Whether you want to admit it or not Jacques Lemaire is a coaching legend, and belongs in the NHL hall of fame in my opinion. Now! While I do think watching some of his Minnesota Wild teams were some of the most uneventful, mind numbingly boring teams to watch on the ice he was an effective coach that got the most out of his teams.
NEWARK, N.J. - The energy is gone, so Jacques Lemaire is walking away from coaching.
Only four days after the New Jersey Devils were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for the third consecutive year, the 64-year-old Lemaire made the surprising announcement Monday that he is retiring as a coach.
"It's tough to leave what you like, but it's a decision that I made," he said.
Lemaire said he thought about retiring several times this season and that the loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games had nothing to do with his decision. He relayed it to Devils president Lou Lamoriello over the past 24 hours.
"It's not the team, it is not the result or the lack of result we had in the playoffs," a glassy-eyed Lemaire said. "It's not that at all. It's the end of the line. I'll be 65. It's just time."
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