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professional sports, acknowledges Botterill,
is understanding when to step back (when
the players and coaches are performing
well) and when to step in and make deci-
sions (when they are not). The Penguins
made a mid-season coaching change in
December, replacing Mike Johnston with
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Mike
Sullivan after Pittsburgh went 15-10-3
in its initial 28 games. Adjustments must
be made, explains Botterill, when manage-
ment feels that intervention will benefit
team performance.
Botterill has had frequent interaction
with Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney ’84.
The two crossed paths often when Sweeney
was assistant GM in Boston and running
hockey operations for the Providence Bru-
ins, while Botterill was doing the same for
the Penguins’ AHL team in Wilkes-Barre.
“I have always enjoyed talking with Don,”
says Botterill. “He’s done an excellent job
building the Bruins not only for this season,
but also for years to come.”
A significant part of what goes into
building a competitive professional
sports franchise begins with the Entry
Draft and continues with patiently devel-
oping the next generation of players.
Botterill is one of those in the Penguins’
front office working hard to determine
how the team’s future draft picks will
balance the assets of their aging stars
and budding talent. “It’s all a big puzzle,”
he says, “and teams have three-to-five-
year plans to figure out what they will
look like. But that has to be flexible,
depending on so many factors.”
Botterill recently has been the subject
of discussions around the NHL when
general manager openings have become
available. Being a GM is an opportunity he
hopes to eventually enjoy. A 2011 article
by the online
Hockey Writers
titled “The
Jason Botterill Factor” praised the SPS
graduate for his knowledge and under-
standing of the many intricacies of the
management side of hockey, his compo-
sure, and his willingness to do the legwork
required to help Pittsburgh prepare for
any scenario. That same year, he was
named by
The Hockey News
as one of the
“Top 40 Under the Age of 40,” a listing of
hockey’s most powerful people.
“Jason’s managerial talent has been the
key to bringing together old and new mem-
bers of the organization,” says Jason
Karmanos, the Penguins vice president
of hockey operations, referring to the
to the NHL and remaining with the AHL
affiliate for a little more seasoning. The
letdown of not making the big club out
of training camp often stayed with him,
he says, and negatively affected his play
at the minor-league level.
“I wish I could go back and stay focused
on my own endeavor instead of all the
time I spent wondering what the coaches
and management were thinking about
me,” he says. “It’s important for players
to know that there are so many factors
in determining which players make the
team, sometimes based on free-agent
status or salary considerations. It’s not
always based strictly on performance.
You have to understand, even as a player,
that it
is
a business.”
Because of his own experience with
playing between the minors and the NHL,
Botterill is particularly sensitive to coun-
seling young players who find themselves
in the same scenario. While he doesn’t
particularly enjoy the discussions that
involve informing players of their immi-
nent return to the minor league, his own
experience allows him to be empathetic
and to counsel the young athletes on how
to prepare for the next opportunity.
Meanwhile, Botterill is also charged with
being on top of the Penguins’ salary cap
status, taking that into account as the NHL’s
February 29 trade deadline approached,
and evaluating the team’s assets for
current and future success. It’s a balanc-
ing act that requires considerations of the
trending market value for professional
hockey players, how other teams compare
in terms of free-agent signings and salary
cap compliance, and whether or not the
team should compromise future assets
(i.e. players and draft picks) to gamble
on success in the present. It’s a delicate
equation that requires both expertise and
a hefty dose of old-fashioned patience.
“Jason does a good job of taking the
emotion out of certain situations,” says Bill
Guerin, a former NHL all-star who now
works as the Penguins’ assistant general
manager in charge of player development.
“He understands the business of the game
very well and his playing background
adds value to that. If we want to make a
player move, want to make sure where a
player fits into our salary structure, and
how we get there, Jason is the guy who will
figure that out – quickly, effectively, and
accurately. He’s an extremely bright guy.”
Part of being a successful manager in
2014 departure of former Pittsburgh GM
Ray Shero. “Without his key leadership in
this area, I believe the organization would
have crumbled under the constant pres-
sure to succeed. Jason will absolutely be
a general manager someday in the NHL,
and whatever organization decides to
give him that well-deserved opportunity
will be in great hands for a long time.”
Botterill was drafted by the Dallas Stars in 1994.
COURTESY PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
