The changes in New York continue as the Rangers announced on Thursday that Glen Sather, who has served as team president since 2000, is stepping down from the role to become Senior Advisor to the owner and alternate governor.
“Since he first joined the Rangers 19 years ago, Glen Sather has been singularly focused on delivering our fans a team that can consistently compete for the Stanley Cup,” said Rangers owner James Dolan in a statement. “In doing so, Glen has become one of the most successful executives in Rangers history, and his current strategy has set the team on the right path to achieve our ultimate goal. Glen and I will work closely together to identify his successor. We thank Glen for his dedication to the Rangers, and to all of hockey, and look forward to his continued contributions to our team in his advisory role.”
Sather was also the team’s general manager from 2000-2015. Jeff Gorton, who took over as GM, will remain in the position as the franchise begins its search for a new president. After consistency for many years in the executive offices, this move continues the transition as the franchise moves forward.
During Sather’s time as GM, the Rangers won 556 games, reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs nine times, played in three Eastern Conference Finals, advanced to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, and won the 2014-15 Presidents’ Trophy. They’ve reached the playoffs since he focused solely on the team president role, but with an aging roster and Gorton now in charge the franchise has headed toward a youth movement.
After winning five Cup rings during his time as head coach and general manager of the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s, Sather, a 1997 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, told Larry Brooks of the New York Post his one regret is not bringing a championship back to New York.
“We had the opportunity to do it, but those three overtime losses in the final in LA…that’s the biggest regret,” he said. “But then also the reality that we were starting to get older—not me personally, but the team—and we could see that we would need to make changes to get better. That’s always painful.”
The goal is to have Sather’s replacement in place by July 1.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.