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Key Hockey Staff

Key Staff 2009-10

Name	Position/Title	Notes
Mario Lemieux	Co-Owner and Chairman	Mario Lemieux was one of the greatest players in NHL history from 1984-97 and 2000-06, winning six league scoring titles, three MVP trophies and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP in addition to two Stanley Cups. An immaculately gifted 6-4 centerman, he dominated play for parts of three decades despite a series of medical setbacks, including multiple back surgeries and a battle with hodgkin’s disease. He retired in 2006 as the No. 7 all-time scorer in NHL history with 1,723 points. He also ranked eighth all-time in goals (690) and 10th in assists (1,033). In 1999, Mario Lemieux led a group of investors that bought the franchise out of bankruptcy. As team captain, Lemieux won Stanley Cups as a player with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992, and as presided over the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup win as co-owner/chairman. The new Consol Energy Center, currently under construction across the street from Mellon Arena, is a gleaming achievement of the Lemieux-Burkle era. After a lengthy quest for a new building that would ensure the team’s long-term future in Pittsburgh, the owners reached agreement on a new arena deal with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in March, 2007.
Ron Burkle	Co-Owner	Burkle, widely recognized as one of the preeminent investors in retail, manufacturing and distribution industries, is in his 11th season as co-owner of the Penguins. He teamed with Mario Lemieux to buy the team out of bankruptcy in September, 1999, and together they have developed one of the outstanding ownership groups in all of professional sports. Burkle founded The Yucaipa Companies in 1986 and has served as Chairman of the Board and controlling shareholder of numerous companies, including Alliance Entertainment, Golden State Foods, Dominick’s, Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Food4Less. He is currently a member of the board of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, KB Home and Yahoo!
Ken Sawyer	CEO	Ken Sawyer is in his 11th season as a senior executive with the Penguins, including his fifth season as CEO. In his current role, he is in charge of all of the Penguins’ operations, including the construction of the new Consol Energy Center. Sawyer also helped reshape the Penguins’ fortunes on the ice when he hired Ray Shero as executive vice president and general manager in May, 2006. Sawyer represents the Penguins in all league matters and is a member of the NHL’s Board of Governors. Sawyer’s career spans 38 years – including 14 as the Chief Financial Officer of the National Hockey League and the past 10 as an executive of the Penguins. He served as team president from 2003 until January of 2006, when he was named CEO.
David Morehouse	President	David Morehouse is in his third season as president of the Penguins. He oversees tickets sales, marketing, corporate sales, communications and brand development for the Stanley Cup champions, as well as representing the team in corporate relations, governmental affairs and future redevelopment of the Mellon Arena site. Morehouse came to the Penguins in December, 2004 as a Senior Consultant on the new arena project, bringing with him extensive national experience in political decision-making, strategic planning and project development. He was named team president in April, 2007.
Ray Shero	Executive VP and General Manager	Ray Shero helped transform the Penguins from a team that did not qualify for the playoffs in 2005-06 to one that reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2007-08 and won the Cup in 2008-09. During that time, he has moved boldly to ensure a strong future for the Penguins, signing five key members of the team’s core – Sidney Cosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal and Brooks Orpik – to long-term contracts. Ray’s father, Fred, had won two Stanley Cups as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975, so they are now one of the few father-son tandems on the Cup. The late Fred Shero also was a coach and general manager with the New York Rangers.
Dan Bylsma	Head Coach	Dan Bylsma was named interim head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 15, 2009 and then had the interim tag removed on April 28th, 2009. Bylsma began his coaching career as an assistant with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL in 2004-05. He made his NHL coaching debut as an assistant with the New York Islanders in 2005-06. Bylsma joined the Penguins organization as an assistant to Todd Richards in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2006-07. When Richards accepted the job as an assistant coach with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks in the off-season, Bylsma was elevated to head coach at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Bylsma played nine NHL seasons as a right winger with Los Angeles and Anaheim from 1995-2004. A role player who excelled at killing penalties and blocking shots, he played 429 NHL regular-season games and also played in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final with Anaheim. He retired as a player following the 2003-04 season.
Tony Granato	Assistant Coach	Tony Granato joined the Penguins’ coaching staff on August 5, 2009. Granato spent the last six seasons behind the bench for the Colorado Avalanche and served two stints as Avalanche head coach from 2002-04 and 2008-09. Granato played 13 seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers (1988-90), Los Angeles (1990-96) and San Jose (1996-2001). In 1997, he played in the NHL All-Star Game and was the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for overcoming a near career-ending brain injury. In 773 career games, the fiesty forward posted 248 goals, 492 points and 1,425 penalty minutes. He tallied 16 goals, 43 points and 141 penalty minutes in 79 career postseason games and helped lead Los Angeles to a Stanley Cup Final berth in 1993.
Mike Yeo	Assistant Coach	Mike Yeo joined the Penguins’ coaching staff when former head coach Michel Therrien was named head coach in December, 2005, and is now in his fifth season as an assistant. His responsibilities include the Penguins’ special teams and defensemen. Yeo, 36, served as an assistant coach with the Penguins’ top minor-league affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for nearly six years. He was named the first assistant coach in team history Jan. 24, 2000 after announcing his retirement as a player.
Gilles Meloche	Goaltending Coach	Former NHL goaltender Gilles Meloche is in his fourth season as the Penguins’ full-time goaltending coach and 24th with the organization. A native of Montreal, Quebec, Meloche spent 18 seasons as an NHL goaltender with the Chicago Blackhawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars and Penguins. He played the final three seasons of his career in Pittsburgh following a 1985 trade. He appeared in 788 NHL games during his career, posting a record of 270-351-131 with a 3.64 goals-against average. In 45 career playoff games, he posted a 21-19 record and a 3.48 goals-against average.

