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Wild name longtime NHL player, executive Bill Guerin general manager

ST. PAUL — After an extensive search over the past month, the Wild officially named Bill Guerin general manager of the franchise on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

“I am thrilled to announce we have hired Bill Guerin,” owner Craig Leipold said in a team release. “(He) has been a winner throughout his hockey career and I am extremely pleased to be able to add his experience to our organization and The State of Hockey.”

According to the team release, Guerin will operate under “a multi-year contract” with the Wild. He will be formally introduced at a news conference set for 11 a.m. Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.

It’s a new beginning for Guerin, 48, who spent nearly two decades in the NHL as a player, and nearly decade with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an executive. He will be just the fourth general manager in franchise history, and takes over for Paul Fenton, who was fired abruptly last month after only 14 months on the job.

“The culture wasn’t the same,” Leipold said last month of his decision to fire Fenton. “It was just a feeling that we didn’t have the right leader for our organization.”

The hope is that Guerin will bring a sense of stability to the Wild, while also getting them back into contention for the Stanley Cup.

After making the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, the Wild took a step back last season, missing the playoffs in Fenton’s only season as GM.

“I honestly believe we have a team that can make the playoffs and will make the playoffs next season,” Leipold said last month. “I think we are going to need to get a general manger that has a lot of trust with the players. I think that will be a factor. We are certainly going to probe how the general manager will interact with players and motivate players. That will be part of the interviewing process.”

That guy is Guerin, who started with the Penguins as a player development coach, and grew into the role of right-hand man to general manager Jim Rutherford. He was promoted to assistant general manger in June 2014, and he played a pivotal role in helping the team win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.

His resume clearly impressed top Wild officials Leipold, team president Matt Majka and team advisor Mike Modano, the trio that conducted interviews with what is believed to be at least a dozen candidates before picking Guerin.

In addition to his obvious chops in the front office, Guerin was a top player in the NHL, amassing 429 goals and 427 assists over an illustrious 18-year career, spending the most time with the New Jersey Devils. He played for eight different teams, winning the Stanley Cup twice as a player — with the Devils in 1995 and with the Penguins in 2009. He also was a three-time Olympian, representing Team USA in 1998, 2002 and 2006. The U.S. won a silver medal in 2002.

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