The Penguins have hired Craig Patrick as a professional scout, it was announced Monday.
Patrick, 72, previously served as the Penguins' general manager from 1986-2006. He joins the Penguins for a second stint after Director of Professional Scouting Derek Clancey earned an increased role with the team.
"Derek (Clancey) has taken on more responsibility making player personnel decisions and has been more involved with free agency," Jim Rutherford said in a team release. "With that, I wanted to add someone to our pro scouting staff, and I knew that Craig was available. He became the obvious choice to me."
Patrick was the architect behind the Penguins' 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup championships, and five division titles. He was the man behind arguably the greatest trade in Penguins history, acquiring Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings in exchange for John Cullen, Jeff Parker and Zarley Zalapski to propel the Penguins to those first two Stanley Cups. Patrick was the general manager when the Penguins drafted Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang.
"I have tremendous respect for Craig, for everything he's accomplished in his Hall of Fame hockey career," Rutherford said. "He always has been a great evaluator of talent and he brings a unique level of expertise to our scouting staff. It's also great to have Craig back here with the Penguins, where he built such a legacy of success. We're excited to add him to our staff."
Patrick previously served as a senior adviser with the Blue Jackets from 2011-14, and with the Sabres from 2014-15.
'It feels awesome," Patrick said. "I've been trying get back with a team. I'm really grateful to the ownership and upper management that they gave me a call and asked me to come back and help. And no better place to be than where your heart is. It's awesome."
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