The New Jersey Devils have hired former Pittsburgh Penguin GM Ray Shero. Long, longtime GM Lou Lamoriello made the announcement himself, and explained he would remain with the Devils as the president of hockey operations.
Lamoriello was GM for 28 seasons with the Devils. His tenure saw New Jersey win three Stanley Cups, five conference championships, nine division titles, and several of the most successful player transactions in the history of the NHL, including trades for the picks that were eventually used for Martin Brodeur and Scott Niedermayer.
Shero brings with him a history of winning that is on course to rival Lamoriello’s. Pittsburgh was 373-193-56 under Shero, and won the Stanley Cup in 2009.
This is an important shift for the Devils, who have missed the playoffs for each of the last three seasons. The current odds to win the 2015 Stanley Cup at topbet.eu show that the teams who are perennially in the running for the Cup are the ones that are best managed, and Lou’s time competing with those minds may have run its course.
“The emotion is what hasn’t been done and what can and should be done,” Lamoriello said. “I take responsibility for that. We have a great staff here, and [Shero] knows that, but now is a chance to move forward.”
The two managers have known each other for many years, with Shero having played for Lamoriello in 1982 while Lou was GM of the Providence Friars.
“Working with Lou Lamoriello—a hockey Hall of Famer, one of the most respected GMs in the history of the game—wasn’t something I was going to turn down,” said Shero.
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