Lou Lamoriello stuns NHL after quitting Devils to join the Maple Leafs as GM

Hockey Hall of Famer and three-time Stanley Cup winner Lou Lamoriello shocked the NHL on Thursday morning by resigning as president of the New Jersey Devils and accepting a position as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lamoriello’s 28-year run as Devils president ends less than three months after he had stepped down as New Jersey’s GM, giving way to the hiring of Ray Shero. He is being hired by Toronto president Brendan Shanahan, who was drafted second overall in 1987 to play for New Jersey (1987-1991) and who returned to the Devils briefly at the end of his playing career (2008-09).

Thursday’s sudden and unique switch was made public after the Devils tweeted at 10:10 a.m. ET that Lamoriello had resigned as president:

BREAKING NEWS: Lou Lamoriello resigns as President of the #NJDevils. http://t.co/8LwWMLqgli pic.twitter.com/LhsTTcvovz

— New Jersey Devils (@NHLDevils) July 23, 2015

And the Leafs followed with a tweet two minutes later that they were naming him the 16th GM in Toronto’s franchise history.

The #Leafs have named Lou Lamoriello the 16th General Manager in Club history #TMLtalk READ → http://t.co/gabNyzLRwI pic.twitter.com/huVOhgEYJl

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 23, 2015

The 72-year-old Lamoriello joined the Devils as president and GM in 1987 and led New Jersey to 21 playoff appearances, nine division titles, five Cup Final appearances, and three Stanley Cup championships (1995, 2000, 2003).

The Maple Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and recently have become a laughingstock, finishing 15th in the 16-team Eastern Conference last season.

Sean Avery calls Martin Brodeur 'Fatso' in response to 'Dancing with the Stars' comment

On Wednesday, Martin Brodeur was asked about former nemesis and NHL hell-raiser Sean Avery appearing on "Dancing with the Stars," and the Devils goalie said he didn't watch the show but replied, "What more can he do to embarrass himself."

Avery — who was voted off the show after one week — fired back via Twitter.

Then the Twitter-happy Avery got personal.

Embarrassing is when u sleep with the #Nanny and get caught :)
— Sean Avery (@imseanavery) March 27, 2014

The reference to sleeping with the "nanny" isn't specifically clear, but Brodeur did eventually marry his sister-in-law after a well-publicized affair that ended his first marriage, if that's what he's referring to.

Former NHL player and referee Paul Stewart sided with Brodeur and sent this out after the Avery tweets:

Embarrassment is when you get booted from NHL b/c no one can put up with your crap anymore and own ex-teammates have no respect for you.
— Paul Stewart (@PaulStewart22) March 27, 2014

Avery has been known to be pretty opinionated on Twitter in the past, so it should come as no surprise when he tweeted a photo of a donut and coffee and another strange message — presumably to Devils fans.

In honor of every miserable #Asshole from NJ that takes this that seriously :) pic.twitter.com/WLhqMYaeP9
— Sean Avery (@imseanavery) March 27, 2014

Brodeur, by the way, posted nj.com’s original story with his comments on his Facebook page on Wednesday with a smiley face.

[nj.com]

Ryan Clowe and Milan Lucic slug it out (VIDEO)

The New Jersey Devils wore their throw-back uniforms but couldn't revive those old winning ways Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins.  They lost their third straight 4-2 on home ice, and at least one Devils player took it literally on the chin.

Late in the first period, Ryan Clowe got frisky and slugged it out with Milan Lucic. The two respected brawlers battled evenly until Clowe took one to the jaw. 

So much for inspiring the team.

Devils decide to keep Brodeur at trade deadline: Report

Despite Martin Brodeur's explicit request to be traded so that he could play more often than he will behind Cory Schneider, the Devils decided to keep the future Hall of Famer rather than deal him before Wednesday's trade deadline.

The 41-year-old Brodeur spoke to general manager Lou Lamoriello about his wish to get more playing time, and gave the GM a long list of teams he'd be willing to play for.

