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Devils Bring On Ray Shero As GM, While Lou Lamoriello Remains Team President

Devils President & GM Lou Lamoriello, "always one for surprise moves ... pulled off another one" yesterday in naming former Penguins GM Ray Shero to the same position, according to Tom Gulitti of the Bergen RECORD. Lamoriello "will remain as team president in charge of hockey operations." He said that this "was his decision, and that he was not pushed to make it" by Devils co-Owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer after the team missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season. Lamoriello "quietly conducted the GM search over the past few weeks." He said, "This is my decision with 100 percent support of ownership." Gulitti notes Lamoriello, who will turn 73 on Oct. 21, acknowledged that this "transition of power was something he first talked about with Harris and Blitzer after they bought the team" in August '13. Lamoriello said that Shero will have the “'autonomy' that all GMs have, including picking the team’s next coach, and will report to him." Lamoriello has been team president since being hired by then-Devils Owner John McMullen in '87, and he "took over the GM position prior to the start of training camp that September" (Bergen RECORD, 5/5). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Dave Caldwell noted Lamoriello yesterday conceded that his age "was a factor in his decision" to yield the GM title, "but so were the results from the past three seasons" (WSJ.com, 5/4).

RAY OF SUNSHINE? In N.Y., Pat Pickens notes Shero "was the architect of the Penguins’ recent run of success, which included playoff appearances in each of his eight seasons." Shero was named the NHL's GM of the Year in '13, but after the team "failed to return to the Stanley Cup finals, he fell out of favor and was fired -- along with Coach Dan Bylsma -- after the Penguins’ second-round playoff exit against the Rangers" in '14. Shero "did not work in the NHL this past season" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/5). In Newark, Rich Chere notes the Devils "had to get permission" from the Penguins to hire Shero, but they "did not have to give the Pens any compensation." Shero said that he has "spent time with his family and helping USA Hockey" since getting fired (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 5/5).

SKIP TO MY LOU: In New Jersey, Tara Sullivan writes Lamoriello "settled on his latest way of putting the logo first," as he "essentially fired himself." In "typical Lamoriello fashion, it was a decision weeks in the making, but only minutes in the revealing, a true reflection of a man who bristles amid the accolades of others, who deflects individual praise for team-inspired collaboration" (Bergen RECORD, 5/5). ESPN.com's Scott Burnside wrote the move is "probably two seasons too late." Lamoriello will "always be regarded as one of the great hockey minds of this or any generation," but recent seasons "have not been kind" to him. This move was "a crucial decision for the team’s future" (ESPN.com, 5/4). SI.com's Allan Muir wrote, "There was no hint at all that any transition of power was in the offing. But frankly, it's about time." For all he has accomplished, the game "seemed to be passing Lamoriello by." In time, the organization "came to feel as dated as orange shag carpeting." Muir: "It wasn't just a bad team. It wasn't a good product" (SI.com, 5/4). THE HOCKEY NEWS' Matt Larkin wrote the Devils are a "team in need of a fresh start, and perhaps the wily Lamoriello recognizes that" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 5/4). USA TODAY's Kevin Allen writes, "Not many Americans have had an NHL career as successful as Lamoriello's." His teams won three Stanley Cups, and twice lost in the Final. Despite having "no NHL background as a player or coach, he quickly established himself as one of the shrewdest and most successful" GMs in the game. Lamoriello "had the reputation of being a tough, hard-nosed, no-nonsense boss, but those who know him well would say he was principled, fair and honest." Allen: "You always knew where you stood with Lamoriello" (USA TODAY, 5/5).

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