Today is the anniversary of Lou Lamoriello taking over the Devils

[roomtemp]

27 years ago today he took over the role as GM. The year was 1987 same year of my birth. Sure it hasn't been perfect but its been much better then the decade prior to him for this franchise.

Edited September 10, 2014 by roomtemp

[MadDog2020]

Amazing. I was 8 years old when Lou took over.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Sure it hasn't been perfect but its been much better then the decade prior to him for this franchise.

 

When you hold a GM job for that long, it's simply impossible to be perfect.  Some GMs can inherit a terrific bevy of talent or have seemingly unlimited freedom to spend (as some of Lou's peers did prior to the 2004-05 lockout), and that can make such GMs look like geniuses in the short term, but to have your team not ever completely bottom-out in a 27-year span, that's pretty impressive.

 

That being said, Lou got some breaks in keeping his job for this long, especially early in his tenure, and especially in recent years, where more and more, in all sports, it's all about instant gratification, and GMs and coaches are shown the door with little hesitation.  Though the Devils did suck when they first came to NJ, their "build slowly, year-by-year" approach that they stuck to was starting to pay off...Lou had some nice young players to work with when he took the job, and that '87-'88 run showed what might be possible on a perennial basis in the near future.  Unfortunately, some things clearly didn't go the Devils' way (Burke's development stagnating, Patrik Sundstrom's back and other ailments), and the team spun its wheels for a while...some less patient owners might've fired Lou before he ever got a chance to hire the coach in Jacques Lemaire that gave the Devils a blueprint for how to win with the players they had.  It also didn't hurt that Lou drafted the right goalie at the right time...a goalie that was a freak of nature in that he had an insanely long peak and didn't start to suffer injuries until that last quarter of his career.

 

McMullen's quotes about Lou were becoming less and less complimentary just before Lemaire came aboard...I'll always believe that Lemaire would've been Lou's last coaching hire if it hadn't worked out.  But when one dares to step back from the more recent, less "satisfying" years, it's still a hell of a run overall.  We've never had to sit through 4-5 years of complete irrelevance.  Even in the '10-'11 season where they were beyond god-awful, they still managed to somehow make that season a little interesting (even though they weren't nearly as close to nabbing a playoff berth as some seem to believe).

 

Is Lou infallible?  No.  Do I agree with every last move he ever made?  No...on that note, there were times I wish he'd done more during certain seasons...like every fan, I'd think "Huh?!" with some of his deals (or non-deals).  But as far as being perfect in an imperfect business goes, where for much of his tenure he either wasn't able to or simply refused to buy his way to a championship, he was pretty damned close.          

Edited September 10, 2014 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Satans Hockey]

Amazing. I was 8 years old when Lou took over.

A good portion of this board wasn't even alive!

[Devil Dan 56]

It's been quite a unique run. Lots of peaks, not too many valleys until recently.  I don't think he makes it to 30 years. I think he works for one year with Marty in an office job and then retires. It'll be quite a breath of fresh air when he's gone. There will be good and bad, but with Schneider, Henrique, Zajac, and Greene signed long term plus some great young D prospects, the new GM has a good starting off point.

[ThreeCups]

It's been quite a unique run. Lots of peaks, not too many valleys until recently.  I don't think he makes it to 30 years. I think he works for one year with Marty in an office job and then retires. It'll be quite a breath of fresh air when he's gone. There will be good and bad, but with Schneider, Henrique, Zajac, and Greene signed long term plus some great young D prospects, the new GM has a good starting off point.

 

 

I look forward to the positive changes we will see when he leaves

 

Hopefully better marketing, and maybe some of the organizational stuff-iness will end

[ThreeCups]

When you hold a GM job for that long, it's simply impossible to be perfect.  Some GMs can inherit a terrific bevy of talent or have seemingly unlimited freedom to spend (as some of Lou's peers did prior to the 2004-05 lockout), and that can make such GMs look like geniuses in the short term, but to have your team not ever completely bottom-out in a 27-year span, that's pretty impressive.

 

That being said, Lou got some breaks in keeping his job for this long, especially early in his tenure, and especially in recent years, where more and more, in all sports, it's all about instant gratification, and GMs and coaches are shown the door with little hesitation.  Though the Devils did suck when they first came to NJ, their "build slowly, year-by-year" approach that they stuck to was starting to pay off...Lou had some nice young players to work with when he took the job, and that '87-'88 run showed what might be possible on a perennial basis in the near future.  Unfortunately, some things clearly didn't go the Devils' way (Burke's development stagnating, Patrik Sundstrom's back and other ailments), and the team spun its wheels for a while...some less patient owners might've fired Lou before he ever got a chance to hire the coach in Jacques Lemaire that gave the Devils a blueprint for how to win with the players they had.  It also didn't hurt that Lou drafted the right goalie at the right time...a goalie that was a freak of nature in that he had an insanely long peak and didn't start to suffer injuries until that last quarter of his career.

