News Article: Chere: It's time for the Devils to thank Lou Lamoriello and show him the door

[Moe Syzlak]

People actually taking exception because a guy actually had the sack to write a negative piece about Lou even though everybody here has essentially said the same thing for the last however many years?

Lou is turning this franchise into a laughing stock. Don't agree with Chere's article? First round draft pick misses aside, let's take a look at some of Lou's gem moments since 2004 that stick out for me:

- Overpaying on old free agents. Not sure at what point the team switched from their philosophy of building through the draft and going the free agency route to fill holes? You can talk about the knee jerk reaction signings of guys like Clowe, etc, etc. But it goes all the way back to Malakhov and Mogilny and when Lou apparently forgot about the salary cap and 35+ age stipulation that he even allegedly helped put in place?
- His stubbornness. His idiotic "policies" of not negotiating contracts during the season or his inability to see the writing on the wall. Forget about the whole Parise thing because he was leaving anyways. David Clarkson for example. He knew he was going to leave via free agency at the end of the year and the team was not going to make the playoffs. So why not trade him at the deadline and get something in return? Did he not learn anything by letting so many free agents leave before and get absolutely nothing in return?
- Mind boggling head scratchers. Multi-year contracts given out to guys like Andrew Peters, Krys Barch, Peter Harrold, Bryce Salvador. The whole Matteau draft pick thing has been discussed ad nauseam but seriously, you don't give up that pick? Firing a coach with three games left in a season while the team is still in first place?

I realize it's incredibly easy to sit back and judge without ever knowing exactly the type of job they have. I don't want to say that him being 72 years of age has anything to do with it but maybe the game has passed him by. I think a fresh start in every aspect of the organization is needed and thinking that or agreeing with someone who shares a similar opinion is not a bad thing. Have you been watching the Devils the last few years? In a league and profession that is results driven, Lou is clearly not getting it done. And his reputation and past successes shouldn't be the sole reason why he's given free reign or not held accountable.

 

[Gentleman of Verona]

I love that certain people are still beating the dead horse of Chere and whichever "outside" media villains they don't happen to care for, while completely ignoring that TG came out and said much the same just a brief time later. Is he a "Lou-hating hack" now too? I just want to keep proper score here.

 

[NJDevs26]

I love that certain people are still beating the dead horse of Chere and whichever "outside" media villains they don't happen to care for, while completely ignoring that TG came out and said much the same just a brief time later. Is he a "Lou-hating hack" now too? I just want to keep proper score here.

It's not about what Chere wrote it's how he wrote it. TG has his opinion and stated it but his tone wasn't outright disrespectful the way Chere's was. Plus it wasn't entirely a bash Lou post with a catchy headline to get clicks.

 

[Gentleman of Verona]

It's not about what Chere wrote it's how he wrote it. TG has his opinion and stated it but his tone wasn't outright disrespectful the way Chere's was. Plus it wasn't entirely a bash Lou post with a catchy headline to get clicks.

Fair enough, but I believe his headline was:

"Nothing concrete on Devils' next coach yet; Lamoriello to blame as much as anyone for this mess"

That's pretty strong stuff for a guy who's known to be so even-keel and dispassionate.

It should also be noted that many of the same people who are rushing to Lou's defense were also very quick to defend PDB and laugh off his critics. So, was he right then and wrong now, or vice-versa?

Personally, I feel there's a certain type of fan who feels the need to defend almost anything this organization says or does, in a very knee-jerk fashion. I think it all ties into larger fan psychology issues of rooting for an "underdog" franchise that's surrounded on all sides by large, obnoxious rival fanbases, etc. I'm not saying that every market should be an apehouse like Toronto or something, but a certain amount of constructive criticism and realism are healthy things to have.

 

[GhostofKenKlee]

TG has become unglued in the past from time to time. the Blackout and a few other instances come to mind.

 

[ghoti]

I'm not saying that every market should be an apehouse like Toronto or something, but a certain amount of constructive criticism and realism are healthy things to have.

I don't think it's healthy or unhealthy, as not one bit of it will affect any decision Lou makes.

 

[GhostofKenKlee]

I spoke to a media guy who lives in my neighborhood, he use to write for city papers and now is a talking head. He feels sorry for any journalist "left" behind and not on tv or the radio. The money and status and prestige is no longer in print.

 

[Gentleman of Verona]

I don't think it's healthy or unhealthy, as not one bit of it will affect any decision Lou makes.

Looking at this particular ownership situation, that's probably true. On the other hand, one has to hold open the possibility that Lou is feeling real pressure/heat right now (I don't think he ever would have dropped the axe otherwise), which has been rare. That sort of momentum doesn't just build from nowhere.

