Monday, April 02, 2007

 

Report: Claude Julien Fired by the Devils

by Jes

What the hell is going on in Joisey? (Besides mob activity, that is...)

From the What The Hell Files comes word that Devils coach Claude Julien was canned this morning.

TSN.ca Link

Lou Lamoriello is back behind the bench in New Jersey.

The playoff-bound Devils have fired head coach Claude Julien with less than a week to go in the regular season with the veteran GM Lamoriello taking over for the second straight season.

Lamoriello also stepped behind the bench last season after Larry Robinson stepped down as coach in December.

The surprising move Monday comes with the Devils second in the Eastern Conference with a 47-24-8 record and 102 points. The Devils have won four of their last five games, including Sunday's 3-1 win over Boston. They went 6-6-2 in March while battling key injuries to Brian Gionta, John Madden and Patrik Elias.
Is leading the division not good enough for some people? Hell, I figured NJ would be fighting for a playoff spot, not the division title.

And this isn't the first time that Uncle Lou has done something weird like this...

Monday's firing isn't the only time Lamoriello made a late-season coaching move. He fired Robby Ftorek late in the 2002-2003 season and Robinson eventually led the team to its third Stanley Cup since 1995.
Uncle Lou has run his team like a cult before, and I do feel for Julien. The Devils have played well this season, and what makes Lou think he can do a better job? Is there another story that isn't being told here?

Now, would you want to coach the Devils, given this history of weird behaviour by management?

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# posted by Unknown @ 10:46 am
Comments:
Something doesn't add up here. O.k. so Lou wants the power but to shake up your team right before the playoffs? Yes, I remember the Ftorek thing and thought that was weird but at least when that happened, the team was in a slump. I don't get this at all.


Hey, I'm all for anything that throws the Devils into chaos though!
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 11:53 am
 
I guess Claude left the toilet seat up one too many times in the executive washroom
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 12:19 pm
 
Its the way Julien runs offence.

There were rumors of certain players *cough* Gomez *cough* who aren't listening/playing for him anymore.

Elias had a player meeting with the team just before the firing as well.

As for Devil chaos.. I doubt it. This move will either have no effect or will improve the offence, they're not going to be worse.

Or maybe it was about the toilet seat.. Lou hates getting his ass wet :)
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 12:30 pm
 
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