Name Position/Title Notes

Mario Lemieux
Co-Owner and Chairman Mario Lemieux was one of the greatest players in NHL history from 1984-97 and 2000-06, winning six league scoring titles, three MVP trophies and two Conn Smythe Trophies as playoff MVP in addition to two Stanley Cups. An immaculately gifted 6-4 centerman, he dominated play for parts of three decades despite a series of medical setbacks, including multiple back surgeries and a battle with hodgkin’s disease. He retired in 2006 as the No. 7 all-time scorer in NHL history with 1,723 points. He also ranked eighth all-time in goals (690) and 10th in assists (1,033).

In 1999, Mario Lemieux led a group of investors that bought the franchise out of bankruptcy. As team captain, Lemieux won Stanley Cups as a player with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992, and as presided over the Penguins 2009 Stanley Cup win as co-owner/chairman.

The new Consol Energy Center, currently under construction across the street from Mellon Arena, is a gleaming achievement of the Lemieux-Burkle era. After a lengthy quest for a new building that would ensure the team’s long-term future in Pittsburgh, the owners reached agreement on a new arena deal with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in March, 2007.

Ron Burkle
Co-Owner
Burkle, widely recognized as one of the preeminent investors in retail, manufacturing and distribution industries, is in his 11th season as co-owner of the Penguins. He teamed with Mario Lemieux to buy the team out of bankruptcy in September, 1999, and together they have developed one of the outstanding ownership groups in all of professional sports.

Burkle founded The Yucaipa Companies in 1986 and has served as Chairman of the Board and controlling shareholder of numerous companies, including Alliance Entertainment, Golden State Foods, Dominick’s, Fred Meyer, Ralphs and Food4Less. He is currently a member of the board of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, KB Home and Yahoo!

Ken Sawyer
CEO Ken Sawyer is in his 11th season as a senior executive with the Penguins, including his fifth season as CEO. In his current role, he is in charge of all of the Penguins’ operations, including the construction of the new Consol Energy Center.

