The Hockey World Is Mourning the Loss of Ray Shero Who Died at the Age of 62
Ray Shero was the kind of guy who brought joy to every room he was in.
Published April 10 2025, 11:17 a.m. ET
It's not easy being the son of a legend. On Nov. 24, 1990, The New York Times reported that Fred Shero died at the age of 65 from cancer. He was described as an innovator whose unorthodox ideas helped lead the Philadelphia Flyers to "two Stanley Cup championships in the mid-1970s and then brought the Rangers to the brink of victory in 1979." Outside of the world of hockey, Fred was also a father to two sons.
One of his sons chose to follow in his father's huge footsteps, though he took a bit of a different route. Ray Shero played hockey at St. Lawrence University before he found his way to the executive side of the NHL. Through his recruiting, Ray helped build the Pittsburgh Penguins, which in turn led to a Stanley Cup win in 2009. Ray died at the age of 62 on April 9, 2025. Here's what we know about his cause of death.
Ray Shero's cause of death has yet to be revealed.
The Minnesota Wild shared a post to X with the heartbreaking news of Ray's death. "Our hearts go out to his family and friends and the countless people he impacted in the hockey community throughout his successful career," said the Wild in a statement. "Ray was the best. He will be greatly missed by all of us. The Shero family asks for privacy during this difficult time." Per the New York Times, he died in Arizona after a "brief illness."
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman told The Times that Ray's "smile and personality lit up every room he walked into and brightened the day of everyone he met." He went on to say that Ray was "widely respected throughout hockey for his team-building acumen and eye for talent, he was even more beloved for how he treated everyone fortunate enough to have known him."
Outside of Ray's family, one person who was hit particularly hard by Ray's death is former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma. He could barely hold back tears as he told The New York Times, "I feel like I’ve lost my hockey dad.” Like many, Dan didn't even know his mentor was sick. "From what I hear, that’s what Ray wanted," explained Dan. "He had this huge circle because everyone loved Ray. But only a handful of people knew."