List of New Jersey Devils head coaches
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This is a list of New Jersey Devils head coaches. The Devils had 20 different head coaches since the team moved to New Jersey in the 1982–83, with Jacques Lemaire serving as coach three times and Tom McVie, Larry Robinson, and Lou Lamoriello each serving twice.
Three coaches have led the team to a victory in the Stanley Cup Final: Lemaire in 1995, Robinson in 2000, and Pat Burns in 2003. Lemaire is the all-time leader in games coached and wins, while Burns leads in winning percentage (with at least one full season coached).
Several former players have worked for the Devils as assistant coaches, including John MacLean and Bobby Carpenter, the only men whose names are inscribed on the Stanley Cup as both a player and a coach with New Jersey. MacLean later served as head coach and is the only former Devils' player to serve in that capacity.
On December 26, 2014, after the firing of DeBoer, head coaching responsibilities were split between Adam Oates and Scott Stevens for the remainder of the 2014–15 season, with Lamoriello supervising the team from the bench.[1][2]
Key
| # | Number of coaches |
| GC | Games coached |
| W | Wins |
| L | Losses |
| T | Ties (no longer applicable after the 2005–06 season) |
| OTL | Overtime losses (includes shootout losses after 2005–06) |
| Pts | Points |
| Win% | Winning percentage |
| § | Name is engraved on the Stanley Cup |
Coaches
Note: This list does not include data from the Kansas City Scouts and the Colorado Rockies. Statistics are correct through the 2025–26 season.
| # | Name | Dates | Regular season | Playoffs | Achievements | Ref | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | T | OTL | Pts | Win% | GC | W | L | |||||
| 1 | Bill MacMillan | June 30, 1982 – November 22, 1983 | 100 | 19 | 67 | 14 | — | 52 | .260 | — | — | — | [3] | |
| 2 | Tom McVie | November 22, 1983 – May 31, 1984 | 60 | 15 | 38 | 7 | — | 37 | .308 | — | — | — | [4] | |
| 3 | Doug Carpenter | May 31, 1984 – January 26, 1988 | 290 | 100 | 166 | 24 | — | 224 | .386 | — | — | — | [5] | |
| 4 | Jim Schoenfeld | January 26, 1988 – November 6, 1989 | 124 | 50 | 59 | 15 | — | 115 | .464 | 20 | 11 | 9 | [6] | |
| 5 | John Cunniff | November 6, 1989 – March 4, 1991 | 133 | 59 | 56 | 18 | — | 136 | .511 | 6 | 2 | 4 | [7] | |
| — | Tom McVie | March 4, 1991 – June 5, 1992 | 93 | 42 | 36 | 15 | — | 99 | .532 | 14 | 6 | 8 | [4] | |
| 6 | Herb Brooks | June 5, 1992 – May 31, 1993 | 84 | 40 | 37 | 7 | — | 87 | .518 | 5 | 1 | 4 | [8] | |
| 7 | Jacques Lemaire§ | June 28, 1993 – May 8, 1998 | 378 | 199 | 122 | 57 | — | 455 | .602 | 56 | 34 | 22 | Stanley Cup champions (1995) Jack Adams Award (1994) |
[9] |
| 8 | Robbie Ftorek | May 21, 1998 – March 23, 2000 | 156 | 88 | 44 | 19 | 5 | 200 | .625 | 7 | 3 | 4 | [10] | |
| 9 | Larry Robinson§ | March 23, 2000 – January 28, 2002 | 141 | 73 | 43 | 19 | 6 | 171 | .606 | 48 | 31 | 17 | Stanley Cup champions (2000) | [11] |
| 10 | Kevin Constantine | January 28, 2002 – June 13, 2002 | 31 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 43 | .677 | 6 | 2 | 4 | [12] | |
| 11 | Pat Burns§ | June 13, 2002 – July 14, 2005 | 164 | 89 | 45 | 22 | 8 | 208 | .634 | 29 | 17 | 12 | Stanley Cup champions (2003) | [13] |
