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There was an inevitable cold wind and reality that blew into Newark today and it was not Santa Claus making an early visit. In reality, it was Lou Lamoriello letting us know what we needed to for almost a month now. That fact was simple. John MacLean was relieved of his duties today and then came the bit of a surprise to say the least.
Jacques Lemaire would be named the interim head coach until the end of the season. So what happened? Essentially the Devils needed a half season break from Jacques Lemaire? It really sounded like Lemaire was done with coaching in May. Many thought he had lost the Devils team after a late March feud with Jamie Langenbrunner became public. One has the feeling that Langenbrunner was not the only one who felt jaded by Jacques Lemaire.
The Devils 9-22-2 start can be attributed to many factors. There was the signing of Ilya Kovalchuk. Also there were the signings and the lack of tough decisions that needed to be made on players like Colin White, Brian Rolston, and even yes Jamie Langenbrunner. The roster was as low as 16 players for two games as well before injuries came calling and from every angle. At one point, the Devils had eight players on the Injured Reserve list.
No wonder the live version of “Die Hard” did not end well. Some will say it was the not so private tiff between John MacLean and Ilya Kovalchuk. It was said to be a non-issue but there was something weird with the one game benching and the team’s “quit” in a 7-1 home massacre on an October Saturday. MacLean then tried to doggedly pair Kovalchuk and Langenbrunner together and that was not going to work either. It seemed no matter what the Coach did, it just backfired worse and worse.
There were many times where John MacLean could and should have been fired with cause. At the same time, he did deal with some extraordinary circumstances that would have tested even the best of the Coaches. In the end, there was a reason why John MacLean had to wait so long and maybe that wait should have kept Lou heading in another direction in the first place.
The result now is a team lost and desperately searching for itself. Is Jacques Lemaire really the answer? We all know that is a resounding no. This is all to get the team set for next year. It is something okay to say. Yes the team has made the postseason 13 straight seasons and sometime it had to end. Sure this was unexpected but maybe it is better that it happened now than a couple years ahead.
In closing, here are a few words from Lou Lamoriello, and then everyone can have their say as the Devils are minutes from facing off against the New York Islanders. Here is an official quote or two from the presser. Thanks to the PR guys who scrambled hard for this.
“Making a coaching change is always a difficult decision,” said Lamoriello. “When that change involves a member of the Devils’ family, it becomes even more difficult. Today’s decision should not be lookedupon as a reflection of John MacLean’s coaching ability. The entire organization, including, myself takesresponsibility for our current record.”
If this continues, the next head may be a Lamoriello. Clearly this change should have come sooner and the warning bell has emphatically sounded.