 

McMullen's quotes about Lou were becoming less and less complimentary just before Lemaire came aboard...I'll always believe that Lemaire would've been Lou's last coaching hire if it hadn't worked out.  But when one dares to step back from the more recent, less "satisfying" years, it's still a hell of a run overall.  We've never had to sit through 4-5 years of complete irrelevance.  Even in the '10-'11 season where they were beyond god-awful, they still managed to somehow make that season a little interesting (even though they weren't nearly as close to nabbing a playoff berth as some seem to believe).

 

Is Lou infallible?  No.  Do I agree with every last move he ever made?  No...on that note, there were times I wish he'd done more during certain...like every fan, I'd think "Huh?!" with some of his deals.  But as far as being perfect in an imperfect business goes, where for much of his tenure he either wasn't able to or simply refused to buy his way to a championship, he was pretty damned close.          

 

 

Lou honestly was able to stay in his position for as long as he did based on 3 major factors...

 

Drafting Marty, Drafting Nieds, fighting tooth and nail to get Stevens as compensation from the Blues

 

What an incredible core to have for an extended period of time.  All first ballot HOF'ers and ALL TIME GREATS.

 

We may have to wait a lonnnnnnng time to see just 1 player of that caliber again in the red and black, nevermind 3 of them simultaneously.

[2ELIAS6]

27 years..wow thats a long time

[BostonNala370]

I need to think about this event. I am not sure I am tghat excited, but maybe.

[BlueSkirt]

a complete co-incidence was that friends & I had just decided to get a 16-game plan for the Devils because we liked hockey and it was too expensive to cross the GWB ($2) to go see the Rags.

Plus there was that strip club called "The Bench" that was so close to the arena for the after game drinks...

Luckiest. Decision. Ever.

 

In Lou I Trust

[Jerzey]

Didn't realize I started watching this team right around when he took over.

[Zubie#8]

I was minus 3! Crazy.

[Daniel]

There's this stat that something like less than 20 general managers have ever won a Stanley Cup, and Lou has won three of them.  And that's without the benefit of parlaying the successful/no-brainer draft picks that were either made by previous regimes or by a result of the previous regime being awful.  (See Blackhawks, drafting Kane and Toews; Penguins drafting Crosby and Malkin).  

 

And despite what some people say, the game has not passed him by yet. 

[Derlique]

There's this stat that something like less than 20 general managers have ever won a Stanley Cup, and Lou has won three of them.  And that's without the benefit of parlaying the successful/no-brainer draft picks that were either made by previous regimes or by a result of the previous regime being awful.  (See Blackhawks, drafting Kane and Toews; Penguins drafting Crosby and Malkin).  

 

And despite what some people say, the game has not passed him by yet. 

Agree with the bolded.

 

Lou swinging the Schneider trade in front of the home crowd was pure genius.  His coaching choices the last ten years have been very good, aside from Maclean, and who really could have seen that coming?

[Satans Hockey]

a complete co-incidence was that friends & I had just decided to get a 16-game plan for the Devils because we liked hockey and it was too expensive to cross the GWB ($2) to go see the Rags.

Plus there was that strip club called "The Bench" that was so close to the arena for the after game drinks...

Luckiest. Decision. Ever.

In Lou I Trust

Awesome story. Funny how we would all kill for the bridges to be 2 bucks again hah

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Lou honestly was able to stay in his position for as long as he did based on 3 major factors...

 

Drafting Marty, Drafting Nieds, fighting tooth and nail to get Stevens as compensation from the Blues

 

What an incredible core to have for an extended period of time.  All first ballot HOF'ers and ALL TIME GREATS.

 

We may have to wait a lonnnnnnng time to see just 1 player of that caliber again in the red and black, nevermind 3 of them simultaneously.

 

Re:  Marty...thank God Lou wasn't as in love with Trevor Kidd as much as many others were.

Re:  Nieds...thank God the San Jose Sharks joined the league in 1991 and were awarded the second pick of that draft, and took Pat Falloon...because I think just about EVERY team had Falloon at second on their depth charts, including the Devils.

Re:  Stevens...thank God that Lou was the smartest guy in the room during the compensation hearing. 

[Devilsfan118]

Lou has been working with the Devils longer than I have been alive ('89).

Crazy that he's still as "with it" as he is. I don't mean that in a condescending way - I think he's one of the best in the sport still. Not a doubt in my mind.

Here's to another 27 years Lou!

[ATLL765]

Another fan here that only knows the Devils with LL at the helm. Almost the same with Marty. I was so young when he started playing that I can only recall the team with him as the #1 goalie. As much as it's best that we moved on from Marty, it'll be really weird to not see him in net night in and night out. It'll be just as strange to see another GM of the team. There'll be no more status quo quotes and it'll be just plain weird.

