Jim Rutherford.

• Author: Gray, Tim
• Position: Sports

GENERAL MANAGER

CAROLINA HURRICANES RALEIGH

Education: attended Canadian Business College Number of National Hockey League teams played for: four Detroit Red Wings' summary of his three stints with the team: "Jim Rutherford was the little goalie who could but was unfortunately saddled with the difficult task of playing behind several teams which couldn't."

Professional athletes don't work all that hard. So says Jim Rutherford, and he would know. He played 13 seasons as an NHL goalie and is wrapping up his 14th year as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes and its predecessor. "As a professional athlete, you work about seven to eight months a year and a couple of hours a day," he says.

The business world came as a shock when Rutherford, who turns 59 this month, moved from tending goal to managing the Detroit youth hockey program started by computer entrepreneur Pete Karmanos. When Karmanos bought the Hartford Whalers NHL franchise in 1994, he made Rutherford its general manager. "In business, you're working all the time, sometimes 12 to 15 hours a day on certain projects."

The effort paid off. It not only kept him employed in pro hockey but also helped the Hurricanes win the...