[Lefty Noob]

ESPNews is reporting that the Devils have fired coach Claude Julien. So now, the obvious question is... why?

[ThePundit]

Lamierello coached last year after Larry Robinson left the team. I honestly don't get this. Julienne was 47-24-8. How much better can you do?

[Hockey News]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Having the New Jersey Devils in first place in the Atlantic Division with a week to go in the regular season got coach Claude Julien fired on Monday.

Sound strange?

When you work for general manager Lou Lamoriello, it's all about winning Stanley Cups.

Feeling that Julien didn't have the team ready to make a Cup run with the playoffs scheduled to start next week, Lamoriello fired him on Monday and took over behind the bench for the second straight year.

"I don't think we're at a point of being ready both mentally and (physically) to play the way that is necessary going into the playoffs," Lamoriello said outside an empty Devils locker room at the Continental Airlines Arena. "I am not saying that is going to change. But I think there has to be better focus going forward."

The stunning move came less than a day after the Devils beat Boston for their fourth win in five games. New Jersey's 102 points is tied for the second most in the Eastern Conference.

Julien fired as Devils coach; Lamoriello takes over

[Lefty Noob]

They've won four of their last five, and they lack FOCUS? What?

Is it just me, or are these front office guys getting stupided and stupider all the time?

[ThePundit]

Lameriello saw something he didn't like. From today's Bergen Record:

"Jaws dropped," goaltender Martin Brodeur said. "It was kind of 'Wow.' You start thinking, 'What did we do wrong?' "

"I don't think that we're at a point of being ready both mentally and at the [level of] play that's necessary going into the playoffs," Lamoriello said. "I'm not saying that it's going to change, but there has to be a better focus going forward."

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I'll say this: I would never take a coaching job under Lamariello

[blueandwhite]

Yeah, the history of strange firings - Ftorek in '99 with 8 games left in the season - and then Robinson who quit obviously unhappy and lamoriello took over.
Everyone's confounded. Some explanation of possibly why given by brodeur - there as been no excitement through the season (beyond, um, winning), same set of players throughout, so this shakes em up for the fans. Brodeur says there was nothing they could have given more to julien - they'd given it all, and it was working.
fans want steadiness, if it's a good steadiness. I guess lamoriello thinks they can do even better. when he took over from robinson he was 11-0 and they swiped the Rangers.
we'll see.

[Hockey News]

Claude Julien was as surprised as anyone when he was fired as the New Jersey Devils coach Monday.

In his first public comments since being removed, Julien said he wasn't expecting to be fired because only three games remained in the regular season and his team was in first place and primed for the playoffs.

"You're thinking you're going to be heading into the playoffs and you're getting mentally prepared for that," Julien said in a teleconference Wednesday. "You don't want to be let go with three games left in the season, but at the same time, everybody has a job to do, and that's a part of the game you have to understand."

Devils' Julien says firing took him by surprise

[blueandwhite]

My question is, where will he pop up next?
Philly? chicago?
Columbus?

[Lefty Noob]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

My question is, where will he pop up next?
Philly? chicago?
Columbus?

Blue Jackets... yeah, I imagine Gotham and the Columbus fans would love that.

[blueandwhite]

He's got to be picked up as soon as season ends by someone because he didn't do anything wrong - he actually coached a team to high numbers and the playoffs.
who would say no -besides Lou lamoriello?

[pete_b]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

My question is, where will he pop up next?
Philly? chicago?
Columbus?

I can tell you one thing for sure, he will not end up in Chicago. Chicago, even though they are just plain awful, just hired Savard. If Chicago ever had a Gretsky, Savard is it. He ain't goin nowhere.

[ThePundit]

I wonder if anyone will hire him now. Doesn't it send out a red flag, the fact that the guy is 25 games over .500, and the most respected GM in hockey fires him?

The best thing that could happen to Julien is that the Devils go out in the first round.

[Ken Dorsey]

that hurts