And for the record, I think LL definitely still has it. There was a stretch a after the lockout where over a few years there were some moves that really made you wonder, but I think he's adjusted and the past couple years has done well to recover from losing Parise, Kovy and Clarkson.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Another fan here that only knows the Devils with LL at the helm. Almost the same with Marty. I was so young when he started playing that I can only recall the team with him as the #1 goalie. As much as it's best that we moved on from Marty, it'll be really weird to not see him in net night in and night out. It'll be just as strange to see another GM of the team. There'll be no more status quo quotes and it'll be just plain weird.

And for the record, I think LL definitely still has it. There was a stretch a after the lockout where over a few years there were some moves that really made you wonder, but I think he's adjusted and the past couple years has done well to recover from losing Parise, Kovy and Clarkson.

 

I still think there are times when LL looks at this roster and would love to hook up a detonator to it, blow it all up, sift through the rubble and keep a few pieces, then start over.  I'm sure he would've much rather had a scoring forward come from within, as opposed to having to sign an injury-prone 32-year-old Mike Cammalleri to five years.  But in a way, that "blow up" is coming...8 UFAs next season (Jagr, Ryder, Brunner, Havlat, Bernier, Salvador, Zidlicky, and Harrold), and four more the following season (Elias, Ruutu, Zubrus, and Gionta).  There's a chance that every one of those players could be gone by the start of the 2016-17 season.   

Edited September 11, 2014 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mfitz804]

I still think there are times when LL looks at this roster and would love to hook up a detonator to it, blow it all up, sift through the rubble and keep a few pieces, then start over. I'm sure he would've much rather had a scoring forward come from within, as opposed to having to sign an injury-prone 32-year-old Mike Cammalleri to five years. But in a way, that "blow up" is coming...8 UFAs next season (Jagr, Ryder, Brunner, Havlat, Bernier, Salvador, Zidlicky, and Harrold), and four more the following season (Elias, Ruutu, Zubrus, and Gionta). There's a chance that every one of those players could be gone by the start of the 2016-17 season.

Aside from Elias and Jagr, who could conceivably retire, where's the big loss if every one of those guys walked? Nothing lasts forever, and I wouldn't cry over any of those guys not returning. In fact if they offer a couple of those guys a contract I may shoot myself.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Aside from Elias and Jagr, who could conceivably retire, where's the big loss if every one of those guys walked? Nothing lasts forever, and I wouldn't cry over any of those guys not returning. In fact if they offer a couple of those guys a contract I may shoot myself.

 

I'm not implying that all of those players leaving would be a bad thing.  Just the opposite...a lot of money will be freed up and there will be some nice flexibility, and a hell of a lot less aging players around.

[mfitz804]

I'm not implying that all of those players leaving would be a bad thing. Just the opposite...a lot of money will be freed up and there will be some nice flexibility, and a hell of a lot less aging players around.

Yeah it actually sounds pretty great. Wouldn't want Elias on another team like I don't want Brodeur on another team. I like Jagr too but he will be collecting social security by 2016, won't he?

[BostonNala370]

I'm not implying that all of those players leaving would be a bad thing.  Just the opposite...a lot of money will be freed up and there will be some nice flexibility, and a hell of a lot less aging players around.

 

Lots of money freeing up is good but it depends on how the new found money is spent. Lou's past track record of get older player on contracts that are too long and too expensive will put us right back into the same mess, just changing the players names.

[ThreeCups]

Yeah it actually sounds pretty great. Wouldn't want Elias on another team like I don't want Brodeur on another team. I like Jagr too but he will be collecting social security by 2016, won't he?

 

 

If he puts up anywhere near the production he did last year, I would keep signing him to one year deals until he is officially done.  I don't care if he is 57; if he can produce it's irrelevant....

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

If he puts up anywhere near the production he did last year, I would keep signing him to one year deals until he is officially done.  I don't care if he is 57; if he can produce it's irrelevant....

 

Elias still has to get through his age 38 and 39 seasons before he would reach that point (two more seasons on his current deal).

 

But Lou, if he's still here, is going to have a lot of financial flexibility very soon.  Cory Schneider is currently the highest-paid Devil as far as average yearly value goes, and he's only at $6 million per season.  Exactly six players are signed for the 2016-2017 season.  Obviously the Devils won't go into 2016 with all of six players signed, but the only potentially bad long-term contracts that I see are Clowe's and Cammalleri's (especially Clowe)...I'm hopeful with Cammy, but given the fact that he tends to miss about 20-25% of the season and is already 32, I'm a little leery of him.  But when guys who can put the puck in the net aren't readily available in your system, you sign a Cammalleri and hope the first 2-3 years of the deal work out.