Position Right Wing Name Bill Guerin Spouse Kara Hartman (m. 1996) Playing career Career start 1991 | Height 1.91 m Shot Right Role Ice hockey player Education Boston College | |
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Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) NHL Draft 5th overall, 1989New Jersey Devils Similar People Lindy Ruff, Sidney Crosby, Jamie Benn, John Hynes, Claude Julien | ||
Bill guerin u s hockey hall of fame introduction
William Robert Guerin (born November 9, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player and the current assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Guerin played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), winning two Stanley Cup championships with the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins. Internationally, Guerin represented the United States in the Olympics in 1998, 2002 and 2006, and participated in two Ice Hockey World Championships. Guerin was the first player of Hispanic descent to play in the NHL.
Contents
- Bill guerin u s hockey hall of fame introduction
- Bill guerin u s hockey hall of fame induction speech
- Professional
- Management career
- Personal life
- Awards
- International play
- Transactions
- References
Bill guerin u s hockey hall of fame induction speech
Professional
Guerin was drafted in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft fifth overall by the New Jersey Devils and played with the team from 1991 to 1998, winning the Stanley Cup in 1995. Midway through the 1997–98 season, Guerin was traded, along with Valeri Zelepukin, to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Jason Arnott and Bryan Muir.
After a 41-goal season in 2001–02, Guerin left the Bruins as a free agent and signed a five-year contract with the Dallas Stars. Guerin performed below expectations during his tenure with the Stars. After a disappointing season in 2005–06, where he notched just 40 points, Dallas opted to buy-out the remainder of his contract. The conditions of buyouts in the NHL meant that the Stars would have to pay him two-thirds of the remaining salary on his contract spread out over twice as many years; this meant $6.7 million over one year became $4.4 million over two years.
On July 3, 2006, Guerin signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the St. Louis Blues. Playing on a line with former Oiler teammate Doug Weight, Guerin revived his career, easily eclipsing his disappointing goal-scoring mark from the 2005–06 season. He was named to the 2007 All-Star Game (hosted by the Stars) to represent the Blues. Despite numerous criticisms of his play during his time as a Star, Guerin received a standing ovation from the Dallas fans in recognition as his status as a longtime fan favorite.
On February 2, 2007, Guerin became the 214th NHL player to play in 1,000 games. Later that month, Guerin was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Ville Nieminen, prospect Jay Barriball and a conditional first-round pick (either New Jersey's in 2007 or San Jose's in 2008). During the upcoming off-season, Guerin signed a two-year contract with the New York Islanders. On July 9, 2007, Guerin was named captain of the Islanders, making him the 11th captain in team history.
On March 4, 2009, Guerin was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional draft pick. The pick, a 2009 fourth-round pick if the Penguins made the playoffs, was later turned into a 2009 third-round pick once the Penguins advanced to the second round of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. Guerin won the Stanley Cup on June 12, 2009, with the Penguins, defeating the Detroit Red Wings by a final score of 2–1 for Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena. His 14 years between Stanley Cups as a player was the third-longest wait in NHL history, behind Chris Chelios (16) and Mark Recchi (15).
After vocal encouragement for his return from the crowd and teammates at Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup parade on June 15, as well as expressing his own affection for the city and team, Guerin signed a one-year contract extension with the Penguins on June 29 at a greatly reduced salary to play through the 2009–10 season. He became the first player to have a 20-goal season with seven different teams and one of only two to have a 20-goal season with five or more different teams (the other being Eddie Shack). Ray Shero, the general manager for the Penguins, however, decided not to offer Guerin a contract for the 2010–11 season. On September 7, 2010, the Philadelphia Flyers invited Guerin to try out at training camp, though on October 4, the Flyers released him prior to the start of the regular season.
On December 6, 2010, Guerin announced his retirement as a player from the NHL as a Pittsburgh Penguin. At the time of his retirement, Guerin ranked seventh all-time among Americans in the NHL with 429 goals.
Management career
On June 6, 2011, the Penguins hired Guerin as their player development coach. On June 6, 2014, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford announced that Guerin would be promoted to assistant general manager of the team. Rutherford said that Guerin would be focusing on developing the analytical side of the game. Following consecutive Stanley Cup triumphs in 2016 and 2017, the Penguins announced that Guerin's duties would expand to include the role of general manager of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, made vacant via the departure of Jason Botterill to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres.
Personal life
Guerin was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and raised in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He attended Wilbraham & Monson Academy, where he played high-school hockey.
Guerin is of Nicaraguan and Irish descent. He is married to Kara and they have four children: Kayla Lyn, born on July 6, 1997; Grace Elizabeth, born in 1999; Liam, born on May 26, 2001; and Lexi Rose, born on December 2, 2002.
While playing hockey, Guerin lived in Moorestown Township, New Jersey, with his wife and children.