The 3:15 p.m. deadline came and went without a swap, reported nj.com.

Brodeur played his second game in the past month Tuesday night in what many fans thought be his last game with the Devils, making 20 saves in New Jersey's 4-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Brodeur has a 2.49 goals-against average and .899 save percentage this season.

But coach Pete DeBoer still would not call Schneider his No. 1 goalie.

"I don't think it's necessarily an accurate statement to say (Brodeur) is not the No, 1 guy," DeBoer said. "I think Cory grabbed the ball here prior to the Olympic break and ran with it for a while. Prior to that, Marty ran with it for a while.

"So I think it's been there for either of them to grab and they have at different respective times. And that's the case moving forward."

Brodeur attended the Devils' team meeting Wednesday morning, but he did not take part in the optional practice.

Lamoriello did not want to discuss Brodeur and the fact the goalie revealed he had spoken to him about his desire to play more often, even if it meant being traded. The GM was still upset about inaccurate reports saying a trade had been agreed upon to send Brodeur to Minnesota.

"It's just a shame that without any substance at different times and no facts that people say things," Lamoriello said.

Is Brodeur happy to be staying with the Devils for the remainder of this season?

"You'd have to talk to Marty," Lamoriello said. "I hope so. I feel that way. I don't know why not.

"This player just won one of the most important games last night."

Snowy Yankee Stadium gets ready for Stadium Series hockey games (VIDEO)

MetLife Stadium isn't the only sports venue in the New York area prepping for fans to descend — the puck is about to drop on the Stadium Series this weekend with Rangers-Devils on Sunday afternoon.

After building the rink, Yankee Stadium appears set to host the game along with the Rangers-Islanders tilt next Wednesday night, though there's probably plenty of snow to clear out as these other photos and videos show.

Perfect polar bears and penguins.

Brayden Schenn gets nasty skate cut on stomach, keeps on playing (VIDEO)

Flyers center Brayden Schenn was making a play on Devils forward Dainius Zubrus right in front of the Devils bench and came in with a punishing hit. The hit was hard enough that it sent Zubrus falling to his backside. Meanwhile, that sent Zubrus' skates up in the air and Schenn got in the way.

Zubrus' skate sliced Schenn's stomach and you could see the agony that Schenn felt as a result of the unsolicited appendectomy. 

Thankfully, the cut didn't look all that deep and after some quick repair work Schenn remained in the game because that's what hockey players do, even in the middle of the regular season.

New York Rangers unveil Stadium Series jerseys in comedy sketch (VIDEO)

New York Rangers have released the jerseys they'll wear for their two Stadium Series games at Yankee Stadium this January.

Just in time for a last-minute Christmas pick-up, the team unveiled the uniforms they'll be wearing for the games — and they are a little underwhelming.

The team debuted the uniforms in a video posted Friday afternoon, featuring the Rangers'  Dan Girardi and New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

In the video, hockey Girardi has his jersey switched by the equipment manager in the scripted skit. After he goes to complain about having a Yankees jersey in his stall, the video cuts to the Yankees manager's office, where baseball Girardi is fully decked out in the Rangers' new get-up.

The Rangers will technically be the away team in both outdoor games at Yankee Stadium, taking on the Devils on Sun., Jan. 26 and the Islanders on Wed., Jan. 29.

The Islanders already released their jerseys, and the Devils will go retro with the red and green color scheme for the outdoor game, so we now more or less know what each team will look like.

Jon Merrill's NHL debut cut short by shot to face (VIDEO)

It would be understandable if New Jersey Devils head coach Peter DeBoer wanted to blow off some steam after back-to-back losses this weekend, but that doesn't mean he'll blame Minnesota's Torrey Mitchell for tripping rookie Jon Merrill on Sunday:

“It looked accidental to me,” DeBoer told nj.com after the bloodied Devils defenseman had to be helped from the ice during a 4-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center.

