Lemaire is out: Who is in?

Hello everybody and welcome to day three of my blog. Sorry it is a day late, but I was very busy last night.

Unfortunately, I have suffered my first significant injury. A month ago, I partially tore the labrum in my left shoulder. Unaware, I continued to lift and re-aggravate the injury. Yesterday, I saw an orthopedist who made the diagnosis. I have been advised to take three weeks (minimum) off from lifting, my workout system P90X, and worst of all, hockey. The only good news I received is that I am still growing, which I hope means another couple of inches.

So in other hockey news, Jaqcues Lemaire, the coach of the New Jersey Devils, had decided yesterday to retire rather than return to the Devils. For the third straight year, the Devils will have a new head coach behind the bench. This constant changing of coaches clearly bothers the veterans in the Devils locker room. Zach Parise, for example, stated ""It's tough. It seems like the same story every summer. I don't know what to think about it."

Lemaire's retirement should not shock anybody. He will be 65 soon and the long season takes a toll on anybody. However, the Devils now have to fill the void left by Lemaire's sudden decision.

However, as many of my fellow Devils fans can agree on, Lemaire's retirement is a blessing in disguise. While he was respected and one of the greatest Devils coaches of all time, his constant shuffling of lines and strangle on offensive freedom clearly hurt team chemistry and limited the success of offensive players such as Parise and Kovalchuk.

The job has to be filled somehow. Here are a few possibilities

1) Ken Hitchcock- Hitchcock led Dallas to back to back finals appearances with a cup win in 1998-99 and a loss to the Devils in 1999-2000. While this looks impressive, those teams were absolutely loaded with talent, with stars such as Ed Belfour Mike Modano, Joe Niewendyk, and Jamie Langenbrunner. While I am not saying the Devils now are not loaded with talent, I think that Hitchcock's coaching abilities are extremely overrated. Also, the Devils should probably try to look for a coach either in the system or from a system the Devils can compare themselves to, such as the Habs. This leads me to my next coaching idea.

2) Guy Boucher- The Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal Canadiens affiliate AHL Team) has been called the hottest coaching prospect in hockey. He has led the Bulldogs to the second best record in the AHL and a strong showing in the Calder Cup playoffs (which they are still in right now). He was named coach of the year in the AHL. The Bulldogs were third in the AHL in goals, yet also gave up the fewest goals in the AHL. That is the Devils way of playing: A two way coach that is a proven winner. The only two problems for the Devils is actually getting him to the Rock, as the Blue Jackets and Lightning are also very interested in him, and if he wants to leave Hamilton in the first place.

3) John Maclean- After being an assistant coach for the Devils for years, Maclean was sent down to Lowell as the new head coach for the Lowell Devils when Lemaire was hired as the NJ Devils head coach. In his first year, Maclean led Lowell to a fourth place finish in the conference and a Calder Cup playoff birth. Maclean is a young head coach that can bring an offensive flavor to the Devils that can let them concentrate more on their offensive firepower. The only problem seems to be is if Lou wants the young coach to lead a team of veterans under fire in his first NHL head coaching job.

4) Larry Robinson- Personally, my favorite choice. He has been with the team for a long time and as a head coach in 2000 led the Devils to the Stanley Cup. He is experienced and very smart. However, I doubt that he would be very interested in being head coach again.

5) Scott Stevens- The most interesting choice, but the wrong one. He is one of the greatest players in history of the sport. The Hall of Famer was a great player- but as a coach, he is still inexperienced. He is not ready to be an NHL head coach yet he has too little experience. It is also unlikely that he would want the job in the first place.

At the end, I think it really comes down to Boucher and Maclean. The Devils should pursue Boucher hard, but if that doesn't work out, Maclean, I believe, is by far the best option. I believe he is ready for an NHL head coaching job. He will bring a different system to the Devils and allow them to flourish. He is a safe bet and is very smart and respected. He is also in the system, which I believe is one of the most important factors when making the decision.

So the final verdict is that the Devils should pursue Boucher, but if not, Maclean is the best and only other option. If Boucher doesn't come, Maclean would not pass up the chance in a million years.

My next blog will hopefully be tomorrow. I will also begin writing articles outside of hockey, such as Rutgers and New York Giants football, but I will remain in NJ sports (yes, the Giants are NJ, they play in the Meadowlands.)

I would like to take this time to thank njpowerranking.com for posting my blog on their website. Thank you for the support!