The New Jersey Devils announced Monday that Jacques Lemaire has retired from his post as coach but will remain within the organization in some other capacity.

The announcement comes on the heels of the team's stunning five-game first-round playoff loss to the Philadelphia Flyers last week.

"After reflection and 17 years of coaching, I decided to retire," Lemaire told the media during a press conference at Prudential Center. "It's tough to leave what you like aside, but it's a decision that I made and I will do."

Lemaire said he asked Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello to break the news to the team since he was too emotional at the time.

"Lou did it for me because I tried to tell the coaching staff and I had a hard time," Lemaire said.  "I didn't tell the players, Lou did it for me. I tried to tell the coaching staff and had a hard time."

Lamoriello, who said Lemaire's decision was made over the last 24 hours, has not yet announced a new coach or made any decisions on the future of Lemaire's assistants, which include Mario Tremblay, Tommy Albelin, Scott Stevens, Jacques Caron and Larry Robinson.

This season, the Devils finished with 103 points and won the Atlantic Division. But as the second seed in the playoffs, they were eliminated by the seventh-seeded Flyers, who finished 15 points behind them in the standings.

Lemaire said the first-round setback to the Flyers had nothing to do with his decision on Monday; rather, it was the grind of an 82-game schedule that seemed to wear on the 64-year-old coach.

"I felt we had a chance to do good in the playoffs," Lemaire said. "It's not the team or the result or lack of result in the playoffs, it's not that at all. It's the end of the line -- I'll be 65 (on Sept. 7). It's just time."

After spending nine years as coach of the Minnesota Wild, where he compiled a 293-255-108 record, Lemaire rejoined the Devils on July 13, 2009 for his second stint with the organization. Lemaire previously coached New Jersey from 1993-94 through 1997-98. He went 199-122-57 in that span, making the playoffs five times and winning the 1995 Stanley Cup.

"It started my last year in Minnesota," Lemaire said. "I was starting to think about retirement and Lou came to my place (in Montreal) and asked me if I was interested to coach again. I looked at the team, looked at the organization and I got excited again because I love the game and always have passion for the game, especially (because) it was Lou and I worked for him in the past and I knew how he does things and the team. I went on and accepted the challenge and the year went really well."
 
The announcement took many of the players by surprise.

"It was definitely a surprise," said Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner. "I don't think any of us had any idea. He's done a lot of good things in hockey and it's nice when you can kind of choose when you want to go."

Devils forward Zach Parise now has gone through five different head coaches in five seasons in New Jersey -- Robinson, Lamoriello, Claude Julien, Brent Sutter and Lemaire.

"A lot of us weren't anticipating this happening and are surprised," said Parise. "I've been here five years and am kind of getting used to different coaches. It's going to be a long summer again."

Lemaire's specialty is defense and the Devils certainly were solid in that area all season, winning the Williams Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed during the regular-season (186).

Following his team's 3-0 loss in Game 5 to the Flyers last Thursday, Lemaire said he still "loves coaching."

"This is something I've been doing for a long time," he said. "I enjoy being around the players and trying to make them play as well as they can play, try to find ways to make them play as a team. It's a great life. That's why I love it."

Lemaire took the Devils' job last summer because he figured it was a great opportunity at winning another Stanley Cup. As it turned out, the Devils would lose in the first round of the playoffs for a third straight year.

"When I accepted this (job), I thought we had a chance to go for the Cup and this is the reason why I accepted it," he said. "You talk about frustration, it is. After one series, you're out when you're thinking of maybe making two, three, four (rounds)."

Lemaire, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984 following a 12-season playing career with the Montreal Canadiens, was a member of eight Cup-winning teams in Montreal. The LaSalle, Que., native also served as an associate coach for gold-medal winning Team Canada at 2010 Olympics.

Jacques Lemaire's NHL Coaching Record

REGULAR SEASON
	Gms.	W-L-OT	Finish
1983-84 Montreal	17	7-10-0	4th/Adams
1984-85 Montreal	80	41-27-12	1st/Adams
1993-94 New Jersey	84	47-25-12	2nd/Atlantic
1994-95 New Jersey	48	22-18-8	2nd/Atlantic
1995-96 New Jersey	82	37-33-12	6th/Atlantic
1996-97 New Jersey	82	45-23-14	1st/Atlantic
1997-98 New Jersey	82	48-23-11	1st/Atlantic
2000-01 Minnesota	82	25-39-18	5th/Northwest
2001-02 Minnesota	82	26-35-21	5th/Northwest
2002-03 Minnesota	82	42-29-11	3rd/Northwest
2003-04 Minnesota	82	30-29-23	5th/Northwest
2005-06 Minnesota	82	38-36-8	5th/Northwest
2006-07 Minnesota	82	48-26-8	2nd/Northwest
2007-08 Minnesota	82	44-28-10	1st/Northwest
2008-09 Minnesota	82	40-33-9	3rd/Northwest
2009-10 New Jersey	82	48-27-7	1st/Atlantic
TOTAL	1,213	588-441-184
PLAYOFFS
	Gms.	W-L	Finish
1983-84 Montreal	15	9-6	Lost Conf. Final
1984-85 Montreal	12	6-6	Lost Div. Final
1993-94 New Jersey	20	11-9	Lost Conf. Final
1994-95 New Jersey	20	16-4	Won Stanley Cup
1996-97 New Jersey	10	5-5	Lost Conf. Semifinal
1997-98 New Jersey	6	2-4	Lost Conf. Quarterfinal
2002-03 Minnesota	18	8-10	Lost Conf. Final
2006-07 Minnesota	5	1-4	Lost Conf. Quarterfinal
2007-08 Minnesota	6	2-4	Lost Conf. Quarterfinal
2009-10 New Jersey	5	1-4	Lost Conf. Quarterfinal
TOTAL	117	61-56