Merrill’s NHL debut was cut short less than five minutes into the game when he was crashed into the boards and suffered facial lacerations that sidelined him for the rest of the night

The 21-year-old Merrill needed stitches and underwent baseline (concussion) testing, but wasn’t available for questions following the contest.

Jaromir Jagr moves into second place on NHL career game-winning goals list (VIDEO)

Jaromir Jagr’s first winning goal for the New Jersey Devils was a record-breaking occasion.

Scoring on a second-period breakaway, Jagr moved past Phil Esposito into second place on the NHL's all-time list with his 119th career game-winning goal as the Devils edged the Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, Tuesday at Prudential Center.

It was Jagr's third goal of the season and 684th of the 41-year-old's amazing career.

Gordie Howe still holds the all-time record with 121, although the NHL and Devils somehow overlooked Mr. Hockey when they announced that Jagr had set a new mark at The Rock.

With the tireless Jagr just two behind Howe, the all-time record is still well within reach. 

Islanders, Devils ready to make NHL history at Barclays Center

The New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils will make ice hockey history when they meet Saturday night in the first-ever NHL game played in Brooklyn. Despite the game's historic implications, the Isles are preparing for their Saturday night contest at Barclays Center as they would any other exhibition game.

The preseason contest between the Devils and Islanders will be the first NHL game to take place in the borough of Brooklyn, as well as the first hockey game played at Barclays Center.

The exhibition match up will be a glimpse of what the Islanders' familiar orange and blue uniforms will look like in their new surroundings when the team permanently moves into their Brooklyn home in 2015.

Although it wont be the first time the Islanders have skated on the Barclays Center ice.

The Islanders opened training camp last Thursday with a practice at the Barclays Center. Now the team will get a feel for what it is like to play in front of a crowd in Brooklyn.

"I think everyone is looking forward to playing that game," forward Colin McDonald said after Friday’s practice at Nassau Coliseum. "Obviously it’s going to give us a little sneak peak of what’s to come in two years. I thought we had a lot of fun just even in the opening of training camp there and seeing the new building. It will be nice to see what it’s like with all the lights on and the scoreboard going, and obviously the fans in there."

Last week, Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said that over 10,000 tickets had been sold for Saturday’s game.

The Islanders don't want the significance of history overshadowing their primary goal.

"For us, we want to execute," head coach Jack Capuano said. "We want to play a little bit better with the vets that will be playing than we did in Calgary and Regina. That’s what I want to see."

"We’re not just playing these preseason games to play. We’re trying to win these games and get better as a team," agreed McDonald. "So that’s going to be our main focus when we get there tomorrow."

The Islanders are 1-2-0 during the exhibition season after beating New Jersey 5-3 on Thursday in Newark. The Devils are 1-1-0 in the preseason.

The Islanders will have a morning skate tomorrow at Nassau Coliseum, before heading to Brooklyn for the game.

NJ school kids boo Chris Christie for supporting Cowboys over Giants and Jets (VIDEO)

Chris Christie once again crossed party lines and probably lost more than a few future New Jersey votes in the wake of his latest switcheroo.

This time it was more like the slimmed down N.J. Governor crossed NFL team lines by publicly expressing his undying support for the Dallas Cowboys over the home state Giants and Jets to a group of booing Jersey school kids.

A far bigger offense than hugging a Democrat to this group.

Christie, speaking to the youngsters at the Samsel Upper Elementary School in Parlin, N.J. (about 30 miles from MetLife Stadium), admitted he was a long-time Cowboys fan.  The stunned school kids voiced their displeasure when the governor admitted he had no allegiance to the Garden State when it comes to athletics.

To add insult to injury, Christie told the kids he was not a New Jersey Devils fan either.

"It's not the smartest thing for the governor of New Jersey," the politician said, revealing how the Texas team won his heart as a child.

"The Giants and the Jets pretty much stunk when I was a kid," he said, adding that Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach was his boyhood hero.

