The Maple Leafs added Stanley Cup champions this summer in head coach Mike Babcock and GM Lou Lamoriello, but Toronto has hired someone who has won Lord Stanley’s Mug more times than the two of them combined -- by a wide margin.
Jacques Lemaire has joined the organization as a special assignment coach, the Leafs announced this morning. The Hall of Famer comes with a lengthy resume that includes a 853-game playing career and 1,262 contests as a bench boss. Along the way, he’s won the Jack Adams Award twice.
On top of that, he’s won the Stanley Cup an incredible 11 times. On eight occasions he went the distance while playing with Montreal, but he’s also claimed the Cup twice as an assistant general manager and in 1995 as the New Jersey Devils’ head coach.
“Obviously Jacques Lemaire has a wealth of experience. We had a great relationship from the 2010 Olympics and I’ve asked him to join our staff to help me and the rest of our coaches within the entire organization be the best they can be,” said Babcock.
Lemaire also has a lengthy relationship with Lamoriello. Lemaire served as the Devils’ bench boss under Lamoriello for 509 games over two stints with the organization. More recently, Lemaire had been a special assignment coach with New Jersey.