"I'm sure there’s a lot of fans from those days that are still there and have a good memory of that," Lemaire said. "It was really something special that we went through and I can’t thank the players enough for what they did. … As they say, you got a good team, you got a good coach."
Lemaire will join Dr. John J. McMullen, inducted Jan. 6, 2017, and Brylin (Jan. 20, 2024) as Ring of Honor inductees.
"Jacques Lemaire played an integral role in establishing the championship culture synonymous with the New Jersey Devils that we still strive for today," Devils managing partner David Blitzer said in a statement. "Jacques was the consummate winner who had the ability to teach his players what it took to get to that next level, and we are proud to name him as the club's third-ever inductee into our Ring of Honor."
Lemaire went 276-166-10 with 57 ties in seven seasons with the Devils (1993-98, 2009-11). They won the Cup in 1995 with a four-game sweep of the Detroit Red Wings in the Final. He was hired as the first coach of the expansion Minnesota Wild in June 2000 and guided them through the 2008-09 season before returning to the Devils in 2009.
He retired after New Jersey lost the first round of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but returned Dec. 23, 2010, replacing John MacLean after the Devils began the season 9-22-2. They went 29-17-3 after Lemaire took over, including a 20-2-2 run from Jan. 9 to March 6, 2011.
Lemaire's 276 regular-season wins and 35 playoff victories each rank first all-time for the Devils. He announced his retirement from coaching for the final time April 10, 2011, and works as a special assignment coach for the New York Islanders.
Lemaire is 20th in NHL history in games coached (1,262) and tied for 22nd in wins (617) in 17 seasons as coach of the Devils, Wild and Montreal Canadiens.
