from Damien Cox of Sportsnet,

It was only 26 days ago when it appeared that four general managers had perfectly positioned their NHL clubs to win the Stanley Cup.

Then, a week ago, it looked like two general managers had done so.

Now, Jim Rutherford stands alone, poised to do something that just isn’t done in the NHL, something Glen Sather, Brian Burke, Jay Feaster, Bob Gainey, Cliff Fletcher and Punch Imlach, among others, tried to accomplish but couldn’t. Something Lou Lamoriello and Peter Chiarelli are just starting to attempt.

The achievement? Win a Stanley Cup as general manager of one NHL franchise, then do it again with another.

Six months ago, of course, it looked like Rutherford, GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins, might not get the chance. The team was in deep trouble, Sidney Crosby was playing terribly and the 67-year-old Rutherford was being blamed for everything.

Now, one win away from his second Cup after capturing his first back in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes, Rutherford looks like the smartest guy in the room, the executive who understood what had to be done and did it.

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