Jacques Lemaire returns to lead Devils back to glory days

July 13, 3:07 PMNew Jersey Devils ExaminerJoe Rizzo

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Jacques Lemaire's wild ride: Minnesota and back to New Jersey (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Devils boss Lou Lamoriello might as well have been playing one of the catchy tunes from New Jersey's Boss when he named his new coach.

Had music been playing during the announcement, "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen would have been the only choice as Lamoriello named the winningest coach in franchise history, Jacques Lemaire, back to his post as coach.

"I like to work for a person I know well," Lemaire said.  "I think I know Lou very well.  I know how he works, what he wants, what he likes and dislikes.

"It's a great organization, there's great people working for the organization, and the organization is going in the right direction.  Being a part of this is real exciting for me."

Two years to the day after bringing on coach Brent Sutter, Lamoriello opted for a popular choice as replacement.  Lemaire always has been held in high regard by Devils fans for brining them to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1995.  He resigned May 8, 1998 with a 199-122-57 regular-season record and a 34-22 playoff mark, coaching from the start of the 1993-94 season.

Lemaire, 63, spent the last decade as the only coach in the history of the Minnesota Wild, posting a 293-255-108 mark.  In 2002-03, he got the Wild within a series win of facing the eventual-champion Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals, falling in a four-game sweep in the Western Conference finals to Anaheim.

That title was the last time New Jersey advanced past the second round of the playoffs.  The Stanley Cup drought is the second-longest in club history to the one that preceeded Lemaire's title, the first by a franchise that was started as the Kansas City Scouts in 1974-75, moved to Denver to become the Colorado Rockies in 1976-77, and eventually migrated to New Jersey for 1982-83.

Under Sutter they won the Atlantic Division both seasons only to flame out in the first round of playoffs each time.  Like Lemaire, Sutter stepped down from his coaching post following the season and eventually landed behind another NHL bench - the Calgary Flames'.

"The team is very stable," Lemaire said.  "If you look at the past years, they're doing pretty good.  I know in the playoffs last two years it's been (a disappopintment)."

Helping Lemaire in his quest to end the drought is assistant Mario Tremblay, who comes with him from Minnesota.  Assistant Tommy Albelin and goaltending coach Jacques Caron remain on the staff, while Scott Stevens will take a more active role with the big club and the American Hockey League affiliate in Lowell, Mass. 

The Lowell Devils' new coach is John MacLean, a long-time assistant for the Devils who will have his first head-man job. 

MacLean was a strong candidate when Sutter was hired and was once again thought to be in the mix for the top job.  Instead, it appears Lamoriello is grooming the Devils' second all-time leading scorer to be the replacement when Lemaire's second turn ends.

Assisting MacLean in Lowell will be two of his former teammates, Kevin Dean and Chris Terreri. 

That makes Tremblay the only coach who is new to the organization. He'll just have to listen to the "boring stories of glory days."