Thanks for the love! “@GovChristie: This answer always makes my political advisors nervous. Go @dallascowboys! http://t.co/weQp6kkmdI”
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) June 18, 2013

The retired Cowboys' star has honored Christie’s loyalty and is now an admirer of the outspoken politician.  Staubach has donated thousands of dollars to the Governor's re-election campaign.

“Thanks for the love!” the Dallas team tweeted in response to Christie’s high praise.

The governor said he remains committed to the franchise, even though the out-of-state admiration "makes [his] political advisors nervous."

Christie’s preference for the New York Mets earned mixed reviews among the elementary school crowd.

Yankee Stadium to host Rangers, Devils and Islanders in 2014

Yankee Stadium will host a National Hockey League double-header next season, with the New York Rangers facing the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 26 and playing the New York Islanders three days later — all in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium.

The New York rivalry games complete the NHL’s 2014 Stadium Series, which also includes a Jan. 25 matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and a March 1 contest between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

The Rangers will be at least get a little familiar with the Yankee Stadium ice before they take on the Islanders. The Blue Shirts will first play the Devils before the Isles come to the Bronx.  Both games will be considered road games for the Rangers.

"The New York Rangers are honored to participate in these two historic games at Yankee Stadium, bringing hockey into the home of another one of New York's iconic sports franchises," Rangers GM Glen Sather said. "Playing hockey outdoors takes the game back to its roots and reminds us all why we laced up our skates as youngsters."

The pair of games will be the first hockey games played at the new Yankee Stadium, which has a capacity of 50,291.

"Our fan-base is one of the most passionate in the NHL," Islanders GM Garth Snow said. "The support we consistently receive from our fans was on display during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs and I expect it to be on an even greater scale when we take on the Rangers."

“The innovative nature of the Stadium Series affords the opportunity to have all three NHL teams in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area play, outdoors, at one of the most-celebrated stadiums in the world,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “We’ll be able to create a multi-faceted, multi-day experience for our fans.”

The Rangers, Islanders and Devils have combined to win 11 Stanley Cup championships, including eight of the past 32.

Yankee Stadium to host two NHL Winter Classic games in 2014

The NHL really loves their outdoor games and yesterday announced that they will expand the Winter Classic to six games next season, according to si.com.

Yankee Stadium will be the lucky recipient of two of those games involving all three of the New York City metro area NHL teams.

The New York Rangers are tentatively scheduled to play the New Jersey Devils at the stadium on Jan. 26, followed by a Rangers-New York Islanders game Jan. 29.

Having both games in the same week is pure marketing genius. The games will precede Super Bowl XLVIII Feb. 3 at MetLife Stadium and have thousands of NFL fans and media clamoring for something new to pass the time in boring old New York.

Yankee Stadium had long been rumored to be a host for an outdoor game, but the addition of the Pinstripe Bowl to the stadium's winter schedule seemed to prevent that as far as the Winter Classic was concerned.

Now, with the NHL's desire to appease fans following the lockout, the opportunity for later games arose.

The first game of the Classic will be held New Year’s Day between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium, before an expected crowd of more than 100,000.

According to si.com, the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings are tentatively set to meet Jan. 25 at Dodger Stadium. The series would conclude with a Pittsburgh-Chicago game set for Soldier Field on March 1, and an Ottawa-Vancouver game set for B.C. Place on March 2, part of what is being called the "Stadium Series."

Brodeur returns to net and scores strangest goal ever

Martin Brodeur returned to the New Jersey Devils' net Thursday night and, besides giving the team their first road win since Feb. 21, scored what could be the oddest goal ever.

During a Devils' power play against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Devils were whistled for a delayed penalty. Because the play doesn't stop until until the penalized team touches the puck, the Hurricanes pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, assuming the Devils couldn't score without touching the puck. How can a team score without touching the puck? Simple.

A wayward pass by Jordan Stall bounces off the boards , travels the length of the ice, and into the open net.  Since Brodeur was the last Devils player to touch the puck (while making a save) he gets credited with the goal.



