Under rookie head coach John MacLean, the New Jersey Devils slumped to an unusual 9-22-2 start to begin the season. Devils' general manager Lou Lamoriello finally decided to pull the plug on MacLean and inserted Jacques Lemaire back into the role he served last season before his retirement.
Lemaire will arrive in time to guide the Devils behind the bench for tonight's matchup against the New York Islanders. He will serve on an interim basis for the remainder of the season and assistant coaches Adam Oates and Larry Robinson will remain in place.
"This is a decision that was not one that was pleasant. But it's a decision, in my opinion, that had to be made," Lamoriello told reporters this morning.
"Under no set of circumstances should all this responsibility be on the coach, by any means. The responsibility lies on the players and myself for what couldn't be done. Unfortunately, we just weren't getting it done," he continued.
MacLean will stay within the organization but it hasn't yet been determined in what capacity. It wasn't entirely his fault that the Devils are in this position, as a laundry list ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Sean Hartnett
Jacques Lemaire Attempts To Kick Start The Devils As John MacLean Is Relieved
December 23rd, 2010 by Sean Hartnett Leave a reply »
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