DEVILS' CHOICE
Replacing DeBoer tough task for Lou
Maybe this time general manager Lou Lamoriello will ask his new coach to walk behind the Devils’ bench at the Garden with a paper bag over his head before Saturday’s match against the Rangers to increase the suspense over the identity of Pete DeBoer’s replacement, the way Toronto owner Harold Ballard once did with Roger Neilson.
At this moment, New Jersey’s hockey team can be known as the Headless Devils, for after dismissing coach Pete DeBoer on Friday, 36 games into a miserable 201415 in which his team is on track at 12177 to miss the playoffs for the third straight season, Lamoriello said he would not announce the successor until he had spoken to the team prior to the Saturday’s morning skate that marks the official end to the NHL Christmas recess.
It is not known whether Lamoriello was seeking an interim man or, ahem, a permanent replacement for DeBoer, who took the Devils to the Cup final in 2012, losing in six games to the Kings after upsetting the topseeded Rangers in the conference finals. Lamoriello has overseen eight previous inseason coaching changes. Six involved internal organization title changes, with Lamoriello twice taking over himself — after dismissing Larry Robinson in 200506 and Claude Julien with three games remaining in 200607.
(It is also unknown this Josh HarrisDavid Blitzer ownership group would have given Lamoriello authority to hire a coach beyond this season.)
Internally, Lemaire, who came to the rescue when Lamoriello dismissed John MacLean on Dec. 23, 2010, remains a consultant and is familiar with the personnel, but he is 69 years ago and walked away from the job after going 29173 through the end of 201011.
If Lamoriello were to look outside the organization — as he did in 198788 when Jim Schoenfeld replaced Doug Carpenter and rode Sean Burke’s (and MacLean’s) heroics to the franchise’s first playoff spot, and again in a diseased 200102 season when Kevin Constantine coached the final 31 games following Robinson’s dismissal — then there are a few tantalizing possibilities.
And of course, first on that list is John Tortorella, though it is difficult to believe he and Lamoriello — two men who demand total control over the operation — possibly could coexist. Tortorella undoubtedly would command attention in New Jersey, but at what scorchedearth price? Last season’s debacle in Vancouver is still a pretty fresh memory.
Ron Wilson, who played for thenhead coach Lamoriello at Providence College and who was the head coach of the 1996 Team USA World Cup champions for nowGM Lamoriello, is available, out of the league since being dismissed by the Maple Leafs late in the 201112 season. Wilson’s résumé is impressive, but Lamoriello has passed on several previous opportunities to bring him to New Jersey.
Jacques Martin, always a Lamoriello favorite, is currently a senior advisor to hockey operations for the Penguins who has been deployed by the organization as a pro scout. Guy Boucher, out of the NHL since being fired by Tampa Bay following 201213, is coaching Bern in the Swiss League. He is behind the bench as head coach for Team Canada in the Spengler Cup in Davos.
Adam Oates, who was DeBoer’s assistant responsible for the power play in 201112 and who was a New Jersey assistant for two years, is available after having been fired as Capitals head coach following 201314.
Regardless, the Devils — or if you prefer, the EichelMcDavid’s — will go into Saturday’s match much more relevant in the lottery conversation than the playoff dialogue. While the Rangers seek their eighth straight victory, which would match the club’s longest streak in 42 years, the Devils have won one of their last eight (143), three of their last 16 (385), six of their last 26 (6146) and just 12 of 36 (12177) altogether.
No doubt DeBoer — 1149341 as Devils coach — did an outstanding job in riding Martin Brodeur’s final moments of glory as a Devil in the 2012 tournament.
Still, the team obviously was not progressing. So now this. Now again for Lamoriello and his Headless Horsemen.
Along with announcing the firing of DeBoer, Lamoriello confirmed forward Patrik Elias has been diagnosed with the mumps, according to a report published on NJ.com.
Lamoriello said Martin Havlat does not have the mumps, “just a virus.” Elias and Havlat both sat out Tuesday night’s loss to the Hurricanes.
Elias is the third Devils player to come down with mumps. Center Travis Zajac and defenseman
Adam Larsson already have missed time with the disease,