Penguins hire former Sharks general manager Doug Wilson
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The Penguins keep adding to their front office.
On Wednesday, the team hired former San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson as senior adviser of hockey operations.
Per a release from the team, “Wilson will provide counsel, opinions and expertise to hockey operations leadership on all matters including personnel decisions.”
Previously, Wilson served as the Sharks’ general manager for nearly two decades from 2003-22. During that time, the Sharks were one of the NHL’s more successful outfits, having won 760 regular-season games under Wilson’s watch. Only the Penguins (768) and Boston Bruins (762) were more victorious over that span.
The Sharks qualified for the postseason in 14 of Wilson’s 19 seasons as general manager and claimed the Presidents’ Trophy (2009) and five Pacific Division titles (2004, 2008-11), advanced to the Western Conference Finals on five occasions (2004, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2019) and made one Stanley Cup Final appearance (2016).
In April 2022, he resigned from the position because of an undisclosed illness. Approximately 11 months ago, Wilson indicated he was still dealing with ramifications of his malady.
Wilson was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020 as a player. During his on-ice career as an All-Star defenseman, Wilson won the James Norris Memorial Trophy, which recognizes the defenseman who “demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.”
Primarily playing for the Chicago Blackhawks throughout his 16-year NHL career, Wilson’s final two seasons in the NHL came with the expansion Sharks in the early 1990s and he served as that franchise’s first captain.
Wilson is the latest addition to the Penguins’ front office this offseason. Since Kyle Dubas was hired as president of hockey operations on June 1, the franchise has undergone considerable changes off the ice, including the hirings of Jason Spezza as assistant general manager and Vukie Mpofu as director of hockey operations and legal affairs.