New Jersey Devils head coach Jacques Lemaire has announced his retirement from the game.
The Devils were just eliminated in the playoffs in the first round for the third straight year, which could be part of the reason he decided to step away.
Lemaire said that he simply lost the energy to continue to coach, which is why he made the decision.
The coach said it was simply time for him to move on, but had a hard time delivering the news to his players.
The team has not yet considered who might be a good candidate to replace the legendary Lemaire.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 5:20 pm by steve
By Bud L. Ellis
Tied at 3-3 with time getting late in the third period of a game they really needed, the New Jersey Devils found a way to take the lead and tie the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Dainius Zubrus stuck home a loose puck with 4:04 to go Friday night, sending the Devils to a 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series in Newark.
The win evens the series at one win apiece. Game 3 is Sunday in Philadelphia, and Game 4 will be there Tuesday.
After losing Game 1 Wednesday, the Devils started quickly, getting a short-handed goal from Zach Parise just 2:45 in to stake New Jersey to a 1-0 lead. New Jersey gave up two goals later in the period to fall behind 2-1.
The Devils answered in the second. Colin White tied the game at 2-2 3:44 into the period, and Andy Greene’s poer-play tally pushed New Jersey ahead 3-2 at the 13:25 mark.
Philly fought back to tie the game late in the second, but Zubrus pushed home the game-winner with 4:04 left. Ilya Kovalchuk added an empty-netter with 33 seconds to go, and Martin Brodeur made 26 saves in the victory.
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Friday, April 16, 2010 at 9:07 pm by bud
Tags: Andy Greene, Colin White, Dainius Zubrus, Ilya Kovalchuk, Martin Brodeur, National Hockey League, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Zach Parise
