For those of you who don't know Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello has a reputation for being one of the meanest men in the National Hockey League. So mean in fact that a former employee once sued him for $2.25 million after some almost comical allegations.
Several weeks after Krezwick learned he would be let go, several of his senior managers were fired by the Devils, the lawsuit says.
“Lamoriello physically positioned himself in a chair at the base of the employee elevator of the arena so that he could watch these individuals pass by with their boxes of personal belongings in order to leave the building directly after they were fired and to laugh as they passed by, as to take credit for their firing,” the lawsuit adds."
It's because of stories like this that Lamoriello is viewed as such an imposing figure in the NHL, not to mention he's one of the most universally respected as well. So with that in mind it's no surprise young Auston Matthews described Lamoriello as an intimidating figure despite the fact that he didn't speak during the NHL combine.
“Lou didn’t ask me anything in that meeting,” Matthews, the presumptive No. 1 draft pick, told Dean Blundell & Co. Thursday on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. “I could see him out the corner of my eye. He just sat there and listened.”
"You know, he is a little bit [intimidating]," Matthews admitted. "He seems like a really good guy, really passionate about what he does. He cares. The two times I've talked to him, you look at him and you know who he is and what he represents."
Looks like Lamoriello will continue to live up to his reputation.
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