Brian Burke fired as Pittsburgh Penguins owners clean house

Apr 14 2023, 3:40 pm

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced the departure of a number of members of their front office.

The team has parted ways with general manager Ron Hextall, president of hockey operations Brian Burke and assistant general manager Chris Pryor. According to a release from Fenway Sports Group, the search for new leadership will “begin immediately.”

Both Hextall and Burke were hired in February 2021.

The move comes after the longest ongoing postseason streak among teams in North American professional sports was broken by the Penguins, who missed the playoffs for the first time in 17 years. The streak featured five trips to the Eastern Conference Final, four Stanley Cup Final appearances, and three Stanley Cup Championships (2009, 2016, and 2017).

According to the organization, in the meantime, the managerial duties of hockey operations will be shared among the current director of hockey operations, Alec Schall, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton General Manager/Manager of Hockey Operations Erik Heasley, and Hockey Operations Analyst Andy Saucier.

Penguins’ head coach Mike Sullivan will also assist during the transition.

Al SciolaAl Sciola

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