By Justin Worsley
New Jersey is hoping that their former first-round pick, John MacLean, will be able to bring them back to the promised land: the Stanley Cup.
The Devils have not hoisted the most prized possession since the 2002-03 season, and have had four different head coaches since then, including general manager Lou Lamoriello, who has twice stepped in as the interim head coach.
MacLean, the sixth-overall pick in the 1983 NHL Draft, replaces Jacques Lemaire, who retired as a head coach last April.
Since the 2003 season, the Devils have only missed the playoffs once, but have also failed to advance past the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Last season, they lost in the opening round to the Philadelphia Flyers, who lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup.
MacLean has won the Stanley Cup with the Devils as both a coach and player. He was an assistant on the 2003 team as well as a player for the Devils when the team won their first Stanley Cup in 1995.
MacLean is the 19th coach in the history of the New Jersey Devils and the fifth since 2007.
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