As anyone who struggled to get the new health care legislation passed over the weekend can attest, it's hard to make systemic changes. The momentum of history carries us along, forcing the boldest and most tenacious of us to aggressively fight the tide in the name of progress.
It may not be nearly on par with lowering the unemployment rate or giving our education system a breath of fresh air, but in the world of this lovely escape we call hockey, few in recent history have had as big of an impact in these terms as Lou Lamoriello. It's entirely appropriate that he's being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night as a "Builder," because he built a dynasty out of a doormat as well as a hockey nation out of a nation with just a curious interest in the sport.
But when I think of what makes Lou Lamoriello great, I don't think about what he's done. I think about the character and personality that drove all that success.
New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello will be inducted into the builders section of the the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. The architect of three Stanley Cup-winning teams was the guest on a media conference call on Friday afternoon. Some highlights ...
The NHL season is almost upon us. That means the weather is getting colder, leaves are falling off trees and coaches are ever closer to getting the proverbial axe. Last year, it took only four games for the Chicago Blackhawks to fire Dennis Savard. The Penguins let Michel Therrien go with 25 games left in the season and it was just what the doctor ordered. The team went 18-3-4 under Dan Bylsma the rest of the season on their way to a Stanley Cup victory. Here, I'll be taking a look at the coaches most likely to end up like Savard -- coaches who are starting the season on the hot seat.
The naming of Brent Sutter as head coach of the Calgary Flames was not a surprise. The June 23 announcement made headlines, but was also a poorly-kept secret in most hockey circles.
From the moment he resigned in New Jersey, Sutter was expected to join brother Darryl, the Flames' general manager, in coach-less Calgary. Once Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello gave permission for Brent to make that move, it was quickly announced. After about a month on the job, Sutter took some time to talk to FanHouse about his move back to western Canada.
The NHL's Hall of Fame class of 2009 features a reunion of the Detroit Red Wings' 2001-02 Stanley Cup Championship team, and the completion of the best father-son duo in the history of the league. On Tuesday afternoon, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille and Brian Leetch were announced as the newest members of hockey's most exclusive club.
New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello was also elected as a builder.
Not really any surprises here, as they make up one of the best quintets to ever enter Toronto.
To the surprise of precisely no one, Brent Sutterstepped down after two years as head coach of the New Jersey Devils. Between his desire to be closer to family and the potential interest in joining brother Darryl in Calgary, Brent Sutter had every reason to leave.
As Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello searches for a replacement, an old friend seems to be emerging as a serious candidate. This, too, should come as a surprise to nobody.
It's not exactly a national secret that hockey teams tend to go through coaching changes about as often as a high school kid goes through a change of clothes (speaking on personal experience, that's about once per year). As we begin the conference finals, it's probably worth pointing out that three of the four teams taking part -- the Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks -- experienced a change behind the bench during the regular season.
The news around the Devils Tuesday should rightfully be about their Game 7 against the Hurricanes, but Sports Business Journal had other plans. They reported Tuesday morning that the team was looking for a business executive to take over revenue-building duties, stripping those duties from do-everything honcho Lou Lamoriello and allowing him the opportunity to focus solely on the hockey operations side.
Apparently, the league has been bitten for the second day in a row by an erroneous report. After ESPN wrongfully reported Monday one-game suspensions for Capitals Donald Brashear and Mike Green only to redact the report shortly thereafter, Devils chairman/managing partner Jeff Vanderbeek called the Lamoriello report "very inaccurate."
As anyone who struggled to get the new health care legislation passed over the weekend can attest, it's hard to make systemic changes. The momentum of history carries us along, forcing the boldest and most tenacious of us to aggressively fight the tide in the name of progress.
The NHL season is almost upon us. That means the weather is getting colder, leaves are falling off trees and coaches are ever closer to getting the proverbial axe. Last year, it took only four games for the Chicago Blackhawks to fire 
The naming of 
UPDATE: The Devils 
There have been a lot of shocking developments over the years in sports. Tuesday's announcement in Calgary was not one of them.
To the surprise of precisely no one, 
The news around the Devils Tuesday should rightfully be about their Game 7 against the Hurricanes, but Sports Business Journal had other plans. They reported Tuesday morning that 
