Lou Lamoriello Resigns as President of New Jersey Devils

(Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images)

The shakeup in the New Jersey Devils organization brought another turn on Thursday morning.

Former General Manager, Lou Lamoriello, who recently turned the general manager duties over to Ray Shero, while staying on as team President this past May, has resigned that role as well, to become the 16^th General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lamoriello, spent 28 years as the architect of Devils helping the organization win three Stanley Cups, five Eastern Conference Championships and nine division titles. In a press release put out from the organization, Devils co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer made the announcement that Lamoriello has decided to resign to pursue other opportunities.

Harris said, “Lou Lamoriello created and defined what it meant to be a New Jersey Devil.” He added, “His brilliance in shaping this franchise into one of the most storied and celebrated organizations in sport will make him a New Jersey Devil for life. He represented this organization, our current and former players, the state of New Jersey and the greatest fans in the National Hockey League in a manner that exemplified character, class and dignity”

Blitzer added, “On behalf of my family and the entire organization, we thank Lou for creating some of the cherished moments for our fans. His stewardship and guidance through championships and challenging times for this franchise have inspired generations and impacted the lives of many. We will be forever grateful for his contributions and we wish him all the best.”

The Devils compiled a regular season record of 1,093-779-268, while under Lamoriello’s reign as general manager. With a post season record of 136-116. During the last two decades Lamoriello’s teams have held the second best record in the NHL at 818-498-205. In 1995, while under the direction of Lamoriello, the organization became the first one since 1976-1977 season to win the Stanley Cup in the same year their top American Hockey League club won the Calder Cup.

Lamoriello said, “I have been fortunate to have worked for Josh Harris and David Blitzer for the past two years. In addition, the organization afforded me the opportunity to work for two other individuals that greatly impacted my life, Dr. John J. McMullen and George Steinbrenner.”  He added that he has worked with Hall of Fame coaches and players and a great staff that helped contribute to his success. He said, “In the end, it’s about the people which makes this decision so difficult.”

Prior to joining the Devils, he spent 15 seasons with Providence College, serving as Head Coach as well as Athletic Director. Lamoriello, became the organization’s second president on April 30, 1987 while assuming the title of President and General Manager prior to 1987-1988 training camp. In 1989, he helped Viacheslav Fetisov open to the door for many Russian hockey players to play in the NHL.

In addition, he served as Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Nets for two seasons, helping oversee them to back to back NBA Finals. He has been a past member of the NHL Board of Governors Executive Committee, General Manager of Team USA for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey Tournament and 1998 Winter Olympics.

Lamoriello was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 9, 2009 and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame almost three years later in October of 2012. In 1992, he received the Lester Patrick award for recognition to his service to hockey in the United States.