The fluke bounce silenced the confused PNC Arena crowd before it became the third goal of Brodeur's 21-year career giving him the most ever for an NHL goaltender.

More important to the Devils, the 4-1 victory was their first on the road after going 0-4-2 since Brodeur was sidelined with a neck injury.  Brodeur's teammates were happy to see the 40-year-old goalie back in front of the net.

"Scoring a goal and just keeping us in the game the first period ... unbelievable," said center Travis Zajac. "He was awesome tonight."

Carter and Bortuzzo drop the gloves four seconds into Devils-Penguins matchup

What do you usually get when NHL division rivals battling for first place meet on back-to-back days? Usually a lot of aching players with even sorer dispositions.

On Sunday night, New Jersey Devils' Ryan Carter and Pittsburgh Penguins Robert Bortuzzo didn't waste any time getting that fact across by dropping the gloves and tossing their helmets just four seconds after the opening puck was dropped.

Both players landed some powerful punches, but it was the bigger Bortuzzo who ended up on top of the Devils winger.



The Devils had the last laugh and went on to complete the home-and-home sweep over the weekend — both by 3-1 scores. It was the fifth straight win for the Devils.

These two teams do not like each other right now.

Brodeur appears in 1,200th game and makes goofy save

Martin Brodeur appeared in his 1,200th game for the New Jersey Devils on Saturday and led his team to a 3-1 victory over the streaking Pittsburgh Penguins in front of a sellout crowd of 17,625 at the Prudential Center.

In typical fashion, Brodeur stopped 24 of 25 shots on goal — as the Devils took over first place — but it was a unusual Brodeur moment at the end of the second period that fans will remember.  One that will probably never make the future Hall of Famer's highlight film, but will definitely be on his blooper reel.

The sequence starts with the Penguins on a power play, Brodeur loses his stick and has to chase it into a corner to retrieve it. The Devils goalie picks it up and as he heads back to the net, Evgeni Malkin fires a shot from the blue line at the empty net while Brodeur races over.

The puck hit the post, bounces off Brodeur's toe and slides across the net as he acrobatically tries to keep it from going in. Then he just falls over.

The goal wouldn't have counted because the Penguins were offside, but that's what makes it even funnier.

Even the old pro had a good laugh after that play.

Tortorella: Some Rangers players 'look scared' to me

After Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers coach John Tortorella made it clear that his players will not get ice time based on reputation and will have to earn it with merit.

The Rangers dropped the game with their cross-river rivals in Newark at "The Rock" after what Tortorella called "two free ones" in the first period. With the impressive debut of 19-year-old forward  J.T. Miller and the successful return of Chris Kreider, Torts sounded like some players might be losing time on the ice if they don't toughen up.

"They're gonna probably take some people's jobs," Tortorella said after the team dropped to 4-5-0,  "I'll tell you, with our hockey club right now, we have some guys that look scared to me, and tentative.

"I'll tell you right now, we're not waiting."

After falling into the early hole, the Rangers had an uphill battle against the Devils big-game goalie, Martin Brodeur.

The 40-year-old Brodeur lives for these games.

"It always feels good to play well against a big rival, in a big game," said the net minder who made 24 saves.

Meanwhile, the Rangers veterans better watch out.

"We have some guys that are playing very tentative, very careful," Tortorella said, "and we don't play careful hockey."

NHL players raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims in Atlantic City charity game

Thirty-two NHL players got together in Atlantic City Saturday night and gave fans a little more than hockey to cheer for.  

The charity hockey game — dubbed Operation Hat Trick — featured Henrik Lundqvist, Martin Brodeur, Brad Richards and a host of other NHL stars from all over the league and helped raise money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

There was no lockout at the historic Boardwalk Hall as 10,792 hockey-hungry fans watched a battle between the New York Rangers and a team comprised of their Atlantic division rivals.

