Bill Guerin
William Robert Guerin | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Robert Guerin November 9, 1970 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Ice hockey executive, former professional ice hockey player |
| Years active | 1991–2010 (player), 2011–present (executive) |
| Known for | NHL player, general manager of Minnesota Wild |
William Robert Guerin (born November 9, 1970) is a retired American professional ice hockey athlete who currently holds the position of general manager for the Minnesota Wild. His previous roles include assistant general manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins and general manager of their affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Over an 18-season career in the National Hockey League (NHL), Guerin secured two Stanley Cup titles, one with the New Jersey Devils and another with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On the international stage, Guerin represented the United States at three Winter Olympics (1998, 2002, and 2006) and competed in two Ice Hockey World Championships. Notably, he is recognized as the first NHL player of Hispanic heritage.
Professional
Selected fifth overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, Guerin played with New Jersey from 1991 until 1998, capturing a Stanley Cup championship in 1995. During the 1997–98 season, he was traded along with Valeri Zelepukin to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Jason Arnott and Bryan Muir.
In November 2001, Guerin was traded to his hometown club, the Boston Bruins. Following a standout 41-goal campaign in 2001–02, he inked a five-year deal with the Dallas Stars. However, his output with Dallas did not meet expectations, culminating in a buyout after a lackluster 2005–06 season where he tallied only 40 points. The buyout amounted to $6.7 million spread over two years, totaling $4.4 million.
On July 3, 2006, Guerin agreed to a one-year contract worth $2 million with the St. Louis Blues. Reuniting with former teammate Doug Weight, he rejuvenated his performance and earned a selection to the 2007 NHL All-Star Game as a Blues representative. Despite criticism during his tenure in Dallas, Stars fans gave him a standing ovation in recognition of his enduring popularity.
Guerin reached a milestone on February 2, 2007, becoming the 214th player in NHL history to participate in 1,000 games. Later that month, he was traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Ville Nieminen, prospect Jay Barriball, and a conditional first-round draft pick. In the subsequent offseason, he signed a two-year contract with the New York Islanders, who appointed him team captain on July 9, 2007.
On March 4, 2009, Guerin was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional draft pick that improved when Pittsburgh advanced further in the playoffs. He achieved his second Stanley Cup victory on June 12, 2009, with Pittsburgh. The span of 14 years between his Stanley Cup wins ranks as the third-longest interval in NHL history.
After receiving considerable acclaim from fans and teammates during Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup parade, Guerin accepted a one-year contract extension at a reduced salary for the 2009–10 season. He became the first player to record a 20-goal season on seven different NHL teams and is among only three players to have such seasons on five or more franchises.
Penguins general manager Ray Shero chose not to renew his contract for the 2010–11 season; Guerin then attended Philadelphia Flyers training camp but was released prior to the start of that season.
On December 6, 2010, Guerin officially announced his retirement as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. At that time, he ranked seventh all-time among American-born NHL players with 429 career goals.
Management career
On June 6, 2011, the Penguins appointed Guerin as their player development coach. Three years later, on June 6, 2014, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford elevated Guerin to the position of assistant general manager with a primary emphasis on analytics. Following the Penguins' back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in 2016 and 2017, Guerin assumed additional responsibilities as the general manager of their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, succeeding Jason Botterill who moved to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres.
Guerin was appointed as the fourth general manager of the Minnesota Wild on August 21, 2019. His proactive involvement at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline earned him the TSN TradeCentre GM of the Day accolade on March 21, 2022.
Sexual assault coverup allegation
In November 2020, a lawsuit accused Guerin of participating in a coverup concerning an alleged sexual assault involving Wilkes-Barre/Scranton assistant coach Jarrod Skalde’s wife and head coach Clark Donatelli. The complaint asserted that Guerin, then serving as GM of the AHL team, instructed Skalde to keep quiet. Guerin refuted these claims, asserting he immediately reported the matter to senior management. The lawsuit reached a settlement in November 2021. An internal NHL inquiry verified that Guerin had promptly reported the incident and found no evidence of misconduct on his part.
The United States Center for SafeSport initiated an investigation into Guerin’s purported involvement related to the whistleblower lawsuit. As of April 2022, no official conclusions had been disclosed or confirmed.
Verbal Abuse Investigation
In December 2023, a complaint alleging verbal abuse by Guerin was submitted to human resources by a Wild employee. Guerin maintained his role following this inquiry; no disciplinary measures were announced and the Wild organization chose not to provide any public statements.
Personal life
Guerin was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He attended Wilbraham & Monson Academy and played junior hockey with the Springfield Olympics. His heritage includes both Nicaraguan and Irish roots.
Together with his wife Kara, he has four children and currently resides in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Prior to this, they lived in Moorestown, New Jersey during his tenure with the Devils.
