Lou Lamoriello - Devils President and General Manager

Devils President and General Manager

In April 1987, then-owner of the Devils John McMullen appointed Lamoriello president of the club. Lamoriello named himself general manager just before the start of the 1987–88 season, a move that surprised many NHL observers. He had never played, coached or managed in the NHL, and was virtually unknown outside the American college hockey community.

Since then, Lamoriello has presided over one of the most successful rebuilding projects in North American professional sports history. In his first season as GM, the Devils notched their first winning season in franchise history (dating back to their time as the Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies ) and reached the Wales Conference Finals. They have made the playoffs in all but two of his 23 seasons as GM and appeared in the Stanley Cup finals in 1995 (won), 2000 (won), 2001 (lost), 2003 (won) and 2012 (lost). After YankeeNets bought the Devils in 2000, Lamoriello was named chairman and CEO of the Devils, as well as vice-chairman and CEO of the then co-owned New Jersey Nets. He dropped his chairmanship of the Devils and resigned his posts on the Nets after Jeffrey Vanderbeek bought the Devils in 2004. Both YankeeNets and Vanderbeek have largely left the Devils' operations in Lamoriello's hands.

In 1992, Lamoriello was awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. He also served as general manager for Team USA in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey (in which the U.S. won the gold medal) and the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Lamoriello is well known in NHL circles for his hard-nosed approach to contract negotiations. Pat Verbeek, Kirk Muller and Bill Guerin, among others, have been traded out of town after losing contract negotiations. He nearly traded Ken Daneyko, the Devils' all-time leader in games played, in 1989. According to Daneyko, Lamoriello believes in paying a third-line player as much as a first-line player if he feels they have the same value to the team.

Lamoriello, backed by scouting director David Conte, is known as a master drafter, showing consistent shrewdness in identifying and signing top talent that other teams were passing over. For example, superstar goalie Martin Brodeur was a 20th overall pick, and star left winger Patrick Elias was 51st. Players drafted in the first 20 picks have been the rare exception rather than the rule. "He hasn't been able to money-whip everybody the way the Yankees do, outspending the world every year. Lamoriello has done what he has done mostly be being smart and tough and holding the whole thing together by himself sometimes," says sports journalist Mike Lupica.

He said he studied the game for a long time before starting to manage at the NHL level. The former high school math teacher says that during his two-decade long tenure at Providence college, and later when commissioner of Hockey East, he followed professional hockey closely. When he started with the Devils in 1987, he says he took what he considered to be the best parts of the great teams—the Green Bay Packers, the New York Yankees, the Montreal Canadiens—and using his analytical background, applied them to managing the Devils.

“Lou’s a model for our business. This is not just the best run franchise in the NHL, it’s the best-run franchise in pro sports,” says hockey executive Brian Burke.

Lamoriello has been lauded by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for his key role in bringing Soviet hockey stars, such as Viacheslav Fetisov and Sergei Starikov, to the NHL in the late 80’s. "Clearly he was one of the visionaries that understood there were highly talented hockey players in the former Soviet Union that could have a place in this league," said Bettman. It was one of the reasons cited by Bettman for Lamiorello’s 2009 induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He has fostered a “unique corporate culture” that has encouraged player loyalty. Martin Brodeur took below market contracts to stay with the Devils for years, and defenseman Ken Daneyko played all 1283 of his NHL games with the team. “I like to think of my players as a family,” says Lamoriello. “And I like to think the success we’ve had through the years shows that the players value that as much as they do the Stanley Cups, knowing that the two go hand in hand.”

When Lamoriello is asked the key to his success, he says it has been his systematic approach to player development. “It’s the team character this squad has . . . that you build on. I don’t ever use the word “rebuild.” “Based on my college background, I like to look at my roster as my seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen and gauge their development and roster turnover based on players going from one of those classes into the next. You have to build your staff and encourage them to be creative and realistic in their approach—and (not) be afraid to make a mistake. We stress that in drafting, player development, and coaching. You grow from your mistakes. I know I have.”

When others are asked what makes Lamoriello successful, his dedication and singular focus on winning are mentioned again and again. Despite public disagreements, both superstar Claude Lemieux and former assistant coach John MacLean returned to the organization because of Lamioriello’s “dedication to winning.” Veteran Devils defenseman Ken Danyenko says Lamoriello key factors in success are “his winning attitude, discipline and dedication. Nobody works harder.”