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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins hired Ray Shero as general manager eight years ago with the mandate to build a roster around two of the games brightest stars and turn ticker-tape parades through downtown into an annual rite of spring. Nearly a decade -- but just one Stanley Cup later -- Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin find themselves on a perennially underachieving team. And Shero finds himself out of a job. The Penguins fired Shero on Friday, three days after another early playoff exit, this one a seven-game loss to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Coach Dan Bylsma remains in charge until Sheros replacement gets a chance to evaluate the entire organization top to bottom. "We share the disappointment of our fans that we have not had success in the playoffs over the past five seasons," co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle said in a joint statement. "We believe that new leadership in the general managers office will bring a new approach and new energy, and help us return to championship form." Assistant general manager Jason Botterill will serve as general manager on an interim basis. Penguins President and CEO David Morehouse called Botterill a candidate to take over and believes whomever the team brings in wont need to make major changes on a club that won 51 games in 2013-14. "Its not a complete rebuild," Morehouse said. "This is a team that has had a level of success. What were trying to do now is get from good to great." Its a destination the Penguins reached only briefly during Sheros tenure, spending most of the time in a murky middle ground that made them one of the leagues model franchises during the regular season but a symbol of disappointment once the calendar crept into May and beyond. Pittsburgh won the franchises third Cup in 2009 but has failed to produce a bookend. Pittsburgh is just 4-5 in playoff series over the last five years after blowing a 3-1 series lead against New York. Morehouse didnt blame the 51-year-old Sheros ouster on one specific misstep. "This is a decision thats been in the works for a long time since weve won the Cup," Morehouse said. "We wanted to get back to the Stanley Cup finals and we havent and were going to make some changes." The Penguins brought Shero in before the 2006-07 season and tasked him with finding the right kind of players to complement Crosby and Malkins otherworldly offensive talent. It culminated on a giddy night in Detroit in 2009, when the Penguins edged the Red Wings 2-1 in Game 7 to earn the franchises third Cup, a run that included the crucial trade deadline acquisitions of forwards Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin. It was supposed to mark the beginning of a dynasty. Yet five seasons have come and gone with the Penguins in a familiar position: watching the final stages of the playoffs go on without them. It hasnt been for lack of trying. Shero remained aggressive in investing in a "win now" mode as the ensuing disappointments piled up. He enthusiastically said the Penguins were "all in" last year after trading for Jarome Iginla, Jussi Jokinen, Brenden Morrow and Douglas Murray. The moves often created headlines but little else, and boatloads of regular-season victories and a sellout streak seven years and counting proved no longer good enough. Whether Bylsma will be along for the ride remains unclear. The affable, open-minded Michigan native was a revelation when the Penguins promoted him from their American Hockey League affiliate in the spring of 2009, hoping his optimism would help a loaded team break out of a midseason funk. It worked brilliantly. Four months after taking the job, the former NHL nomad who spent nine seasons as a gritty fourth-line forward was raising the Cup in ecstasy. Considering Crosby and Malkin were both in their early 20s at the time, champagne toasts were expected. A half-decade later, Bylsma is the winningest coach in franchise history with 252 wins but the wait for another Cup run continues. While Pittsburgh enjoyed nearly unparalleled success from October to April -- including easily capturing the Metropolitan Division this year despite losing more than 500-man games to injury -- the Penguins again struggled to adapt in the post-season. Morehouse said the new general manager will determine whether Bylsma and the rest of the staff gets another shot. The 43-year-old Bylsma has two years remaining on his contract, the product of an extension he received last June as a vote of confidence from Shero following a four-game sweep at the hands of Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. The deal came with a promise to adopt a more defensive-minded approach. The Penguins even brought in longtime NHL coach Jacques Martin as an assistant, an old-school yin to Bylsmas new-school yang. Crosby took the blame for the teams underperformance as the Penguins cleared out their locker on Thursday. A day later the general manager ordered to put the leagues leading scorer in a position to keep Pittsburgh at the top was cleaning out his office. Whoever ends up redecorating will have his tough choices to make. At the same time, he gets to start with Crosby and Malkin firmly entrenched. Both players are signed through the rest of the decade. There are worse places to start. "A lot of teams would like to be where we are," Morehouse said. "However we do have high expectations and we do want to get to them." Cheap Nike Shoes Authentic . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. Cheap Nike Shoes For Sale . Olsen, who is 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, can play either centre or guard. The 25-year-old Olsen played 16 games and made four starts in 2012 with the New Orleans Saints. https://www.wholesalenikeshoesauthentic.com/. Two weeks after suffering a concussion, Foles will start in place of Michael Vick, who is out for the second time this season with a hamstring injury. Cheap Nike Shoes . Ryan Getzlaf certainly got them started in the second. Getzlaf scored the first two goals in the second, and Teemu Selanne scored the go-ahead goal late in the period as the Anaheim Ducks beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 Thursday night. Cheap Nike Shoes Free Shipping .com) - Tonight will go a long way in determining the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Indians couldnt wait any longer for Justin Masterson to fix his pitching problems. The Indians placed Masterson on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right knee Tuesday. Masterson, the teams opening day starter, is 4-6 with a 5.51 ERA. Manager Terry Francona talked with Masterson on Monday after the right-hander allowed five runs and six hits in two-plus innings against the New York Yankees. "Mastys first inclination was wanting to pitch through it, which we respect," Francona said. "The way it was going, though, we thought wed DL him and get him some treatment." Masterson made the All-Star team last season when he went 14-10 with three shutouts. The Indians considered him to be their staff ace going into the season, but Masterson hasnt won since June 8 and has pitched more than four innings once in his last five starts. Masterson has been dealing with a sore knee most of the season. He was pushed back a couple of days earlier this month, but his results havent improved. "Its hard to imagine it would help," Francona said of the injury. "Im not in his body. When a guys out there competing, I dont think they think about it a lot, but I dont think it helps." Masterson was pulled without retiring a batter in the third against New York. He walked three, hit a batter and rarely topped 90 mph in his 54 pitches, throwing only 24 strikes. He has given up 19 runs, 27 hits and 17 walks in 18 innings over his last five starts. Mastersons short outings have also also put a lot of stress on the bullpen.dddddddddddd Francona used five relievers Monday and six a week ago when Masterson didnt record an out in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers. "Maybe two weeks would be best for him and us because he was exiting early," Francona said. "Its hard to keep doing that and keep the bullpen not only healthy, but productive." Masterson is a free agent after this season. The two sides talked about a contract extension in spring training, but didnt reach an agreement. Corey Kluber is the only starter whos still in the rotation that opened the season. Zach McAllister and Danny Salazar are pitching at Triple-A Columbus while Carlos Carrasco was moved to the bullpen after four starts. The rotation includes Trevor Bauer, Josh Tomlin and T.J. House, who all began the season in the minors. The Indians are in third place in the AL Central with a 43-45 record and trail first-place Detroit by 6 1-2 games. "Youre going to need more than five starters," Francona said. "Its a difficult thing to build in depth. You walk a fine line there. I dont think our record is what we want it to be. You can whine about it or you can choose to try to figure out a way to win. McAllister or Salazar will be recalled to start Saturday against the Chicago White Sox. The Indians also recalled left-hander Nick Hagadone and catcher Roberto Perez from Columbus and optioned outfielder Tyler Holt to Triple-A. Right-hander Mark Lowe was designated for assignment. ' ' '