Lou Lamoriello still guiding NY Islanders ownership after stepping away from role

Lou Lamoriello may be retired from running hockey teams, but he is far from gone from the New York Islanders. In fact, the legendary executive remains part of the franchise's fabric, quietly working behind the scenes as an advisor to majority owner Scott Malkin.

And if you were expecting bitterness or second-guessing after he was let go as GM in April, you won’t find a trace of it. In his first interview since leaving the general manager’s chair, Lamoriello sounded like a man completely at peace with where he is now and deeply grateful for where the game has taken him. “It’s totally different and unique,” the 83-year-old told Pierre LeBrun in The Athletic. “There are more nights you sleep much better.”

The message was clear. Lou finally gets to exhale.

That doesn’t mean he’s kicked his feet up. He still wakes early, still makes his calls, still watches games every night. He’s simply not traveling with a team or overseeing every roster detail anymore. That part, he says, is “the right thing.”

And he’s not distancing himself from the Islanders. Lamoriello stated that he met with the new GM, Mathieu Darche, and provided assistance where needed, offering guidance during the transition. “We communicate. I am a fan of Mathieu, I like him,” he said.

He hasn’t disappeared from league circles either. Lamoriello attended the NHL Board of Governors meeting in New York last month and plans to be at the winter session in Colorado Springs. His advisory role with Malkin runs beyond this season, just as originally designed.

In many ways, Lou is finally arriving at the role he envisioned for himself a decade ago. His path simply detoured through Toronto and then Long Island before looping back to where he always expected to land: supporting ownership from the background.

“I never thought I’d leave New Jersey,” he said. “Even today, I never thought I’d be anywhere but New Jersey.” Yet Islanders fans know the truth and the franchise changed the day Lou arrived in 2018, and the echoes of his impact will be felt for years.

Now he gets to enjoy the sport he helped shape without the weight of running a team. “The game has been great to me,” Lamoriello said. “There’s no looking back. I’ve been very fortunate. It’s all positive.”

In classic Lou fashion, he leaves even this chapter on his own terms.