Kornacki: Botterill Discusses Path to Becoming NHL GM
8/18/2017 10:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jason Botterill and Bill Muckalt were among the first players vaulting into the dog pile on the ice atop Brendan Morrison after he scored Michigan's overtime goal to beat Colorado College, 3-2, in the 1996 national championship game in Cincinnati.
Twenty-one years have passed since their ultimate moment of college hockey glory. So much has changed since then, and they've taken to forming or coaching their own hockey teams at the highest levels.
Botterill, 41, recently was named general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, becoming the second-youngest in his role in the NHL. Muckalt is the associate head coach to new Wolverines head coach Mel Pearson, who was an assistant coach for Red Berenson on those 1996 and 1998 NCAA champs.
And yet there are things that didn't change at all for them and the other members of that '96 team among a group of 155 former players who honored Berenson's retirement with a dinner one night and golf the next morning on a weekend earlier this month. Their camaraderie and brotherhood remained so clearly evident. This was a family reunion as much as one for a sport.
Defenseman Chris Fox, who played on both of those championship teams, had his arm around Muckalt as they sat at a table and watched Botterill speak about their teams and their coach.
Botterill was the center of attention much of the evening, with what seemed like every one of those former Berenson players making their way to him with congratulations and a handshake or a firm hug with a slap on the back.
Muckalt said, "Botts is a great leader -- a tremendous leader and a team-first guy. He's very intelligent, is very observant and won three championships with the Canadian World Junior team, won a championship at Michigan and three Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins. So, he's a winner and knows what it takes to win.
"He's very well respected, and I'm proud of what he's accomplished. Botts is a Michigan man, and was a great teammate who had a big impact on me and a lot of guys. Everybody who played with him is very proud of him. He's going to go after it and do great things. He's paid his dues and worked his way up. I'm not surprised, and he will do a great job in Buffalo."
Mike Komisarek, the former Michigan All-America and NHL All-Star defenseman whom Botterill recently named as a player development coach in Buffalo, added, "Jason is a rising star in the game."
Komisarek volunteered for Berenson while recently attaining his degree from Michigan, and developed several defensemen, including Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
"We didn't have anyone working specifically with our defensemen," said Botterill, "and so Mike can come in and have an advantage. He was a player who had a very successful NHL career, and came back to the Michigan program and had a great experience here. You look at his personality and he's passionate about working with young players to achieve their goal to become NHL defensemen."
Botterill credits former Penguins GM Ray Shero, now in that same position with the New Jersey Devils, for getting him into the industry in Pittsburgh in 2007.
"We went to the Stanley Cup Finals against Detroit in 2008 and then win the Stanley Cup in 2009," said Botterill. "So, it was an amazing start to my managerial career. With Ray Shero and Chuck Fletcher, it was such a great situation.
"They involved me in every decision; they were looking for my opinion. Did they always follow my opinion? Certainly not. But as a young executive, having so many of these different touch points, whether it's pro scouting, amateur scouting or contract negotiations, player development, they allowed me to be part of it all. After that second year, Chuck moved onto the Minnesota Wild, and because I had been part of all these conversations and situations, Ray felt comfortable enough putting me into an assistant general manager role."
| From the Archives: From the Ice to Risk to the Front Office (12/14/2009) |
When Jim Rutherford replaced Shero in June 2014, Rutherford retained Botterill, who had been a candidate to replace Shero. Botterill figured prominently in the Penguins naming Mike Sullivan their head coach on Dec. 12, 2015. Botterill, then also the GM of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, had hired Sullivan to coach that farm club.
"I'll always be extremely loyal to Ray for giving me my start," said Botterill, "and when Jim Rutherford came in there, a new GM usually brings in new people. But he felt I could still help them out, and obviously the results speak for themselves the last couple of years."
Pittsburgh won the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cups with Sullivan at the helm, and two former Wolverines players, Carl Hagelin and Kevin Porter, played on those teams.
"Everyone tries to say who hired Mike Sullivan," said Botterill. "It certainly was a large group effort, but we (Sullivan and Botterill) went through the interview process in Wilkes-Barre and I give Mike a lot of credit ... Obviously, I really enjoyed working with him at Wilkes-Barre, and we knew he'd have success at the National Hockey League level. Did we think he'd be involved in back-to-back Stanley Cup championships? Certainly not. But I am extremely happy for Mike. He's very deserving of the accolades because he's worked on his trade over the years."
Botterill also grew in Wilkes-Barre (Pennsylvania) and said it was "a perfect scenario for development" to spend three seasons as the GM of that team "as a test run" for rebuilding the Sabres, who have missed the playoffs in six consecutive seasons.
"In Buffalo, it's a situation where we're trying to build down the road," said Botterill. "Pittsburgh was a lot different. We were looking for the piece we were missing right now. That's what I learned from Jim Rutherford, who has a great ability to assess his team and know what tweaks need to be made. We were in a win-now situation.
"A big focus in Buffalo are the young players. We're looking at pieces to add to our organization and at development of our own players. That's why I was excited about bringing in Phil Housley (as the head coach). He has an excellent track record with young players."
The quest now is different than it was 21 years ago. It's about taking his new team where his former team went so often, and ending the season with hockey players circling the ice while hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup.
But there's also one thing that remains constant for him, Muckalt and the rest of their Wolverines teammates.
"When you win a championship," said Botterill, "your team always goes down in history. You always have that banner up at Yost (Ice Arena)."
Also read: Jason Botterill's touching tribute to Red Berenson, who showed him the way to an MBA, the NCAA title and the NHL.
• Botterill Follows Berenson, Pays Tribute to Ice Hockey Mentor
