The New Jersey Devils are not a good hockey team. They are not even a mediocre hockey team at the time of this writing. It’s more than fair to say this season is a major disappointment from the very top of the organization to the very bottom, including what was once a promising social media department.
Over the course of several seasons, the Devils as an organization did whatever it took to move out from under the shadow of Lou Lamoriello and his iron fist. Under Lamoriello, the only acceptable form of fun was winning. There would be no individuality from the players. There would be no facial hair. Off-ice distractions were completely against the rules, and there certainly wouldn’t be the use of social media as a way to engage fans and bolster the brand.
Lamoriello’s media darkness and a focus on neutering player personalities resulted in countless trips to the playoffs and three Stanley Cup Championships. However, it did very little to bolster New Jersey’s brand in a saturated New York market. The Devils might have been “boring,” but they were our boring team and they were winning and we loved it.
Once Lou and the Devils went their separate ways, the organization turned its attention to marketing the team and making hockey fun again, especially since the product on the ice was anything but championship quality.
Over the next several seasons, the Devils introduced clever slogans and catchy hashtags. They relaxed the facial hair policy and opened up social media to its players. New Jersey’s own social media team became entertaining and regularly engaged with the fans. There was a renaissance is the New Jersey Devils’ likeability. They did all of this as the team continued to underachieve on the ice.
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Meanwhile, Lamoriello went on to do “Lamoriello things.” The stiff and old-school general manger turned the laughable Toronto Maple Leafs into a playoff team again. Once his work there was done, he moved on to Long Island where he has transformed the Islanders into legitimate Cup contenders.
All the while, the Devils sink deeper into the NHL’s basement. There were countless reasons the Devils never had a top pick in the NHL Entry Draft under Lou’s watchful eye. There are even more reasons why they’ve had two since his departure. Under Lamoriello, the organization’s structure began at the top and trickled all the way down to the folks working in the concession stands. Culture can not be forced. It must be tended to, cultivated until it permeates into the very core of an organization. Lamoriello is a master of that, but you cannot dispute his track record and history of continued success.
Today’s Devils in no way resemble those under Lamoriello. In fact, they couldn’t be more opposite. This past summer was a big one for the Devils, and their social media department was all over it. They did an excellent job of hyping the team – almost to a fault. They introduced the world to a budding star in Jack Hughes. We got to enjoy the return of a healthy Cory Schneider. We sipped coffee with Connor Carrick. P.K. Subban gave us a good look into his and Lindsey Vonn’s life. A social media movement helped land Nikita Gusev – allegedly. The hashtag “We Are The Ones” was born. It was going to be a fun season.
Fast forward two months into the season, and the Devils are no better off than they were a season ago. In fact, they are actually worse than they were at this point last season. There is no more goodwill. Fans are angry. Fans are frustrated. They want answers and accountability. Instead, they are force-fed hacky videos, soulless tweets devoid of reality, a media core focused on protecting the coach and shying away from anything remotely negative.
Oh, how I long for the days of watching winning hockey – Lou Lamoriello hockey. As much as it pains me to type this… it’s the truth – the Devils and everything associated with them is broken. They are little more than another run-of-the-mill, cookie-cutter franchise without a shot at playing meaningful games this spring. Forget all the silly themed nights, oily mustaches and less than clever hashtags. How about they go back to being boring and focus on nothing else but winning games again? If the Devils can do that, I promise success will follow. Don’t believe me? Just ask Lou.