Lou Lamoriello finally has a job after being unemployed for perhaps the longest period in his entire life. His position with the New York Islanders, where his son is the Assistant General Manager, has not been clearly defined, but it marks his latest career after a long list of hockey jobs dating back decades.

Lamoriello played hockey at Providence College in the sixties, and he played only one year of pro post-college. He is reported to have been a math teacher at some point, so perhaps he fit that into the two years he was out of the hockey world between the end of the 1966 season and the start of his second hockey career at Providence, this time as the head coach beginning in 1968.

In 1983 — yes, he was head coach all that time — he moved up to director of player personnel. He stayed there until the 1986-1987 season.

He began his fourth hockey career at that point as President of the New Jersey Devils. He was President, General Manager, and CEO — sometimes all at the same time, with two stints behind the bench mixed in — until 2015.

No longer really fitting in with the “new” New Jersey Devils, he shifted north of the border to take over as General Manger of the Maple Leafs that summer. He was not actually unemployed for more than a minute. And his fifth hockey career began with the Leafs.


The Complete Reign of Lou Lamoriello (So Far)


That career ended two months early on April 30. He’s technically been on the books as an advisor to the Leafs while they got on with the job of naming Kyle Dubas their new GM. In reality, he’s been slacking off unemployed for 21 days!


Updated with press conference video: Kyle Dubas Announced As Leafs GM


With the news today that he will go be the boss for the Islanders, his long period of idleness is over. So this is his sixth career, or maybe seventh, if that math teacher story isn’t apocryphal.

One thing he did as GM of the Leafs is be the BOSS. The Leafs had a disaster of a team in the office as well as on the ice, and now they look like a tight ship. And from afar it sure looks like the Islanders need that. They need direction and someone who can tell the ownership that really Mat Barzal is hot stuff, don’t go spending all your money on John Tavares.

We can hope, can’t we?

Shave your faces, Islanders, and get ready to never ever read rumours about yourself that come from your own team. Hey, it’s a mixed bag.

Good luck in your new gig, Lou, and quit slacking off and get to work.