Lamoriello Hall of Fame induction is validation of Devils Legion

November 10, 1:58 PMNew Jersey Devils ExaminerJoe Rizzo

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Lou Lamoriello (R) receives his Hall of Fame ring from Selection Committee Co-Chair Jim Gregory.
(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

Lou Lamoriello is the New Jersey Devils. 

Lamoriello enjoyed induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday in Toronto.  When Lemoriello went in with Brian Leetch, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, Devils Legion was validated once again.

The moment lacked the fanfare of the successful Stanley Cup run of 1995, when they beat Robitaille's Pittsburgh Penguins along the way and Yzerman's Detroit Red Wings in the Finals.  Or 2000, when they triumphed over Hull's Dallas Stars.  It did not match the run to the 2003 title, which culminated in victory over the then-Mighty Ducks.

A small group of players that have worn the Devils' sweater are in the Hall of Fame, most notably 2007 inductee Scott Stevens; to a lesser extent, Peter Stastny, Slava Fetisov and Igor Larianov. 

This is a long-term pride point.  Lamoriello is the founder and orchestrator of "Devils Hockey", a term that is commonplace in today's hockey vernacular.  Sometimes it's used with disdain, usually by pundits, opposing team personnel and their fans when they're on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

In Devils Legion, it is revered as the silver bullet. 

On the ice, Devils Hockey means taking care of the puck -- especially in the defensive zone -- and capitalizing on mistakes to win close games.  Off the ice, it means getting personnel and coaches that realize they're never, ever bigger than the team and willingly accept that role.

“When I came to New Jersey, I was blessed by an owner named John McMullen," Lamoriello said in his speech.  "I met him in ’86. I became a Devil – no pun intended – in ’87. And he allowed me to do the things necessary to have success.

"He stuck with me during the highs and during the lows, which are the most important times. He allowed me to have the resources and the support to have the success that we’ve had over the years."

The lows have been few and far between in the Lamoriello Era.  He immediately turned around a franchise that was a perennial loser at best and a laughingstock at worst, once being called a Mickey Mouse organization by Wayne Gretzky in the Great One's playing prime.

The Devils made a shocking run to the playoffs at the end of Lamoriello's first season, going 10-1-1 down the stretch and winning the final game of the NHL's regular-season schedule - in overtime on the road in Chicago -- to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in their New Jersey history.

Once there, Lamoriello's upstarts brawled their way within a win of the Stanley Cup Finals before bowing out in Boston.  Lamoriello's legend began in that series, triggered by the infamous incident between coach Jim Schoenfeld and referee Don Koharski. 

Lamoriello pulled legal strings behind the scenes to get an injunction against a suspension levied upon Schoenfeld for Game Four of the series, which the NHL officials then refused to work.  When Schoenfeld had a proper hearing and was suspended for Game Five, Lamoriello filled in behind the bench, something he would do numerous times throughout the ensuing years.

Lamoriello made special mention of Stevens, Martin Brodeur, Ken Daneyko, Scott Niedermayer and Sergei Brylin, the five players who were on all three Stanley Cup winners.  Always on the job, he also noted that he knew Brodeur, captain Jamie Langenbrunner, Zach Parise, Jay Pandolfo and Colin White "snuck out" and were in the audience. 

Surely, none of the players were surprised Lamoriello was keeping tabs.  Fans always know what to expect, as evidenced by the names of two popular blogs about the team: In Lou We Trust, and Interchangeable Parts.

Before he finished, Lamoriello gave away one of the secrets to his, and the organization's, success.

“Now, I’m going to tell you how really lucky I am," he said. "My parents, Rose and Nick, who we lost three and four years ago, respectively, they came to this country and never made it beyond grade school and gave my brother, Nick, and my sister, Arlene, who are here, values that never expect anything, work at what you have control of, thank God every day for what you receive and just make the most of it. I know that you’ve been with us each and every day throughout our lives, helping us along the way. You never missed anything and I’m sure you’re not missing tonight, both of you looking down."

Their Hall-of-Fame son never misses anything, either.