Jacques Lemaire to retire

[miller76 463]

xm just reported this. He will not return next year behind the bench for New Jersey.

I will try and find a link to it as well.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=527084

Edited April 26, 2010 by miller76

[CanadaBoy 151]

Confirmed. I got a text from TSNalerts.

All the best Jack

Edit - Link: http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=319538

Edited April 26, 2010 by CanadaBoy

[stevkrause 1,247]

Lemaire*

[miller76 463]

Confirmed. I got a text from TSNalerts.

All the best Jack

Edit - Link: http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=319538

Thanks. nhl.com also had a small link to it as well.

[hooon 1,089]

Wow, that is huge. Everyone assumed that the Devils were going to do some house cleaning, and lose one of their major components, I guess this is it.

Be interesting to see who else they can get. I think NJ is going to have some trouble next year, and I can't help but wondering if they won't be able to truly rebuild until Marty retires.

[I Red Wings I 40]

Maybe he was gone either way?

[kook_10 1,705]

As of three days ago, Lamoriello was on record saying he absolutely wanted him back and wanted to try to keep Kovy too.

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/devils/devils_gm_lemaire_will_be_back_wants_OZNia4zUgB3ojYtIaqHHFM

[Guest Lidstromboli]

good news for the devils if he does retire

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Who's gonna miss him?

The guy made his teams play the most boring style of hockey any fan could possibly watch. Just one less team to play "The Trap".

[miller76 463]

Who's gonna miss him?

The guy made his teams play the most boring style of hockey any fan could possibly watch. Just one less team to play "The Trap".

xm has been talking all day of possible replacements and how they assume that New Jersey will change their style for good now. So maybe this 'trap' s*** is gone for good.

Hitchcock's name has been coming up all day on the radio as well.

[Guest Lidstromboli]

i hope they don't go with Hithcock. the devils are fully capable of a scoring, puck possession style game and not sucking defensively at the same time

[miller76 463]

i hope they don't go with Hithcock. the devils are fully capable of a scoring, puck possession style game and not sucking defensively at the same time

I actually think Hitch would be a good fit there. I am almost curious to see that. I would rather see Hitch there, then Keenan.

[MCleveland89 122]

Devils have a well built team. It doesn't make sense to only win one game in the post season. I don't know if it's the coaching, but a change might be good for them. Either way, good luck with everything Jacques.

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

How about Brodeur as player coach?

After all, he's the biggest marvel in Western civilization according to NHL media everywhere, so he can do anything right?

[AtomicPunk 296]

Beat it and take your trap with you.

[miller76 463]

How about Brodeur as player coach?

After all, he's the biggest marvel in Western civilization according to NHL media everywhere, so he can do anything right?

I wonder if the WWMD (What would Marty Do?) has taken off there in New Jersey.

[Guest Lidstromboli]

Devils have a well built team. It doesn't make sense to only win one game in the post season. I don't know if it's the coaching, but a change might be good for them. Either way, good luck with everything Jacques.

guys like parise, zajac, brodeur, etc didn't perform up to par

kovalchuk was the only one that showed up

[miller76 463]

guys like parise, zajac, brodeur, etc didn't perform up to par

kovalchuk was the only one that showed up

I thought Brodeur was nothing but average. This team needs to get tough this Summer. They got treated like a bunch of ******* by Philly. They were beat down and beat up all five games.

[AtomicPunk 296]

I think Kovalchuk had 4 goals in his regular season with NJ. How exactly did he "bring it"?

[Guest Lidstromboli]

he had 10 goals and 17 assist in 27 games

[AtomicPunk 296]

And long stretches of NOTHING. Whereas in Atlanta, he was on his way to 50.

[Guest Lidstromboli]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2944/gamelog;_ylt=A9G_XIKdXNZLRb8AXitivLYF

[AtomicPunk 296]

Are we just gonna keep throwing stats out? Cause I can too. Most of the stats you point out were from when he was still a Thrasher.

Kovalchuk, who had three goals and five assists in his first 10 games since arriving in a trade with Atlanta on Feb. 4, assisted on the Devils' first two goals, then fired home a wrist shot from the blue line for his 35th goal of the season. "I think he played real well," Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said. "It was good for him. He's been trying to build some confidence. His passes were good, his puck handling was fine. If he keeps scoring goals, then his confidence will grow." While he is not scoring at the clip he did in Atlanta, Kovalchuk is still threatening as a point-per-game player and remains a must-start Fantasy option.

3/24/10 - Kovalchuk scored his first goal in five games and sixth in 17 games with New Jersey. Kovalchuk, who had gone four games without a point, scored the Devils' third power-play tally at 12:32.

And he had 2 goals in the playoffs.

[toby91_ca 620]

Are we just gonna keep throwing stats out? Cause I can too. Most of the stats you point out were from when he was still a Thrasher.

Kovalchuk, who had three goals and five assists in his first 10 games since arriving in a trade with Atlanta on Feb. 4, assisted on the Devils' first two goals, then fired home a wrist shot from the blue line for his 35th goal of the season. "I think he played real well," Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said. "It was good for him. He's been trying to build some confidence. His passes were good, his puck handling was fine. If he keeps scoring goals, then his confidence will grow." While he is not scoring at the clip he did in Atlanta, Kovalchuk is still threatening as a point-per-game player and remains a must-start Fantasy option.

3/24/10 - Kovalchuk scored his first goal in five games and sixth in 17 games with New Jersey. Kovalchuk, who had gone four games without a point, scored the Devils' third power-play tally at 12:32.

And he had 2 goals in the playoffs.

His stats with NJ in the regular season and playoffs were good, but not for the type of money he wants.

[ltgator333 3]

Well he's something of a legend in the hockey world, so I was a bit shocked when I read this yesterday on TSN. I didn't realize the guy was pushing 65, so I suppose I can't really blame him.

Sucks to be NJ tho, I mean they're either going to end up with someone who is a NHL coach for a few years here and there (Andy Murray, for example), someone who really is untested, or Lou Lam manning the helm himself again. Either way, it makes it that much more difficult I would imagine to attract/keep (KOVALCHUCK) free agents to/with the club.