Ftorek Replaces Lemaire as Devils’ Coach
Embarrassed in the playoffs the last two years, the New Jersey Devils will start over next season with former King coach Robbie Ftorek.
The New Jersey assistant was hired Thursday to succeed Jacques Lemaire, who quit after his team was ousted in the first round after finishing with the best record in the conference.
“There is no question in my mind that Robbie is the right man for this responsibility,” Devil General Manager Lou Lamoriello said in East Rutherford, N.J.
Ftorek, 46, the team’s top assistant, had been the front-runner for the job since Lemaire resigned May 8. Lamoriello offered him the position Wednesday night.
“I think right now a different voice will matter,” Lamoriello said. “I think that no matter who the coach is, no matter what sport it is today, after a period of time it’s very difficult to keep the attention span you’d like to keep because some of the players are hearing the same thing and think it’s redundant.”
Lamoriello would not comment on contract details. Oddly, Ftorek said even he didn’t know what they were, trusting the organization to be fair.
“It’s not that important to me, it never has been,” he said. “I’ve been with this program for seven years. I don’t have to worry about that.”
Ftorek said he has not begun thinking about his staff, although the Devils said Jacques Caron will remain the goaltending coach.
New Jersey won the Stanley Cup in 1995, the second of Lemaire’s five years with the team. But the Devils missed the playoffs the following year. In 1997, New Jersey lost in the second round to the New York Rangers.
Ftorek, one of the first good American players in the NHL, has had less than two seasons of NHL head coaching experience. He was behind the bench for the Kings in 1987-88 and ‘88-89, going 65-56-11 in 132 games.
He coached many of the Devils’ players during his three seasons as coach at Albany of the AHL, New Jersey’s top farm team. Ftorek was the AHL’s coach of the year in 1995 and ’96. He led Albany to the Calder Cup in 1995.