Long before he was coaching the New Jersey Devils to their first Stanley Cup in 1995, then taking over an expansion team in Minnesota five years later and coaching the Wild to what was their greatest playoff success in the franchise’s first 25 years, Jacques Lemaire was a player of some note.
Minnesota wild head coach Jacques Lemaire, top left, gives instructions from the bench during the first period of Minnesota’s 3-2 victory over Vancouver in Game 2 of the NHL Western Conference semifinals in Vancouver, British Columbia on April 27, 2003. (Sherri LaRose-Chiglo / Pioneer Press)
Now 80, retired and living in Florida, Lemaire spent a dozen seasons playing center for his hometown Montreal Canadiens, winning a whopping eight Stanley Cups in the process.
In eight seasons behind the bench in Minnesota, he took the Wild from a bunch of castoffs looking to reestablish the NHL in a community still stinging from the 1993 loss of the North Stars, to the third round of the 2003 playoffs, and in 2007 to their first (and so far only) division title.
With the team celebrating 25 years, the Wild hierarchy put together a nice tribute to the franchise’s roots in 2000, bringing back original general manager Doug Risebrough, along with the team’s original coaching staff – Mario Tremblay, Bob Mason and Lemaire – to drop the ceremonial first puck before Saturday’s home opener with Columbus.
Earlier in the day, touring TRIA Rink and the Wild’s modern facilities, Lemaire took a few minutes to talk with the media, reflecting on his arrival in Minnesota and that magical spring of 2003, when this bunch with zero expectations upset Colorado and Vancouver to reach the Western Conference final.
Rookie center Jacques LeMaire, fourth from left, grins through the gaping space between his teeth as his fellow Montreal Canadiens congratulate him for winning goal against the St. Louis Blues in their first Stanley Cup championship game Sunday, in St. Louis, Mo., May 5, 1968. (AP Photo)
Lemaire joked that what keeps him busy these days, in retirement, is trying to maintain a healthy body after spending nearly 1,000 games on NHL ice. Daily life in Florida involves, “Fixing all the bad bones that I have and trying to get my sciatic nerve straightened out,” he said, with a smile. “Besides that, not much.”
A different game
In 2000, while the Wild’s home rink – then called Xcel Energy Center – was brand new, they lacked a dedicated practice facility, and spent a fair amount of time commuting back and forth from St. Paul to Minneapolis, usually skating at Parade Ice Garden when the X was otherwise booked.
Marveling at the modern amenities available to current Wild coach John Hynes and his players, Lemaire admitted the job has changed greatly in a quarter-century.
“There’s so many things now with the players,” Lemaire said. “Before it was a little more simple. You know, you coach them. Now you’ve got to watch a lot of stuff that they have, that surrounds their needs. It’s different. Another era.”
One commute he didn’t mind during the nine years Lemaire spent here was the one to and from downtown St. Paul from the home he had in Lilydale. The coach admitted that if the weather was right, he would bicycle to the rink along the paved riverfront trail.
In all, he directed three playoff appearances in eight seasons (Lemaire was in Minnesota for nine years, but the entire 2004-05 season was lost due to a labor dispute between players and ownership). No season was more legendary than 2002-03.
Memorable May
In round one, the Wild trailed Colorado 3-1 in the best-of-seven series before winning the last three games – two of them in overtime – for the first playoff series win in franchise history.
Round two was similar, with Vancouver taking a 3-1 lead in the series before the Wild grabbed the last three games and a trip to the Western Conference final.
Versus Anaheim in round three, the magic, and the offense, disappeared. Minnesota managed just one goal in the four-game sweep by the Ducks. But the memories of a band of underdogs leading Minnesota fans on a magical month of spring are fresh, more than two decades later.
Reflecting on that season, Lemaire talked about the power of belief and teamwork.
“The thing is, no matter how good or not good or average you are, if you can get all the guys to do their job and believe in that same thing, you’ve got a chance,” he said. “And if you have a good team and you don’t get the guys to believe that they can do it, you won’t win, even if your team is good.”
Following a legend
Lemaire and Hynes spent a few minutes talking shop, and the current Wild head man said there is nothing but respect for the coaching legend who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984.
“It’s always special when you see guys of their caliber, what they’ve been able to do in the league and the type of people they are, to have them around,” Hynes said, admitting that as a collegian at Boston University, he would watch Lemaire’s Devils teams practice whenever they would visit Boston.
On the ice at Grand Casino Arena, there was a roar when Risebrough, Mason, Tremblay and then Lemaire were introduced to the crowd.
The former head coach said he had been wanting to revisit Minnesota for some time, and when Lemaire heard the other members of the original Wild brain trust were coming, he jumped at the chance. The only regret he had upon arrival in St. Paul was not staying longer.
“We came here for nine years, and it was really a great time that we had. Not only for me, my family, my wife,” Lemaire said, mentioning Mychele, his spouse of 55 years. “She says, ‘Geez, I remember Minnesota. It was so great. The life, the people, people were so good for us, so kind,’ And you know, it’s something that you will cherish the rest of our years.”
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