The "New York" team, captained by forward Richards, included nine of his Rangers teammates while the  Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell wore the "C" the "New Jersey/Philadelphia" side.

Lundqvist — facing his familiar counterpart Brodeur — made 56 saves to lead his squad to a 10-6 victory. 

"It seemed like he was in playoff shape," said Hartnell.  "And we were joking after the first period there that now the Rangers will want to play really bad because he's on fire right now."

The Rangers goaltender — who flew in from Sweden just for the event — had no problems with that scenario.

"I want to play real games," Lundqvist said after the game.  "But it was probably the best feeling I've had in a long time."

The sold-out crowd — mostly Flyers fans — showed support for both the Sandy relief effort and the sport which has already cancelled the first 70 days of the season and is still in a  lockout as the owners and players do battle off the ice.

Prior to the game, 25 of the players met with union executive director Don Fehr at Caesars Hotel for a lockout update — one day after the league announced the cancellation of the All-Star Game and all regular season games until Dec. 14.

"WE WANT HOCK-EY!," fans started chanting during the first period and didn't let up until the final handshakes — fans who might lose more than an NHL hockey season.  A reminder of that was right outside the doors of the rickety arena.

Get a little NHL fix on VIDEO.

Devils lend Prudential Center to HS hockey team affected by hurricane

It's already pretty hard to find ice time in the state of New Jersey and with the high school hockey season getting under way, rink availability comes at a premium price — especially after Hurricane Sandy.

Since the NHL is cooling its skates during the lockout, New Jersey Devils owner  Jeff Vanderbeek is opening the gates of the Prudential Center so that Newark's East Side High School hockey team can begin their season, reports NJ.com.

The Red Raiders regular rink at the Ironbound Recreation Center is still not back on line after the superstorm shut down much of the state.

"They haven't been able to get ice down," said Keith Veltre, who with another teacher Dennis Ruppe, founded Hockey in Newark — a Devils-sponsored program that teaches the game to local students.

The East Side team was looking at losing lots of practice time in their schedule while other teams were gearing up for the season.  The team can now practice as long as needed at The Rock, said Veltre.

"It essentially saved our season," he said.  The Devils loaned their practice rink to East Side last year after Hurricane Irene.

Imagine the thrill of skating on the same ice as forward Patrick Elias or minding the same net where Martin Brodeur rests his water bottle.

Vanderbeek said he took a lot of pride in the program which has helped send a few students to college.

"We're committed to this program," he said.  "It's also making sure for kids that there's something they can do with their time."

The Devils may not be looking at a lot of ice time this season and — with the Nets wowing the crowds over in Brooklyn —  there's no reason to leave The Rock silent.  The kids' cheers just might be louder than you think.

LA Kings appear on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' and let host drink from Stanley Cup

A night after winning the first Lord Stanley Cup in the 45-year history of the club, the Los Angeles Kings appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and let the host drink some beer from the esteemed trophy.

The subdued (hungover?) squad appeared— wearing Kings' jerseys— on the show Tuesday night and, after Kevin Westgarth prompted Kimmel to take a swig of beer from the huge chalice, the host asked, "You guys didn't pee in this thing?"

After defenseman Willie Mitchell poured the brew down Kimmel's throat and even more over his suit, Kimmel proclaimed, "It tastes like victory."



Kimmel— a real hockey fan— goofed around with the team and mentioned that all the players will get their name engraved into the Cup before asking if the New Jersey Devils' player Steve Bernier would get his name etched on the trophy too.    Bernier was criticized for his five-minute major for boarding  Rob Scuderi and allowing the Kings to jump out to a three-goal lead the Devils couldn't overcome.

The eighth-seeded Kings won their first championship by crushing the Devils 6-1 Monday night to take the championship series four games to two.

Now each player from the winning team will get to keep the trophy for one day and eat or drink whatever they want from its bowl for 24 hours.

I'm betting on a lot of Molson and kid's cereals.