1995-96 Topps #218

Like you all probably know by now, the Devils introduced Jacques Lemaire as their new head coach, two years to the day that their last coach, Brent Sutter (who left for Calgary) began his reign as coach. Lemaire had previously coached New Jersey from 1993-98 and while he only coached them to one Stanley Cup championship, he was arguably the architect for all three championship teams. Jacques was also the only coach the Minnesota Wild had ever known before stepping down from the position this past April. Known for his defensive-minded system, Lemaire instituted a "trap" system that led to lower-scoring games and "ruined" hockey in the minds of many fans.

I'm curious as to how this move will pan out. It's unknown exactly how much longer Lemaire wants to coach and personally, I'm getting a little tired of the coaching carousel that the Devils have had over the past decade. I'm also hoping that this doesn't mean that guys like Zach Parise, Patrik Elias (who basically stepped into a time machine last year), and Travis Zajac will be slown down on the ice and not put up big numbers next year. We'll just have to wait and see but for now, check out this card that shows the result of Lemaire's second season coaching in New Jersey.

P.S. Sorry for the lack of border in the scan. My scanner does that with white.