| Jacques Lemaire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1984 | |||
 Lemaire in 2009 | |||
| Born | (1945-09-07)September 7, 1945 (age 80) LaSalle, Quebec, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Coached for | Montreal Canadiens New Jersey Devils Minnesota Wild | ||
| Playing career | 1967–1981 | ||
| Coaching career | 1984–2011 | ||
Jacques Gérard Lemaire (born September 7, 1945) is aCanadian formerice hockeyforward and head coach who was inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame in 1984. He spent his entire twelve-yearNational Hockey League (NHL) playing career with theMontreal Canadiens (1967–1979) and was a part of eightStanley Cup championship teams in1968,1969,1971,1973,1976,1977,1978 and1979. In 2017, Lemaire was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players".[1]
Lemaire was an NHL head coach for seventeen seasons with the Canadiens (1983–1985),New Jersey Devils (1993–1998, 2009–2011) andMinnesota Wild (2000–2009).[2][3] One of 24 coaches with 600 wins (as of 2025), Lemaire led the Devils to their first Stanley Cup in the1994–95 season.[4]
After retiring at the end of the2010–11 NHL season, Lemaire accepted a position as special assignment coach for the Devils. He most recently worked as a special assignment coach for theNew York Islanders, a position he previously held with theToronto Maple Leafs.
Lemaire is one of only six NHL players to have scored two Stanley Cup-winning goals, achieving the feat in both 1977 and 1979 (The five other players areMike Bossy in1982 and1983,Bobby Orr in1970 and1972,Henri Richard in1966 and1971,Jean Béliveau in1960 and1965 andToe Blake in1944 and1946). One of the two Cup-winners scored by Lemaire came at the 4:32 mark of the first overtime of Game Four in the1977 Stanley Cup Finals. A model of consistency, Lemaire scored at least 20 goals in each of his 12 seasons. He retired from the NHL after the1978–79 season to become a playing coach inSwitzerland.[5] In 853 career NHL games, he recorded 366 goals and 469 assists for a total of 835 points. Lemaire learned to execute his slapshot when he was young using a heavy steel puck, making his shot second only to that ofBobby Hull for speed and accuracy.[6] In his bestselling bookThe Game former Montreal goalieKen Dryden described a unique relationship on ice that was developing between Lemaire andGuy Lafleur, as they complemented each other's speed and shooting ability.
Lemaire's NHL playing career ended following the1978–79 season when he surprisingly rejected the Canadiens' contract extension offer of $225,000 for each of five years.[7][8]
Lemaire signed a three-year contract as player, coach and general manager ofHC Sierre on June 15, 1979.[9] He was paid $75,000 tax-free annually and had absolute control over his contract. "I always wanted to do something reckless, have an adventure, see how other people live, discover something new. Well, that time is now. I've always been interested in coaching, and when this opportunity presented itself, it seemed like the perfect thing," he explained.[8]
He made his North American coaching debut in 1981, serving as an assistant coach atSUNY Plattsburgh to future NHL scout Herb Hammond at the NCAA Division III level. Lemaire was head coach of the Canadiens from1983–1985 and theNew Jersey Devils from1993 to1998, winning the Stanley Cup in1995 for the 11th time, and theJack Adams Award in 1994 and2003. Lemaire was head coach of theMinnesota Wild from June 19,2000 until April 11,2009, the first head coach of the organization.[10] He also won two more Stanley Cups as assistant general manager with Montreal in1986 and1993.
Lemaire is known for his unorthodox coaching style for several reasons: first, he prefers a defensive-minded system, often using a strategy called theneutral zone trap.[11] Second, Lemaire rarely uses permanent lines preferring to use mixed line combinations during games. Third, Lemaire never employed a permanent team captain during his tenure with the Wild, opting to rotate it on a monthly basis amongst the players. Lemaire is also regarded as one of the best teaching coaches – developing young players while working well with veterans. However his emphasis on "defense first" has often been controversial, both inside and outside the dressing room. This, perhaps, has led to some conflict with star players likeMarian Gaborik (formerly with the Wild) and media criticism. An example was provided by Terry Frei of ESPN.com in an article posted on August 4, 2008:
He [Lemaire] helped drag down the entertainment quotient in this league, and despite all the talk about the Wild being a skating team that uses speed and pounces on turnovers, not all the elements of the trap have disappeared from Minnesota's game. You'd think the State of Hockey is going to tire of that at some point, especially if the Wild slide this season and it drivesMarian Gaborik away next summer.[12]
On one occasion, Lemaire's team was among the top two scoring teams in the NHL. In 1993–1994, the New Jersey Devils team scored the second most goals in the league (306).[13]
In June 2009, Lemaire was named assistant coach ofTeam Canada for the2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. He joinedLindy Ruff andKen Hitchcock as assistants to head coachMike Babcock and helped Team Canada to the gold medal.
On July 13, 2009, exactly two years afterBrent Sutter had been introduced as coach of the Devils, Lemaire returned to the head coaching position for the Devils.
On October 8, 2009, Lemaire got his 200th win with the New Jersey Devils and first of the2009–10 NHL season.
