Report: Analyst McGuire confirms 'discussions' with GM-less Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are still looking for a general manager. Could Pierre McGuire be their guy?
The NBC Sports hockey analyst has reportedly interviewed for the vacant Penguins general manager job.
On Tuesday, McGuire confirmed 'discussions' with Pittsburgh management, according to a post on the Twitter account of TSN 1050 in Toronto.
Pierre McGuire moments ago on @MikeRichardsTSN @TSN1050Radio "yes I can confirm there have been discussions with #Pens management..."
— TSN 1050 Toronto (@TSN1050Radio) June 3, 2014
Speaking on "Mike Richards in the Morning" on Tuesday, McGuire pulled back the curtain on how a team goes about its business in these types of situations.
"There's a process that goes into all of these job searches and these situations around the National Hockey League," he said on TSN 1050. "You know, there are 30 manager's jobs in the league, and a lot of people think that when there's an opening you just put your resume together, you throw it in and then hopefully somebody's going to call you back. That's not how it works.
"The way the process works usually is a certain number of candidates are identified, they're contacted by the team that's in the league and then the process starts there. There's a feeling out on the phone usually and then they decide whether they want to bring you in to talk to you or they come and meet you. That's how the process works."
McGuire, a hockey lifer, understands the magnitude of a position like the one in Pittsburgh.
"This has been an amazing situation in Pittsburgh," he said. "First of all, because the general manager that got fired probably didn't deserve to be fired, Ray Shero. He's done an amazing job with that group and put together a real strong team. I think management and ownership in particular had higher expectations for the team over the last five years that haven't been realized and that's when change obviously happens. ... It's been a pretty fluid process over the last 10 days or two weeks, and that's about what I can throw you."
According to Puck Daddy, "... from the start, McGuire said he wasn’t going to pursue the job out of respect to his friend Ray Shero ..."
However, as the Yahoo blog points out, there seemed to be some development on that front.
Per Connor McKenna of TSN:
McGuire on changing his mind: "I'll tell you right now what happened. Ray Shero picked up the phone.." #TSN690
— Conor McKenna (@mckennaconor) June 3, 2014
And the NHL Network Radio:
If the Penguins did hire McGuire in any capacity, it would be a return for the 52-year-old. McGuire worked as a scout with the Penguins and won two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach in Pittsburgh in the early 1990s. Those teams were led by Mario Lemieux, one of the current owners of the Penguins.
