Longtime NHL executive Ray Shero, the general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2009, has died. He was 62.
The Minnesota Wild announced Shero’s death Wednesday. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Devils confirmed the team found out in the morning. USA Hockey said Shero died Tuesday night.
Further details, including cause of death and where Shero was, were not available.
“Our hearts go out to his family and friends and the countless people he impacted in the hockey community throughout his successful career,” the Wild said in a statement. “Ray was the best. He will be greatly missed by all of us. The Shero family asks for privacy during this difficult time.”
Shero had been a senior adviser to Wild general manager Bill Guerin. The son of Hall of Fame coach Fred Shero, Ray worked in the league since the mid-90s with Ottawa, Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Minnesota.
“Ray Shero’s smile and personality lit up every room he walked into and brightened the day of everyone he met,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Widely respected throughout hockey for his team-building acumen and eye for talent, he was even more beloved for how he treated everyone fortunate enough to have known him. ... It was clear he loved what he was doing, and I always marveled at his infectious enthusiasm."
Sidney Crosby, who captained the Penguins to the Cup in '09, said Shero was a big part of the early days of his career.
“He gave me a lot of opportunity as a young captain and supported me throughout his time,” Crosby said. “He did so much for our organization, and my memories with him are special. I am grateful for our time spent here and that we were able to share a Stanley Cup championship together.”
The Predators, for whom Shero worked from their inaugural season in 1998-99 through 2006 when he got the job with Pittsburgh, called him “one of the most influential people in our sport.”
Tom Fitzgerald, who was Shero's assistant with the Devils and succeeded him as GM, said the organization was stunned and saddened by his death.
“Ray was a highly-respected executive, enthusiastic mentor, and most importantly, tremendous friend to many during his time in New Jersey,” Fitzgerald said. “Ray came from a family that dedicated themselves to the game, and he continued to pass that commitment on. The organization is extremely grateful for the impact Ray had during his tenure in New Jersey, and it is without question that his fingerprints are on the current group we see today both on and off the ice.”
Agent Allan Walsh posted on social media: “There are no words to describe how devastated I am at the news. We had epic battles but always respected each other. He was a great GM and an amazing person. We had so many great times together over so many years. I love you, Ray, and will miss you terribly. Rest easy my friend.”
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FILE - Following a ceremony honoring the late Philadelphia Flyers' head coach Fred Shero, sculptor Chad Fisher, left, Flyers Chairman Ed Snider Shero's grandson Chris Shero and his son, Pittsburgh Penguins' head coach Ray Shero, hold replicas of the statute of the late coach that was unveiled during a ceremony, Saturday, March 15, 2014, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek, file)
FILE - New Jersey Devils General Manager Ray Shero speaks to members of the media before an NHL hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, file)
FILE - Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero holding up the Stanley Cup after the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 to win Game 7 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup finals, in Detroit, June 12, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
FILE - New Jersey Devils' general manager Ray Shero speaks during a news conference in Newark, N.J., Monday, June 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's 2026 budget plan would slash non-defense domestic spending by $163 billion while increasing expenditures on national security, according to White House statements Friday.
The plan shows a desire to crack down on diversity programs and initiatives to address climate change. But it doesn't include details about what Trump wants on income taxes, tariffs, entitlement programs or the budget deficit — a sign of the challenge confronting the president when he's promising to cut taxes and repay the federal debt without doing major damage to economic growth.
Budgets do not become law but serve as a touchstone for the upcoming fiscal year debates. Often considered a statement of values, this first budget since Trump's return to the White House carries the added weight of defining the Republican president's second-term pursuits, alongside his party in Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the plan showed fiscal discipline given the problems of persistently high budget deficits. The budget released on Friday did not, in fact, include a forecast on government borrowing.
“President Trump’s plan ensures every federal taxpayer dollar spent is used to serve the American people, not a bloated bureaucracy or partisan pet projects,” Johnson said.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the cuts could ultimately be more extreme than what the administration has proposed, noting that the budget doesn't provide funding levels for programs such as Head Start.
“President Trump has made his priorities clear as day: he wants to outright defund programs that help working Americans while he shovels massive tax breaks at billionaires like himself and raises taxes on middle-class Americans with his reckless tariffs," Murray said.
The budget seeks to cut discretionary spending by a total of 7.6% next year, but includes a 13% increase in national security spending.
The State Department and international programs would lose 84% of their money and receive $9.6 billion, a cut that reflects the existing efforts by adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The Housing and Urban Development Department would get a $33.6 billion cut, while the Health and Human Service Department would receive $33.3 trillion less and the Education Department's spending would be reduced by $12 billion.
The Defense Department would get an additional $113.3 billion and Homeland Security would receive $42.3 billion more.
The IRS and FBI would lose money, while the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program would be ended. There would be $980 million less for college students in work-study programs, as well as similarly sized cuts for adult education and instruction for learning English.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would lose nearly $3.6 billion under the plan, while the National Institutes of Health would face a steep cut of almost $18 billion. The budget would eliminate more than $15 billion for infrastructure-related programs tied to climate change and $1.3 billion from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The White House budget plan arrives as Trump has unilaterally imposed what could hundreds of billions of dollars in tax increases in the form of tariffs, setting off a trade war that has consumers, CEOs and foreign leaders worried about a possible economic downturn.
The White House's Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russell Vought, a chief architect of Project 2025, provided contours of a so-called skinny version of topline numbers only regarding discretionary spending. Administration officials said a fuller budget will come soon with plans to address the drivers of the annual deficit.
The nation's estimated $7 trillion-plus federal budget has been growing steadily, with annual deficits fast approaching $2 trillion and the annual interest payments on the debt almost $1 trillion. That's thanks mostly to the spike in emergency COVID-19 pandemic spending, changes in the tax code that reduced revenues and the climbing costs of Medicare, Medicaid and other programs, largely to cover the nation's health needs as people age. The nation's debt load, at $36 trillion, is ballooning.
Democrats are prepared to assail Trump's budget as further evidence that the Republican administration is intent on gutting government programs that Americans depend on.
Congress is already deep into the slog of drafting of Trump's big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and bolstered funds for the administration's mass deportation effort — a package that, unlike the budget plan, would carry the force of law.
But deep differences remain among the Republicans, who are trying to pass that big bill over the objections of Democrats.
"We are awaiting some final calculations on a few of the tax components, and we expect to be able to complete that work on a very aggressive schedule,” Johnson said.
It's Congress, under its constitutional powers, that decides the spending plans, approves the bills that authorize federal programs and funds them through the appropriations process. Often, that system breaks down, forcing lawmakers to pass stopgap spending bills to keep the government funded and avoid federal shutdowns.
Vought is also expected on Capitol Hill in the weeks ahead as the Trump administration presses its case to Congress for funds.
Among the more skilled conservative budget hands in Washington, Vought has charted a career toward this moment. He served during the first Trump administration in the same role and, for Project 2025, wrote an extensive chapter about the remaking of the federal government.
Vought has separately been preparing a $9 billion package that would gut current 2025 funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which involves the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. Trump signed an executive order late Thursday that instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and federal agencies to cease funding for PBS and NPR.
Vought has said that package of so-called budget rescissions would be a first of potentially more, as the Trump administration tests the appetite in Congress for lawmakers to go on record and vote to roll back the money.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks as President Donald Trump, right, listens during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, of N.Y., second from right, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of N.Y., right, arrive with other House and Senate Democrats for an event to mark 100 days of President Donald Trump's term on the steps of the Senate on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
FILE - President Donald Trump listens as acting director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought speaks during an event on "transparency in Federal guidance and enforcement" in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Oct. 9, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
