All you really need to do is look at the standings to understand today’s news.
Merry Christmas: John MacLean Fired As Coach Of New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils, the worst team in hockey, have fired their head coach just 33 games into his tenure. According to a report by Montreal's CKAC Radio, which has since been confirmed by the Newark Star-Ledger, the Devils have sent head coach John MacLean packing and will replace him with former coach Jacques Lemaire on an interim basis.
The team since has confirmed the decision. General manager Lou Lamoriello also announced that Lemaire will coach the team until the end of the current season, but that a new coach will be hired over the summer.
Over the summer, John Fischer of SB Nation’s Devils blog, In Lou We Trust, analyzed the hiring of MacLean. He ultimately settled on this opinion:
I’m not as down on this hiring as I initially was with Lemaire last summer, but I can’t say that I’m thrilled. I’m somewhere in the middle, per the poll choices. Truth be told, there weren’t a lot of great options available; no one that stood out as an ideal candidate. All the same, my opinion is moot. MacLean’s the head coach whether I love it or loathe it. Besides, I eventually learned to like the Lemaire hire last summer, perhaps that will happen again during the upcoming season.
It will be interesting to see how many Devils fans will welcome back Lemaire, and if, like Fischer, they can learn to like the move when all is said and done.
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