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Lou Lamoriello's Legacy

June 11, 2008, 2:38 PM ET [ Comments]
Roger Mussa
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Lou Lamoriello, New Jersey Devils CEO, President, General Manager (and everything else you could imagine!).
Aside from the players on the ice, Lou the man is responsible for turning the New Jersey Devils from a Mickey Mouse organization to a perennial team to be concerned with full of history in their 26+ years in the NHL (more accolades than teams twice as old).

The former High School math teacher has a few notches on his resume; Three Stanley Cups in four Finals appearances, a Lester Patrick trophy, GM duties for Team USA in the 1998 Winter Olympics, coaching Providence College men’s hockey and stints as the Devils coach over the years, a Trophy named after him (The Lamoriello Trophy is awarded to the winner of the men’s Hockey East conference champions), Athletic Director of Providence College (he hired Rick Petino to coach the men’s basketball team), a major contributor in the 2004/2005 NHL Lockout, and a well respected individual in all of hockey. By the way, he never played one NHL game or coached/managed prior to his arrival in New Jersey.

A hard-nosed negotiator who sticks to his discipline and philosophy, which has often times been questioned, and is a true Devil.

I cannot help think about his legacy once Lou decides to take his successful career and life in a different direction or take on a new project.
To me, Lou will always be the man responsible for giving me, and all Devils fans, over a decade of history most NHL fans will never experience in a lifetime! “In Lou We Trust” is still a Devils motto of mine and I will forever be indebted to Mr. Lamoriello.
Of late, however, that discipline and philosophy has more and more become a topic among Devils and hockey fans. Despite successful campaigns and playoff appearances his apparent mismanagement of player-personnel, contracts, etc… may have dented slightly that legacy. (Successful seasons in the eyes of most fans as anything less than seeing our team deep in the playoffs is not acceptable anymore – Mr. Lamoriello, you have raised the bar and we expect nothing less)
I cannot help but think of the Gomez, Rafalski and even Lukowich’s exits, could that have been complacency?
I cant help but ponder on the fact that the Devils have always needed a true goal scorer year after year (the last pure sniper the Devils acquired was Alex Mogilny, and we all sipped from the Cup) and trade deadline comes and goes without an early Christmas present, could that have been philosophy working against us?
I cant help but have mixed emotions; How do I dare question someone who year-over-year puts a competitive team on the ice, with a mediocre overall lineup.
The team makes the player, NOT the player makes the team (which I have written about in the past) mentality is prevalent – I cant help but think how many Cups and banners we could have had should we had added significant pieces to the puzzle at the deadline or through UFA.
I cant help but wonder weather the Devils moved into an amazing arena at the wrong time.
Trust me, I have many many more thoughts but am, and always will be, a Devils optimist and true fan.

However I do think Lou’s legacy may be at a significant crossroads. For sure!
It is a fine line between becoming an NHL eternal elite and becoming an NHL eternal good player, coach, manager, etc…

We have seen our team lose a few awesome players over time; Brendan Shanahan, Claude Lemieux a few times, Bill Guerin, Scott Gomez, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Brian Rafalski just to name a few. I would venture to say we have lost the most talent without getting anything in return out of all the teams in the last decade and yet we still remain competitive.
We cannot afford to continue this trend and not be faced with a Maple Leaf-like scenario in 5 years.

The time is now!
The next 2 years will be very significant for Lou Lamoriello’s legacy and the New Jersey Devils. I think Lou could/should compromise on his long time discipline and philosophy (which has brought magic and success to the organization) and go against his own grain.

Despite losing a lot of players which will be remember for years perhaps the greatest Devil of all time when it is all settled, Martin Brodeur is still in the red and black sweater.
Brodeur can be the best goalie in NHL history by the time he retires and I hope he is still wearing a Devils jersey. Brodeur has been loyal to our organization and an ambassador to hockey and the NHL.

Lou, you owe it to Martin Brodeur to make one more serious run for the Cup before he is exalted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Devil. You owe it to your legacy to erase the doubters of the last few years and make one more lasting impression. I want you to become remembered as one of the elite.

That serious run will require coming out of the comfort zone and going out on a limb. Take an uncharacteristic risk perhaps?
It could be in form of a blockbuster trade. It could be in form of a huge UFA signing, and if we are lucky two significant ones. It could be in form of a prospect coming up and making a significant impact but that is out of anyone’s hand.
Fact of the matter is we have the greatest goalie of all-time who we have built around… Lets get another Cup!

Devils fans, this could be interesting. Lets go Devils!!!

IN LOU WE TRUST…

Sincerely,

The Devils Advocate
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