NHL power rankings: Top 3 greatest general managers of all-time
This edition of our NHL power rankings looks at the best general managers ever.
Following the NHL power rankings of the best players and coaches ever I have recently started doing, today’s article will go over the top three greatest general managers of all-time. Though general managers generally don’t receive a ton of credit, they are arguably the biggest part of any team winning a championship.
Sure, the players have to perform, but a team with a bad roster has little to no chance of making the playoffs let alone winning it all. The NHL has seen plenty of good general managers over the years, but the three below are the best to ever do it.
3. Glen Sather
Glen Sather was the main man responsible for putting together the 1980s Edmonton Oilers roster which is widely considered one of the greatest dynasties of all time. His best move was undoubtedly signing Wayne Gretzky, but he also brought in other greats such as Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri, and goaltender Grant Fuhr.
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Sather had a lot of responsibility during his time as the Oilers general manager as he was also the team’s head coach. He was able to do an incredible job at both, proven by his five Stanley Cup Championships with the team, though he was not the head coach for the final Cup.
He remained the Oilers general manager until 2000 when he was replaced by Kevin Lowe. One major critique with Sather during his time with the Oilers was his poor drafting, which led to the team struggling for a long period of time after his tenure. However, he also helped the team win five Stanley Cups, which is an incredible feat.
Shortly after his time with the Oilers was over, he became the general manager of the New York Rangers. Though his tenure with the Rangers was not nearly as impressive, he was still able to bring the team to the Stanley Cup final in 2015, and had other very successful seasons, but was unable to lead the team to a Stanley Cup Championship. Despite the later part of his career not being very memorable, he was still an incredible general manager and was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.