 7 12 4 1,428 82 0 3.45 .883 — — — — — — — — 1973–74 Detroit Red Wings NHL 25 9 11 4 1,418 86 0 3.64 .888 — — — — — — — — 1974–75 Detroit Red Wings NHL 59 20 29 10 3,475 217 2 3.75 .877 — — — — — — — — 1975–76 Detroit Red Wings NHL 44 13 25 6 2,633 158 4 3.60 .885 — — — — — — — — 1976–77 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48 7 34 6 2,736 180 0 3.95 .867 — — — — — — — — 1977–78 Detroit Red Wings NHL 43 20 17 4 2,466 134 1 3.26 .880 3 2 1 180 12 0 4.01 .862 1978–79 Detroit Red Wings NHL 32 13 14 5 1,890 103 1 3.27 .884 — — — — — — — — 1979–80 Detroit Red Wings NHL 23 6 13 3 1,321 92 1 4.18 .854 — — — — — — — — 1980–81 Detroit Red Wings NHL 10 2 6 2 600 43 0 4.30 .850 — — — — — — — — 1980–81 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 18 4 10 2 959 81 0 5.07 .853 — — — — — — — — 1980–81 Los Angeles Kings NHL 3 3 0 0 180 10 0 3.33 .896 1 0 0 20 2 0 6.00 .750 1981–82 Los Angeles Kings NHL 7 3 3 0 380 43 0 6.79 .792 — — — — — — — — 1981–82 New Haven Nighthawks AHL 29 12 11 4 1,614 89 0 3.31 .877 — — — — — — — — 1982–83 Detroit Red Wings NHL 1 0 1 0 60 7 0 7.00 .821 — — — — — — — — 1982–83 Adirondack Red Wings AHL 12 3 7 1 591 44 0 4.47 .853 — — — — — — — —NHL totals 457 151 227 59 25,852 1575 14 3.66 .879 8 2 5 440 28 0 3.82 .883

International Year Team Event GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA 1977 Canada WC 2 1 0 0 89 7 0 4.72 1979 Canada WC 6 1 5 0 320 24 0 4.50Senior totals 8 2 5 0 409 31 0 4.55