Lamoriello has guided the Devils to three Stanley Cups and one other appearance in the Finals.

The other side of Lamoriello
By John McGourty | NHL.com
Dec. 7, 2004

When it comes to business, New Jersey Devils Chief Executive Officer, President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello is a tough cookie and everyone knows it.

Since taking over the reins of the club 17 years ago, Lamoriello has guided his Devils to three Stanley Cups, another conference championship and five Atlantic Division titles. And don't forget, it took five seasons before his team won a Stanley Cup Playoff series. That's something to consider for fans of struggling teams who grow impatient with coaches and team executives.

Lamoriello's success is a result of his intelligence, long hours at work, the principles he brings to work every day and a demand that employees work as hard and as conscientiously as he does. Then, they get to see a side of Lamoriello that he's not often comfortable showing to the general public. Friends going back as far as childhood tell stories of great loyalty and generosity.

The NHL is home to many of them, others work elsewhere in hockey, but they are unified in their appreciation for Lamoriello, from San Jose Sharks coach Ron Wilson, who played for him at Providence College, to former Vancouver Canucks GM Brian Burke, Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr., and many others.

Wilson's dad, Larry, and uncle Johnny, both played in the NHL and Ron was determined to follow them. He took his high-school coach's advice and played for Lamoriello at Providence College, twice earning All-American honors and being named ECAC Player of the Year.

"Lou had a tremendous impact on my career. First I went there because of the program I thought he was developing at Providence College. I wanted to play in the NHL and in the end I was right that Lou would provide the best kind of development for me," Wilson said. "I felt he always kept his priorities in order. I was going to college obviously to get an education and that was very important to Lou as well as me. The kind of dedication you needed to play for someone like Lou Lamoriello is that he expects a 100 percent commitment and that's exactly what I looked for and needed in a coach. I was really happy that I played for him and maintained a good relationship with him for 30 years."

Pat Burns coached in Montreal, Boston and Toronto before joining the Devils in 2002. He won the Stanley Cup in 2003 and had his team in the postseason again last spring when he received the devastating news that he had cancer. Naturally, fears about job security entered his mind. Not to worry, Lamoriello was quick with support, publicly and privately.

"The main character of the Devils' organization comes from Lou," Burns said. "He is the glue in that organization. I found that out pretty quickly. He runs it like a business and you like that as a coach. It takes pressure off you. When we won the Stanley Cup, he didn't stay long for the festivities. He shook everyone's hand and was back to work on Monday morning."

Burns was asked what Lamoriello's support meant to him as he entered a period of difficult medical treatments.

"Lou Lamoriello is still standing by me, more than ever. We've been in constant contact. Some people speculated I wouldn't be back, but Lou said you are still the coach of the Devils and that helps a lot to take pressure and stress off," Burns said. "A lot of people don't know the real Lou. He's a very caring man and very honest. Yes, he's a stern businessman and there's nothing wrong with that. There's no hidden agenda when you work for Lou."

New York Islanders coach Steve Stirling was coaching at Babson College when Lamoriello offered him the opportunity to coach Providence College. He did well, got a lot of attention and that led to Babson offering him the athletic director's job, which he'd been hungering for. Stirling returned to Babson, then moved on to the professional ranks a few years later. He's grateful for the break Lamoriello provided.

"In 1983, I went to work for Lou Lamoriello at Providence. He stepped up from coach when he became athletic director. It was really good working for Lou," Stirling said. "He had a little trouble the first year weaning himself away from the players he recruited and coached. For that group of seniors, Lou was coach, parent and counselor. Those kids got really close with Lou. We made it through the quarterfinals of the ECAC.

"The next year we had Peter Taglianetti, Tim Army, who's coaching the AHL Portland Pirates, Steve Rooney, Paul Cavallini and Chris Terreri. We had a good run all the way to the NCAA finals, but lost 2-1 to R.P.I with Adam Oates, John Carter, Mike Dark and Ken Hammond.

"I learned management style from Lou Lamoriello. There's a right way and a wrong way. Things are black and white, no room for gray. I like that. Islanders GM Mike Millbury is like that. Two-minute conversations, not 10 minutes. You knew where you stood."

Slava Fetisov knew where he stood in 1988, hip-deep in the muck and mire of the decaying Soviet hockey system, fighting team officials and politicians who were loathe to let their stars slip away to the capitalist West. Fetisov joined the Devils in 1989 and gave them five good seasons. He later won a pair of Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings before returning for four seasons as a Devils assistant coach. When he was notified in 2001 that he had been selected for induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, he thought of the role Lamoriello played in securing his freedom.

"One of the first things I did was call Lou Lamoriello to share with him this great moment in my life," Fetisov said. "I will never forget what he and Dr. (John) McMullen did for me. They fought for me to open the door for (Eastern) European players."

Bob Bellemore attended LaSalle Academy in Providence with Lamoriello and they went on to college together. Bellemore was called up by his Air National Guard unit during the 1961 Berlin Crisis. That put him three years behind Lamoriello, but allowed him to play on the Friars' 1964 Frozen Four team, the year after Lamoriello graduated. Bellemore later worked as a goalie coach for the Devils and is back at the college as the assistant coach of the women's team. He wonders if he'd be where is today without Lamoriello's work ethic.

"There was an asphalt parking lot near my house and he'd shoot at me hour after hour," Bellemore said. "We both got better. Because there was limited ice time, on Sundays we'd drive to the rink at Lynn, Mass. We'd go round and round in circles, just trying to become better skaters. Lou was not a great skater, but he had dogged determination. He worked as hard at playing hockey as he does as an executive with the Devils. When they hired him, I said they better pay him a salary because if they pay him by the hour, they can't afford him.

"We played for Lou Cimini, a great guy, at LaSalle. Sometimes, we'd practice at Providence Arena, but mostly at Girl Scout Pond in Lincoln. One time the bus went off the road and we had to push it back."

Both Bellemore and Lamoriello made All-State and were recruited by nearby Providence College. Both men were named Friars' captain in their senior years.

"Lou was just a hard worker. His brother, Nick, played with me after Lou graduated. He was a smoother skater and maybe more individually talented, but Lou was more successful because of the hard work. Lou played on a line with Marsh Tschida, a big center from Minnesota. Lou dug pucks out of the corners for Marsh. Lou would pick up the rebounds and he had that great shot from working constantly."

Bellemore fondly remembers being invited into Nick and Rose Lamoriello's Johnston, R.I., home for big dinners. He knows that's where the work ethic and concern for others was taught.

"Wonderful people. I grew up in Smithfield and neither Smithfield nor Johnston had high schools, so the town paid our tuition at LaSalle. That led to Providence College, for us. I remember our college coach, Tom Eccleston, told me Lou was going to be one of the last cuts but he decided to keep him and it was one of the best things he ever did in coaching because of Lou's attitude, dedication and hard work. He was the ultimate team guy, never looking for anything for himself.

"He's really a wonderful person but he keeps it close to the vest and doesn't tell you a lot. There's was a kid at Providence who was struggling because he was living on his own. Lou found out and gave him a job in the athletic department. The kid wasn't even an athlete. Lou just did it to help. I've seen him help people many times. He just does it quietly and doesn't want credit."