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The Jim Rutherford era ended the way it began and played out — unexpectedly

Let’s go back to the summer of 2014, shortly after the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by blowing a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers.

General manager Ray Shero was fired. Dan Bylsma was the head coach in name only and just waiting for the new general manager to come in and fire him. And the Penguins were on the verge of a seismic shift in what their organization would look like.

I don’t know that anybody expected them to turn to a 65-year-old candidate with a mixed — at best — track record of success.