Devils’ Lemaire Resigns, Ftorek Might Be Promoted

Former King coach Robbie Ftorek was being mentioned as a possible replacement for Jacques Lemaire, who resigned as coach of the New Jersey Devils on Friday.

Ftorek, 46, who coached the Kings for less than two seasons in the late 1980s, is now an assistant coach with the Devils.

Lemaire’s resignation came after the Devils were eliminated from the NHL playoffs in the first round by the eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators.

Lemaire had led the Devils to the Stanley Cup in 1995 and the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference the last two seasons.

“When I first started I knew there would be a time . . . to go,” Lemaire said. “The way it’s going, I just feel it’s time. You get that feeling. I’m happy with what I have done and that’s it.”

Lemaire, 52, will remain with the organization in the front office, although he will probably make a lot less than his $1-million salary.

Lemaire signed two contracts after winning the Stanley Cup, one that guaranteed him a position with the team if he resigned from coaching. He did not rule out coaching again, even with New Jersey.

Lemaire, who played on eight Stanley Cup champions for the Montreal Canadiens, had a 199-122-57 record in five seasons with the Devils.

His wins are the most ever by a Devil coach. The team’s previous six coaches between 1982 and 1993 combined for 277.

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Grant Marshall of the Dallas Stars escaped suspension, getting off with a $1,000 fine for an elbow that left Edmonton Oiler captain Kelly Buchberger with a bloody, swollen eye.

The $1,000 is the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.

The forward received a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty with 6:16 to go in the Stars’ 3-1 victory Thursday night.