New Devils coach John MacLean had a pretty good first day on the job. First, he landed Larry Robinson as assistant coach. Then he and Lou Lamoriello did the right thing by emphatically endorsing Jamie Langenbrunner’s continued captaincy.
“If he feels I should be, great,” Langenbrunner told The Post yesterday, this even before MacLean and Lamoriello confirmed his continued tenure.
Langenbrunner played briefly with MacLean in Dallas and was captain in MacLean’s final season as a Devils assistant two years ago.
“I’m excited that he’s the coach,” Langenbrunner said. “I’m glad for him and I think he’ll do a good job.
“He’s a good, fair guy who understands the game. He’ll be good for our team.”
Langenbrunner became an undeserved scapegoat for the Devils’ playoff flop after his late-season rift with Jacques Lemaire, only a year after he heroically returned to playoff action only one week after arthroscopic knee surgery.
It should be no surprise that the old No. 15 right wing is sticking with the current No. 15 right wing for the C. Back in 1997, MacLean asked to be traded by the Devils because of frustration with Lemaire’s style of play, so he could sympathize with Langenbrunner’s falling-out with Lemaire.
“Jamie Langenbrunner is our captain. John feels strongly on that, and I feel strongly on that,” Lamoriello said.
“I think he’s good, and good for what we’ll do in the future,” MacLean said.
Langenbrunner, a notorious streak scorer, was criticized for notching only one point in the five-game loss to Philly, although in New Jersey’s lone victory, he, Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk provided the Devils’ lone night of hope and excellence, only to be promptly disassembled by Lemaire.