Awards and achievements
- NCAA (Hockey East) Champion – 1990
- Part of four Stanley Cup-winning teams: New Jersey Devils (1995); Pittsburgh Penguins (2009 as player; 2016 and 2017 as Assistant GM)
- Selected for four NHL All-Star Games: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007
- Named MVP of the 2001 NHL All-Star Game
- NHL second team All-Star – 2002
- Led NHL in game-winning goals (10) – 2004
- Inducted into United States Hockey Hall of Fame – 2013
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1985–86 | Springfield Olympics | NEJHL | 48 | 26 | 19 | 45 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Springfield Olympics | NEJHL | 32 | 34 | 20 | 54 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Springfield Olympics | NEJHL | 38 | 31 | 44 | 75 | 146 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Springfield Olympics | NEJHL | 31 | 32 | 35 | 67 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Boston College Eagles | HE | 39 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Boston College Eagles | HE | 38 | 26 | 19 | 45 | 102 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season#International_playoffs_and_tournaments_1991–92_in_ice_hockey_for_the_United_States_men's_national_ice_hockey_team_and_the_United_States_men's_national_junior_ice_hockey_team_#1991‒92 | United States | Intl | 46 | 12 | 15 | 27 | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 AHL season | Utica Devils | AHL | 22 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 1991–92 NHL season | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1992–93 AHL season | Utica Devils | AHL | 18 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 NHL season | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 65 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 63 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1993–94 NHL season
| New Jersey Devils | NHL | 81 | 25 | 19 | 44 | 101 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 35 | ||||||||||||||
|
New Jersey Devils | NHL | 48 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 72 | 20 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 30 | | ||||||||||||||
|
New Jersey Devils | NHL | 80 | 23 | 30 | 53 | 116 | — | — | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
|
New Jersey Devils | NHL | 82 | 29 | 18 | 47 | 95 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | | ||||||||||||||
|
New Jersey Devils | NHL | 19 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | | ||||||||||||||
|
1997–98 |
NHL |
40 |
13 |
16 |
29 |
80 |
12 |
7 |
1 |
8 |
17 | |||
|
Edmonton Oilers |
NHL |
80 |
30 |
34 |
64 |
133 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
2 | |||
|
Edmonton Oilers |
NHL |
70 |
24 |
22 |
46 |
123 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
9 | |||
|
Edmonton Oilers |
NHL |
21 |
12 |
10 |
22 |
18 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
2000–01 |
NHL |
64 |
28 |
35 |
63 |
122 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
Boston Bruins |
NHL |
78 |
41 |
25 |
66 |
91 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
6 |
6 | |||
|
NHL |
64 |
25 |
25 |
50 |
113 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 | ||||
|
Dallas Stars |
NHL |
82 |
34 |
35 |
69 |
109 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 | |||
|
Dallas Stars |
NHL |
70 |
13 |
27 |
40 |
115 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
0 | |||
|
NHL |
61 |
28 |
19 |
47 |
52 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | ||||
|
2006–07 |
NHL |
16 |
8 |
1 |
9 |
14 |
9 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
12 | |||
|
NHL |
81 |
23 |
21 |
44 |
65 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | ||||
|
New York Islanders |
NHL |
61 |
16 |
20 |
36 |
63 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | |||
|
2008–09 |
NHL |
17 |
5 |
7 |
12 |
18 |
24 |
7 |
8 |
15 |
15 | |||
|
Pittsburgh Penguins |
NHL |
78 |
21 |
24 |
45 |
75 |
11 |
4 |
5 |
9 |
2 | |||
| colspan="3"
|
NHL totals | 1,263 | 429 | 427 | 856 | 1,660 | 133 | 39 | 34 | 73 | 152 | |||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | United States | WJC | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | |
| 1990 | United States | WJC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
| 1996 | United States | WCH | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 | |
| 1998 | United States | OG | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2002 | United States | OG | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2004 | United States | WCH | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| 2006 | United States | OG | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 34 | |||
| Senior totals | 28 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 | |||
Transactions
- June 17, 1989 – Selected fifth overall by the New Jersey Devils during the 1989 NHL Entry Draft;
- January 4, 1998 – Exchanged by New Jersey Devils along with Valeri Zelepukin to the Edmonton Oilers in return for Jason Arnott and Bryan Muir;
- November 15, 2000 – Moved from Edmonton Oilers to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Anson Carter, plus Boston’s first-round (Aleš Hemský) and second-round (Doug Lynch) draft selections in the following year;
- July 3, 2002 – Joined the Dallas Stars as a free agent;
- July 3, 2006 – Signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Blues;
- February 27, 2007 – Traded by St. Louis Blues to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Ville Nieminen, Jay Barriball, and New Jersey’s first-round pick (David Perron) in the draft of that year;
- July 5, 2007 – Signed as a free agent by the New York Islanders;
- March 4, 2009 – Traded from New York Islanders to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Pittsburgh’s third-round draft choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (subsequently traded to Phoenix).