Lou Lamoriello resigns as Devils president to become Maple Leafs GM

Lou Lamoriello has resigned as president of the New Jersey Devils to become the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lou Lamoriello has resigned as president of the New Jersey Devils to become the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the teamsannounced Thursday.

Lamoriello, who had been with New Jersey for 28 years, had given up his position as general manager on May 4. Ray Shero was named in his place. He finished his time with the Devils as the longest serving general manager of one team in NHL history.

Two minutes after his departure from New Jersey was announced, Lamoriello was named the Maple Leafs' general manager. Toronto fired general manager Dave Nonis after the team failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season.

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“Lou Lamoriello created and defined what it meant to be a New Jersey Devil,” Devils co-owner Josh Harris said. “His brilliance in shaping this franchise into one of the most storied and celebrated organizations in sport will make him a New Jersey Devil for life. He represented this organization, our current and former players, the state of New Jersey, and the greatest fans in the National Hockey League in a manner that exemplified character, class, and dignity.”

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While Lamoriello was the Devils' general manager, the team's record was 1,093-779-268 (.578) during the regular-season and 136-116 (.540) in the post-season.

Lamoriello also served as the Devils' interim head coach during three different seasons, including last season, when he was the team's co-coach, with Scott Stevens and Adam Oates for the final 46 games of the regular season.