| — | Larry Robinson | July 14, 2005 – December 19, 2005 | 32 | 14 | 13 | — | 5 | 33 | .516 | — | — | — | [11] | |
| 12 | Lou Lamoriello | December 19, 2005 – May 14, 2006 | 50 | 32 | 14 | — | 4 | 68 | .680 | 9 | 5 | 4 | [14] | |
| 13 | Claude Julien | June 13, 2006 – April 2, 2007 | 79 | 47 | 24 | — | 8 | 102 | .646 | — | — | — | [15] | |
| — | Lou Lamoriello | April 2, 2007 – July 12, 2007 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 5 | .833 | 11 | 5 | 6 | [14] | |
| 14 | Brent Sutter | July 12, 2007 – June 10, 2009 | 164 | 97 | 56 | — | 11 | 205 | .625 | 12 | 4 | 8 | [16] | |
| — | Jacques Lemaire | July 13, 2009 – April 26, 2010 | 82 | 48 | 27 | — | 7 | 103 | .628 | 5 | 1 | 4 | [9] | |
| 15 | John Maclean | June 17, 2010 – December 23, 2010 | 33 | 9 | 22 | — | 2 | 20 | .303 | — | — | — | [17] | |
| — | Jacques Lemaire | December 23, 2010 – April 10, 2011 | 49 | 29 | 17 | — | 3 | 61 | .622 | — | — | — | [9] | |
| 16 | Peter DeBoer | July 19, 2011 – December 26, 2014 | 212 | 102 | 76 | — | 34 | 238 | .561 | 24 | 14 | 10 | [18] | |
| 17 | Adam Oates Scott Stevens |
December 27, 2014 – June 2, 2015 | 46 | 20 | 17 | — | 7 | 47 | .511 | — | — | — | [19] | |
| 18 | John Hynes | June 2, 2015 – December 3, 2019 | 354 | 150 | 159 | — | 45 | 345 | .487 | 5 | 1 | 4 | [20] | |
| 19 | Alain Nasreddine | December 3, 2019 – July 9, 2020 | 43 | 19 | 16 | — | 8 | 46 | .535 | — | — | — | [21] | |
| 20 | Lindy Ruff | July 9, 2020 – March 4, 2024 | 281 | 128 | 125 | — | 28 | 284 | .505 | 12 | 5 | 7 | [22] | |
| 21 | Travis Green | March 4, 2024 – May 7, 2024 | 21 | 8 | 12 | — | 1 | 17 | .405 | — | — | — | [23] | |
| 22 | Sheldon Keefe | May 23, 2024–present | 164 | 84 | 70 | — | 10 | 178 | .543 | 5 | 1 | 4 | [24] | |
Notes
- ^ The win–loss percentage is calculated using the formula:
- ^ Since the Devils officially finalized their move from Colorado to New Jersey on June 30, 1982, that is the date that their reign as coach and assistant coach began on the Devils.
- ^ Schoenfeld was suspended for one game during the 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs for verbally abusing referee Don Koharski; general manager Lou Lamoriello filled in as coach for the Devils' 7–1 loss to Boston.[25]
- ^ Although Ftorek was replaced during the 1999–2000 season, he got his name on the Cup when the Devils won it later that same season.
- ^ Robinson was demoted to assistant coach and replaced as head coach in the middle of the 2001–02 season, but the Devils placed his name on the Cup when they won the following season even though he had left before the 2002–03 season even began.
- ^ Pat Burns resigned after being diagnosed with cancer.[26]
- ^ Larry Robinson resigned due to stress-related health problems.[27]
- ^ Claude Julien was fired with just 3 games left in the 2006–07 regular season.[28]
- ^ Brent Sutter quit after two years of a three-year contract, citing a desire to be closer to home in Alberta, with his family and minor league hockey team, the Red Deer Rebels.[29] Several weeks later, Sutter was announced as the head coach of the Calgary Flames. Despite the fact that Calgary had to request permission to talk to Sutter, the Devils received no compensation.[30]
