On Thursday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced four players/team executives/contributors for its Hall of Fame class of 2026, which included a current member of the Vancouver Canucks staff.

The Penguins inducted Former Canucks President of Hockey Operations and current Canucks Senior Advisor Jim Rutherford into their Hall of Fame.

Rutherford spent seven years as the Penguins’ General Manager and Executive Vice President. After two straight division titles and falling short of capturing a second Stanley Cup after 2009, the Penguins hired Rutherford in 2014 to help revamp the group.

The veteran executive made some big swings early in his first two years as Penguins GM, acquiring prominent players who helped the team return to glory in 2016: Patric Hronqvist, Ben Lovejoy, Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Trevor Daley, Carl Hagelin, and Justin Schultz. Those additions helped the Penguins capture the 2016 Stanley Cup after beating the San Jose Sharks in six games, and Rutherford walked away with the NHL General Manager of the Year award.

Looking to go back-to-back, Rutherford didn’t want to mess with a winning roster and added just Ron Hainsey the following season. And that’s all they needed, as his Penguins went on to win again in 2017, defeating the Nashville Predators in six games. This was the first time a team won consecutive Stanley Cups since the 1997 and 1998 Detroit Red Wings.

Following his exit from Pittsburgh, Rutherford came North of the border, where he took on the President of Hockey Operations role for a stagnant Canucks organization. Under his leadership in Vancouver, there were the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In 2023-24, the Canucks won the Pacific Division and were one game away from the Western Conference Finals. But just two years later, he saw his team collapse to the bottom of the NHL standings and is now facing a multi-year rebuild.

Along with Rutherford, future NHL Hall of Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, current Hall of Fame blueliner Larry Murphy, and Jack McGregor were also inducted into the Penguins’ Hall of Fame class of 2026.