Sawyer also helped reshape the Penguins’ fortunes on the ice when he hired Ray Shero as executive vice president and general manager in May, 2006. Sawyer represents the Penguins in all league matters and is a member of the NHL’s Board of Governors.

Sawyer’s career spans 38 years – including 14 as the Chief Financial Officer of the National Hockey League and the past 10 as an executive of the Penguins. He served as team president from 2003 until January of 2006, when he was named CEO.

David Morehouse
President David Morehouse is in his third season as president of the Penguins. He oversees tickets sales, marketing, corporate sales, communications and brand development for the Stanley Cup champions, as well as representing the team in corporate relations, governmental affairs and future redevelopment of the Mellon Arena site.

Morehouse came to the Penguins in December, 2004 as a Senior Consultant on the new arena project, bringing with him extensive national experience in political decision-making, strategic planning and project development. He was named team president in April, 2007.

Ray Shero
Executive VP and General Manager Ray Shero helped transform the Penguins from a team that did not qualify for the playoffs in 2005-06 to one that reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2007-08 and won the Cup in 2008-09. During that time, he has moved boldly to ensure a strong future for the Penguins, signing five key members of the team’s core – Sidney Cosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal and Brooks Orpik – to long-term contracts.

Ray’s father, Fred, had won two Stanley Cups as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974 and 1975, so they are now one of the few father-son tandems on the Cup. The late Fred Shero also was a coach and general manager with the New York Rangers.

Dan Bylsma
Head Coach Dan Bylsma was named interim head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 15, 2009 and then had the interim tag removed on April 28th, 2009. Bylsma began his coaching career as an assistant with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the AHL in 2004-05. He made his NHL coaching debut as an assistant with the New York Islanders in 2005-06. Bylsma joined the Penguins organization as an assistant to Todd Richards in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2006-07. When Richards accepted the job as an assistant coach with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks in the off-season, Bylsma was elevated to head coach at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Bylsma played nine NHL seasons as a right winger with Los Angeles and Anaheim from 1995-2004. A role player who excelled at killing penalties and blocking shots, he played 429 NHL regular-season games and also played in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final with Anaheim. He retired as a player following the 2003-04 season.

Tony Granato
Assistant Coach Tony Granato joined the Penguins’ coaching staff on August 5, 2009. Granato spent the last six seasons behind the bench for the Colorado Avalanche and served two stints as Avalanche head coach from 2002-04 and 2008-09.

Granato played 13 seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers (1988-90), Los Angeles (1990-96) and San Jose (1996-2001). In 1997, he played in the NHL All-Star Game and was the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for overcoming a near career-ending brain injury. In 773 career games, the fiesty forward posted 248 goals, 492 points and 1,425 penalty minutes. He tallied 16 goals, 43 points and 141 penalty minutes in 79 career postseason games and helped lead Los Angeles to a Stanley Cup Final berth in 1993.

Mike Yeo
Assistant Coach Mike Yeo joined the Penguins’ coaching staff when former head coach Michel Therrien was named head coach in December, 2005, and is now in his fifth season as an assistant. His responsibilities include the Penguins’ special teams and defensemen.

Yeo, 36, served as an assistant coach with the Penguins’ top minor-league affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for nearly six years. He was named the first assistant coach in team history Jan. 24, 2000 after announcing his retirement as a player.

Gilles Meloche
Goaltending Coach Former NHL goaltender Gilles Meloche is in his fourth season as the Penguins’ full-time goaltending coach and 24th with the organization.

A native of Montreal, Quebec, Meloche spent 18 seasons as an NHL goaltender with the Chicago Blackhawks, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars and Penguins. He played the final three seasons of his career in Pittsburgh following a 1985 trade.

He appeared in 788 NHL games during his career, posting a record of 270-351-131 with a 3.64 goals-against average. In 45 career playoff games, he posted a 21-19 record and a 3.48 goals-against average.

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