In any case, it definitely is more healthy from a fan perspective than just blind loyalism.

 

[GhostofKenKlee]

People actually taking exception because a guy actually had the sack to write a negative piece about Lou even though everybody here has essentially said the same thing for the last however many years?

Lou is turning this franchise into a laughing stock. Don't agree with Chere's article? First round draft pick misses aside, let's take a look at some of Lou's gem moments since 2004 that stick out for me:

- Overpaying on old free agents. Not sure at what point the team switched from their philosophy of building through the draft and going the free agency route to fill holes? You can talk about the knee jerk reaction signings of guys like Clowe, etc, etc. But it goes all the way back to Malakhov and Mogilny and when Lou apparently forgot about the salary cap and 35+ age stipulation that he even allegedly helped put in place?
- His stubbornness. His idiotic "policies" of not negotiating contracts during the season or his inability to see the writing on the wall. Forget about the whole Parise thing because he was leaving anyways. David Clarkson for example. He knew he was going to leave via free agency at the end of the year and the team was not going to make the playoffs. So why not trade him at the deadline and get something in return? Did he not learn anything by letting so many free agents leave before and get absolutely nothing in return?
- Mind boggling head scratchers. Multi-year contracts given out to guys like Andrew Peters, Krys Barch, Peter Harrold, Bryce Salvador. The whole Matteau draft pick thing has been discussed ad nauseam but seriously, you don't give up that pick? Firing a coach with three games left in a season while the team is still in first place?

I realize it's incredibly easy to sit back and judge without ever knowing exactly the type of job they have. I don't want to say that him being 72 years of age has anything to do with it but maybe the game has passed him by. I think a fresh start in every aspect of the organization is needed and thinking that or agreeing with someone who shares a similar opinion is not a bad thing. Have you been watching the Devils the last few years? In a league and profession that is results driven, Lou is clearly not getting it done. And his reputation and past successes shouldn't be the sole reason why he's given free reign or not held accountable.

Way too much rhetoric in your post, in light of message I was sent I will only address what you point out.

Henrique, Zajac and Schneider come to mind as him learning his lesson or correcting. Or perhaps the Vanderbeek did hinder his ability to make moves.

3M debacle has been debated, but yeah it was a dumspter reaction to losing Stevens, Niedermayer and Dano.

How do you know he didn't try to trade Clarkson?

 

[tr83]

The last thing I will say on this thread is if Lou writes a book, I will read it cover to cover in one sitting

 

[ghoti]

Looking at this particular ownership situation, that's probably true. On the other hand, one has to hold open the possibility that Lou is feeling real pressure/heat right now (I don't think he ever would have dropped the axe otherwise), which has been rare. That sort of momentum doesn't just build from nowhere.

In any case, it definitely is more healthy from a fan perspective than just blind loyalism.

Lou fires coaches all the time. "Heat" has never been the reason and it isn't now, either.

If fans want to be critical or blindly loyal, it's a free country. The media can do the same. Whatever you need to do to feel better/vent/get page views. None of it has any bearing whatsoever on anything Lou does.

 

[ghoti]

The last thing I will say on this thread is if Lou writes a book, I will read it cover to cover in one sitting

That's the one really good reason to hope he steps down.

 

[Gentleman of Verona]

One other thing that's worth noting...

Both Chere and TG were generally quite defensive about PDB. If you ever took the time to wade into their comments sections, which are generally unmoderated cesspools filled with chronic trolls and disturbed sociopaths, you would have seen that (rather bizarrely) they would actually take the time to individually respond to some of these people, almost always in defense of PDB and his difficult task. I think they both had a lot of respect for DeBoer (while acknowledging his faults regarding youth development, which is the one thing they would usually give his critics), and the whole situation probably crystallized their larger thoughts about how things have been going with this organization and exactly who's to blame. That combined with the overall difficulties of dealing with a man as secretive/cryptic as Lou meant that these pointed critiques were long in the making. Some of the "mainstream" hockey media had already been making this case for ages, and of course others are just vultures circling a carcass, hoping for a few clicks. But there is real rhyme and reason to this, so to just laugh it all off as hack-work is not seeing the full picture.

Also, presumably the same people who loved to defend PDB, but have now surrounded Lou (who just fired him, by the way!) with their shields instead and would have nodded along with Chere/TG's PDB defenses of the past, have now turned their attacks against these newest traitorous "rats on the ship" and other such hyper-defensive hyperbole.

 

[Gentleman of Verona]

Lou fires coaches all the time. "Heat" has never been the reason and it isn't now, either.

If fans want to be critical or blindly loyal, it's a free country. The media can do the same. Whatever you need to do to feel better/vent/get page views. None of it has any bearing whatsoever on anything Lou does.

