Jason Botterill spent last weekend carrying and unpacking boxes, helping his family move into their new suburban Buffalo home.
This weekend should be considerably more enjoyable, although Botterill, the Penguins former associate general manager, certainly didn’t mind ditching the hotel room he’s occupied for much of the summer or finally having his wife and kids under the same roof.
At the upcoming Prospects Challenge, which runs Friday through Monday inside Buffalo’s HarborCenter, Botterill will work alongside a couple of his former bosses in Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford — only not how he used to.
Instead of assisting those men, Botterill will be doing his own thing as Buffalo’s GM, scouting and evaluating, but he’ll also take time to thank those two for everything they taught him.
“When I reflect on it, I just feel so honored and fortunate,” Botterill said. “From Day 1 when I came into the [Penguins] organization, I was a part of meetings that encompassed what hockey operations should be trying to do.
“So when this opportunity arose, I thought I was very well-prepared because of the people that I had worked under there in Pittsburgh.”
Botterill was hired on May 11, after the Penguins eliminated the Capitals in the Eastern Conference semifinals. What happened between then and now, he said, further illustrates how good Shero and Rutherford were to him.
One, Rutherford was insistent on Botterill coming to Nashville for the Stanley Cup-clinching win on the Penguins’ family plane.
Rutherford also made sure Botterill had his own day with the Cup. That was last Friday, while Botterill was spending his final hours in Pittsburgh, and it meant a tremendous amount.
I can't not post this. Thank You Lord Stanley, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Andrea and Jason Botterill. #ballersallofyou pic.twitter.com/RC0I2n7IcR
— Lisa Hass (@lmhatc) August 26, 2017
“That’s the beauty of this sport,” said Botterill, who made the three-hour drive countless times, crashing at the Marriott hotel that’s attached to HarborCenter and KeyBank Center.
“You’re obviously competitive. You’re trying to beat the Penguins and Devils, but I also know that I owe so much of my career and where I’m at right now to Jim and Ray.
“Once the games are over, it’s nice to sit down and socialize with them. My wife is great friends with Karen Shero and Leslie Rutherford. Both the Sheros and Rutherfords have been amazing to my kids. To me, that just goes to show what type of people they are and why they’re great general managers.”
So good, in fact, that Botterill admitted he knew it wasn’t going to work in Pittsburgh because of all the success that Rutherford has experienced.
Having done pretty much everything he could besides actually run his own team, Botterill finally came to terms with the fact that his opportunity would have to come elsewhere.
“We communicated a lot,” Botterill said. “Jim’s enjoying things, and why shouldn’t he? Look at the success that he’s had, the relationships he’s built.
“I realized that as much as I have a passion to continue to help the Pittsburgh Penguins and be in Pittsburgh, if I wanted to be a general manager — which was the ultimate goal — I realized I had to look elsewhere.”
And while Botterill looked, Rutherford kept pitching his top lieutenant, the same as he had been, knowing it was the right thing to do.
“I absolutely loved my time in Pittsburgh,” Botterill continued. “When I look back on those 10 years, I think, ‘How did that go by so quickly?’ To win three Stanley Cups in 10 years, you never think something like that is going to materialize.
“What I really like about what happened over the last couple of years is Jim has been very supportive of promoting me to other organizations. When other job opportunities came about, I know he was behind the scenes. I always knew I had great support from Jim.”
It certainly has been a busy summer for Botterill, 41. He had a crash course in draft prep, then the Sabres’ version of development camp.
Botterill overhauled much of his scouting staff, even plucking former director of amateur scouting Randy Sexton from Pittsburgh, and wound up hiring Phil Housley as head coach. All of this while trying to learn as much as possible about his staff and players.
“”There wasn’t too much of an opportunity to relax, but when you get a chance to be a general manager, to win another Stanley Cup … it’s pretty much the perfect scenario.”
Two things Botterill has tried to accomplish this summer include improving the Sabres’ minor league system – the Rochester Americans haven’t won a playoff series since 2005, during which Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has won 15 – and also developing a sense of continuity throughout the organization.
Botterill, who served as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s general manager, was chiefly responsible for both aspects in Pittsburgh.
“It was a group effort,” Botterill said. “There was always excellent communication – from Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre to Wheeling.
“That’s what we’re going to try and create in Buffalo. The only way that’s done is making sure that everybody feels a part of things and making sure everyone understands the mindset needs to be, what the goals and aspirations needs to be from the organization.”
The Prospects Challenge and preseason will provide two ironic twists to Botterill’s story. He actually negotiated the Penguins’ spot in this event while he was employed in Pittsburgh. Ditto for a pair of preseason games, including one at Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena.
“It’s certainly interesting how things played out,” Botterill said. “But I think it works out for both teams. I know people up here are excited.”
This weekend, Botterill said he will “absolutely” go to dinner with Shero and Rutherford, joking that he’ll probably even let Rutherford pick the place.
Botterill praised Shero for his meticulous planning and Rutherford for his ability to swing the perfect deal. Along with Chuck Fletcher of the Minnesota Wild, Botterill has had three mentors who are universally respected for how they conduct business. Three different styles, too.
“I know the reason why I’m here is the success of the [Penguins] organization,” Botterill said of his new job.
“I hope Ray and Jim look at it as a situation where I’m under their tree. They’re the ones who created me. Now there’s an opportunity for me to run my own team.”
Although he’s had the draft, free agency and development camp, every team’s rookie tournament means the regular season isn’t far away.
Botterill can’t wait. And he’s especially excited to kick it off with a bunch of old friends.
“It’s a big tournament,” Botterill said. “To see your own prospects. To see how they handle themselves. To get the season off on the right note.
“But it’ll also be great from a personal standpoint. I have so many relationships with the people in Pittsburgh. I’m obviously very tight with Ray and [Devils senior director of player personnel] Dan MacKinnon, [assistant GM] Tom Fitzgerald, [head coach] John Hynes and his staff.
“Being able to see them again here … it’s like a perfect weekend.”
Hey, sure beats moving boxes.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: September 6, 2017, 9:47 p.m.
