Glen Sather, who was general manager for five Stanley Cup championships with the Edmonton Oilers, announced his retirement Wednesday.
The 80-year-old had been working for the New York Rangers as a senior adviser to the owner and alternate governor.
“Having the opportunity to be associated with the National Hockey League, and specifically the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers, has been one of the great privileges of my life,” Sather said. “I want to thank Jim Dolan for giving me the chance to work for the Rangers 24 years ago and for his consistent guidance and friendship. I want to thank everyone in the Rangers organization for their dedication and pursuit of excellence throughout the years, as well as the family atmosphere they helped create. I would also like to thank the great Rangers fans for their passion and loyalty. This experience is something I will always treasure.”
After nearly 50 years as a front office executive in the NHL, Sather is regarded as one of the great architects in the history of the sport. He was coach/GM for four of his five championships with the Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988) before winning another as GM in 1990.
Sather, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997, is one of only two people in hockey history who won at least four Stanley Cup championships as both a head coach and GM (Punch Imlach).
“The National Hockey League congratulates Glen Sather on his retirement and salutes him for his legendary career,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Glen enjoyed a remarkable six-decade career as a player, coach, general manager and executive that earned him election to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.
“Whether with the dynastic Edmonton Oilers teams of the 1980s, the contending New York Rangers clubs of recent years or various iterations of Team Canada, Sather always showed a keen eye for elite talent and a deft touch for bringing out its best.
“As important, he cared deeply about his players as people, sought to develop them as men and supported them through any off-ice challenges.
“Congratulations, ‘Slats,’ on a remarkable career.”
Sather was hired by the Rangers on June 1, 2000, as president and GM. He served as team president for his first 19 years and was GM for 14. Over that span, he earned more wins (556) and held the position for more games (1,114) than any GM in franchise history.
He also served as Rangers coach from Jan. 30, 2003, to Feb. 25, 2004.
When his tenure ended as New York’s GM in July of 2015, he held the NHL record for career regular-season games (2,700) and wins (1,319) by a general manager.
Over a 12-season span from 2005-06 to 2016-17, the Rangers were one of four NHL teams that reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs 11 times. New York played in more playoff games than any NHL team over a six-year stretch from 2011-12 to 2016-17 (93) and was the only NHL team that won at least one playoff series in five of those six seasons.
New York reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, losing to the Los Angeles Kings.
In Sather’s final season as GM in 2014-15, the Rangers had 53 wins and 113 points, establishing single-season franchise records at the time -- and won the Presidents’ Trophy for the third time in their history.
Sather held the role of senior adviser for the final five seasons of his tenure with the Rangers. During that stretch, New York advanced to the Eastern Conference Final twice in three seasons and won the Presidents’ Trophy this season (55-23-4).
As Oilers coach and GM from Nov. 22, 1980, through the 1988-89 season, Edmonton went 414-202-86 in 702 regular-season games and had the most wins in the NHL. The Oilers also went 133-82 in 215 playoff games.
Sather went 89-37 in 126 playoff games as a coach; his .706 winning percentage is the highest in NHL history.
During his playing career, Sather spent parts of 10 seasons in the NHL as a forward with the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, and Minnesota North Stars. He had 193 points (80 goals, 113 assists) in 658 regular-season games and helped New York reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1972.
“I would like to congratulate Glen on his tremendous career,” Rangers GM Chris Drury said. “I will forever be grateful to Glen for giving me the opportunity to play for the Rangers, and I was so fortunate to lean on him for guidance as I began my own career in the front office.
“I wish Glen, along with Ann and the entire Sather family, best of luck in the next chapter of their lives.”