Lemaire announced his retirement as a head coach in the NHL on April 26, 2010. However, on December 23, 2010, after Devils head coachJohn MacLean was fired after 33 games, Lemaire came out of retirement to coach once again for the Devils and led a charge that took the team from the bottom of league standings into contention for a playoff position before fading in the final few weeks.[14]
On February 10, 2011, Lemaire achieved his 600th regular-season win afterIlya Kovalchuk scored in overtime to win the game for New Jersey against Toronto 2 – 1. Lemaire became only the eighth coach in NHL history to achieve this feat.[15]
On April 10, 2011 Lemaire announced his permanent retirement from the Devils.[16]
On August 14, 2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had hired Lemaire as a special assignment coach.[17]
On September 14, 2018, Lemaire followed Lou Lamoriello to the New York Islanders, assuming the role of Special Assignment Coach.[18] Lemaire was inducted into the New Jersey Devils Ring of Honor on January 22, 2025.[19]
Lemaire is the uncle of former NHL goaltenderManny Fernandez.[20]
There is a hockey arena inLaSalle, Quebec named after Lemaire.[21]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1962–63 | Lachine Maroons | QJHL | 42 | 41 | 63 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1963–64 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 42 | 25 | 30 | 55 | 17 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 4 | ||
| 1964–65 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 56 | 25 | 47 | 72 | 52 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1964–65 | Quebec Aces | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1965–66 | Montreal Junior Canadiens | OHA | 48 | 41 | 52 | 93 | 69 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 14 | ||
| 1966–67 | Houston Apollos | CPHL | 69 | 19 | 30 | 49 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1967–68 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 1968–69 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 75 | 29 | 34 | 63 | 29 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1969–70 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 69 | 32 | 28 | 60 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1970–71 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 28 | 28 | 56 | 18 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 17 | ||
| 1971–72 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 32 | 49 | 81 | 26 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1972–73 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 44 | 51 | 95 | 16 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 2 | ||
| 1973–74 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 66 | 29 | 38 | 67 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1974–75 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 80 | 36 | 56 | 92 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 | ||
| 1975–76 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 61 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 20 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 1976–77 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 75 | 34 | 41 | 75 | 22 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 6 | ||
| 1977–78 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 36 | 61 | 97 | 14 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 10 | ||
| 1978–79 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 50 | 24 | 31 | 55 | 10 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 6 | ||
| 1979–80 | HC Sierre | SWI-2 | 28 | 29 | 16 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | HC Sierre | SWI-2 | 38 | 49 | 38 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 853 | 366 | 469 | 835 | 217 | 145 | 61 | 78 | 139 | 63 | ||||
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Finish | Result | ||
| MTL | 1983–84 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | – | (75) | 4th inAdams | Lost in Conference finals (NYI) |
| MTL | 1984–85 | 80 | 41 | 27 | 12 | – | 94 | 1st in Adams | Lost in Division finals (QUE) |
| NJD | 1993–94 | 84 | 47 | 25 | 12 | — | 106 | 2nd inAtlantic | Lost in Conference finals (NYR) |
| NJD | 1994–95 | 48 | 22 | 18 | 8 | — | 52 | 2nd in Atlantic | WonStanley Cup (DET) |
| NJD | 1995–96 | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | — | 86 | 6th in Atlantic | Missed playoffs |
| NJD | 1996–97 | 82 | 45 | 23 | 14 | — | 104 | 1st in Atlantic | Lost in Conference semifinals (NYR) |
| NJD | 1997–98 | 82 | 48 | 23 | 11 | — | 107 | 1st in Atlantic | Lost in Conference quarterfinals (OTT) |
| MIN | 2000–01 | 82 | 25 | 39 | 13 | 5 | 68 | 5th inNorthwest | Missed playoffs |
| MIN | 2001–02 | 82 | 26 | 35 | 12 | 9 | 73 | 5th in Northwest | Missed playoffs |
| MIN | 2002–03 | 82 | 42 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 95 | 3rd in Northwest | Lost in Conference finals (ANA) |
| MIN | 2003–04 | 82 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 3 | 83 | 5th in Northwest | Missed playoffs |
| MIN | 2005–06 | 82 | 38 | 36 | — | 8 | 84 | 5th in Northwest | Missed playoffs |
| MIN | 2006–07 | 82 | 48 | 26 | — | 8 | 104 | 2nd in Northwest | Lost in Conference quarterfinals (ANA) |
| MIN | 2007–08 | 82 | 44 | 28 | — | 10 | 98 | 1st in Northwest | Lost in Conference quarterfinals (COL) |
| MIN | 2008–09 | 82 | 40 | 33 | — | 9 | 89 | 3rd in Northwest | Missed playoffs |
| NJD | 2009–10 | 82 | 48 | 27 | — | 7 | 103 | 1st in Atlantic | Lost in Conference quarterfinals (PHI) |
| NJD | 2010–11 | 49 | 29 | 17 | — | 3 | (79) | 4th in Atlantic | Missed playoffs |
| Total | 1262 | 617 | 458 | 124 | 63 | 1421 | .563 | 1 Stanley Cup, 10 playoff appearances | |
| Preceded by | Winner of theJack Adams Award 1994 2003 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens 1984–85 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the New Jersey Devils (first time) 1993–98 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Position created | Head coach of the Minnesota Wild 2000–09 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the New Jersey Devils (second time) 2009–10 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by John MacLean | Head coach of the New Jersey Devils (third time) 2010–11 | Succeeded by |
