Coach Jacques Lemaire of Devils Retires | IXGAMES

Feeling the absence of his usual energy, Jacques Lemaire has decided to walk away and leave coaching behind. Retiring as coach Days after the elimination of the New Jersey Devils from the playoffs during the first round, Lemaire surprised everyone by announcing his retirement as coach. He is currently 64 years old. He is quoted as saying that while it’s difficult leaving the very thing that he likes, he knows he needed to make a decision. Lemaire had been thinking about retiring many times during the present season. However, the loss suffered by the Philadelphia Flyers for the past five games did not do anything to influence his decision. He communicated this information to Lou Lamoriello, Devils president. The coach was somewhat soft-hearted when he spoke about his retirement. He states that the team had nothing to do with his decision, and that whatever happened during the playoffs, IT did not have a bearing on his decision to finally retire. According to him, it is the end of line, and at 65, retirement is somehow anticipated. Difficult news Relaying the news of leaving the team had been difficult for Lemaire, and after uttering a few sentences to the players, he had to depend on Lamoriello to continue the announcement. Lamoriello said that the announcement had been especially difficult for Jacques, seeing that he was a coach looked up to by the players. However, Lemaire, according to Lamoriello, will still have a role for the Devils, although the role has not yet been determined as of the present.  Lemaire was able to obtain Hockey Hall of Fame status in 1984 for his exemplary career. Goaltender Martin Brodeur also did not expect the retirement announcement. Brodeur believed that Jacques Lemaire exhibited a lot of passion as a coach and that he had been consistent for the past year as well as during the playoffs. Lemaire appeared driven enough in his career. However, Brodeur believes that the coach knows what is best, and that it was important for the rest of the team to accept whatever decision he has made. Meanwhile, Lamoriello said that no replacement has been considered yet. Possible replacements There are possible replacements eyed for the coaching position, however. Among those considered are John MacLean, coach of the top farm team for the Devils, and Scott Stevens, defenseman who was also a Hall of Fame recipient and who had been an assistant for the current season. On Friday, Lamoriello had said that he is expecting Lemaire for the following season, making the latter’s decision to retire as somewhat unanticipated. Nonetheless, the Devils executive admits how the decision did not entirely shock him. Accordingly, when Lemaire accepted the job in July, he had expressed how he would re-evaluate his decision to continue as a coach after the first season. Lemaire had been a part of the sporting world for a long time, having been either a player, executive, or a coach. He admits having the passion for the sport, but he doubts if he still has the energy needed in order to stay on top of the game.