Each coach and ownership group is different, and people do different things for different reasons in different situations, none of which you are any more qualified to make absolutist assertions about than I am.

But I know you like your "ice cold cyborg" schtick, so carry on.

 

[Mustangs]

It is hard to imagine NJ without Lou. team first concept that He brought to the Devils is the reason why Nj has had some success. But in my heart I think it might be time to move on. Not just the lack of success but the lack of Development of young players, the contracts signings or lack of signings.
Losing Parise was most likely the reason the organization is on a steep decline. The fact that NJ has to depend on older players to keep a float means they are in a bad way.

 

[DevilsFanInFla]

Here's the million dollar question that we may never know the answer to: How much did the financial situation impact the club? We've heard bits and pieces of information leak about missed payrolls, advances from the league, etc but no one has really given a definitive account of how it was before the new ownership took over. I recall the new owners saying something to the effect of "it was worse than we thought" after they took over. I could be wrong on that so don't go wild if I am but I seem to recall reading that somewhere. Now, I will say that Lou has made some bad decisions but show me a GM that hasn't? Is he beyond reproach? Definitely not. However, what we are seeing is, in my belief, the manifestation of years of having to deal with an internal budget of sizable deficiency. Players have stated, some that left and some that stayed, that the situation impacted their decisions. How many FA's, players being traded, etc knew about that and avoided us? Those that did come you likely had to overpay. This is largely speculation on my part but based on what limited information has come out about finances, you have to really wonder. I say don't be so quick to axe Lou just yet as he has the financial backing finally and let's be honest he hasn't done terrible since new ownership has taken over. Not perfect but pretty decent IMO. If he botches this rebuild/re-tool/whatever you want to call it, then yes it's time to move on.

 

[Tundra]

One other thing that's worth noting...

Both Chere and TG were generally quite defensive about PDB. If you ever took the time to wade into their comments sections, which are generally unmoderated cesspools filled with chronic trolls and disturbed sociopaths, you would have seen that (rather bizarrely) they would actually take the time to individually respond to some of these people, almost always in defense of PDB and his difficult task. I think they both had a lot of respect for DeBoer (while acknowledging his faults regarding youth development, which is the one thing they would usually give his critics), and the whole situation probably crystallized their larger thoughts about how things have been going with this organization and exactly who's to blame. That combined with the overall difficulties of dealing with a man as secretive/cryptic as Lou meant that these pointed critiques were long in the making. Some of the "mainstream" hockey media had already been making this case for ages, and of course others are just vultures circling a carcass, hoping for a few clicks. But there is real rhyme and reason to this, so to just laugh it all off as hack-work is not seeing the full picture.

Also, presumably the same people who loved to defend PDB, but have now surrounded Lou (who just fired him, by the way!) with their shields instead and would have nodded along with Chere/TG's PDB defenses of the past, have now turned their attacks against these newest traitorous "rats on the ship" and other such hyper-defensive hyperbole.

Very well said. Lou's fans are almost as insular as the man himself. When you just tell the world to eff off and do things your own way, and then finally it all comes crashing down, you know damn well the critics will be waiting. Lou's ego has always been a double edged sword.

 

[sbresistor]

I find it funny that the same people who bash Lou are singing Brian Burke's praises

maybe it's just me, but that seems ****ed up

 

[NJDevs26]

Still no Chere sighting ten minutes before puckdrop lol...apparently Mike Vorkunov is covering the game for NJ.com today

I find it funny that the same people who bash Lou are singing Brian Burke's praises

maybe it's just me, but that seems ****ed up

Burke's won a Cup more recently and is more fan/media-friendly.

 

[Gentleman of Verona]

I find it funny that the same people who bash Lou are singing Brian Burke's praises

maybe it's just me, but that seems ****ed up

Have you seen his hair?

 

[MadDevil]

Isn't Burke a Lou disciple?

 

[Emperoreddy]

Still zero sign of Chere. Did he quit? Haha

 

[Devils Dominion]

Still zero sign of Chere. Did he quit? Haha

I doubt the Devils would revoke his press pass.

He's prob embarrassed.

 

[NJDevs26]

I doubt the Devils would revoke his press pass.

He's prob embarrassed.

This is still gonna be most likely the most newsworthy day all season covering the Devils, something's screwy with him being in witness protection. Everyone gets stuff wrong, hell he should be trumpeting how he was right about Stevens

 

[njdevils1982]

This is still gonna be most likely the most newsworthy day all season covering the Devils, something's screwy with him being in witness protection. Everyone gets stuff wrong, hell he should be trumpeting how he was right about Stevens

1/3 right