Leafs hire Lemaire as special assignment coach

Another long-time member of the New Jersey Devils organization is joining the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer.

Just a few weeks after Lou Lamoriello resigned from the Devils to become the Maple Leafs’ new general manager, one of his former coaches, Jacques Lemaire, has been hired by the team as a special assignment coach.

Lemaire, who turns 70 in September, most recently held the same position with the Devils but had not spoken with new general manager Ray Shero about his future with the team. On Thursday, reports started to surface that he could be joining Lamoriello in some capacity, perhaps even as an assistant coach under new head coach Mike Babcock.

“Obviously Jacques Lemaire has a wealth of experience,” said Babcock in a statement released by the team. “We had a great relationship from the 2010 Olympics and I’ve asked him to join our staff to help me and the rest of our coaches within the entire organization be the best they can be.”

Lemaire, Hall of Fame player, has 17 years of head coaching experience in the league, many of them coming with the Devils on two different occasions.

He helped lead the team to its first ever Stanley Cup win during the 1994-95 season. Along with his time behind the Devils’ bench, he also spent some time as a head coach with the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild.

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