Lou Lamoriello is out as president and general manager of the New York Islanders, after the team said Tuesday the longtime NHL executive’s contract was not being renewed.
Managing partner John Collins will lead a search to find the Islanders’ next GM.
“The Islanders extend a heartfelt thank you to Lou Lamoriello for his extraordinary commitment over the past seven years,” the team said in a statement. “His dedication to the team is in line with his Hall of Fame career.”
Lamoriello, 82, spent the past seven years running the Islanders' hockey operations with a close connection to ownership. They missed the playoffs this season but qualified five times under Lamoriello's watch, including a trip to the Eastern Conference final in the 2020 “bubble” during the coronavirus pandemic.
For the bulk of his time in the league, Lamoriello worked as president and GM of the New Jersey Devils from 1987-2015, a stretch during which they won the Stanley Cup three times. He served as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2015 until he joined the Islanders in 2018.
A Hall of Famer in the builders category, Lamoriello’s old-school approach with everything from not sharing information to banning facial hair for players and coaches made him a rarity in modern hockey and arguably played a part in stagnating the once widely successful franchise. It is now more than four decades removed from the dynasty days when the Islanders won the Cup four years in a row from 1980-83.
Moving on from Lamoriello puts the entire organization in flux, including the future of the rest of the front office and coaching staff. Lamoriello hired Patrick Roy as coach in January 2024 to replace Lane Lambert.
Son Chris Lamoriello has worked for the Islanders since 2016, originally as director of player personnel, and was promoted to assistant GM to work for his father in 2018.
Agent Dan Milstein called Lou Lamoriello “one of the greatest minds and most respected leaders our sport has ever known."
“It’s been an absolute privilege to work with him over the years,” Milstein wrote in a social media post. “His impact on the game — and on all of us who’ve had the honor to work with and sometimes against him — goes far beyond wins and losses. He brought professionalism, discipline and integrity to everything he touched. (He is) a true legend whose legacy will stand the test of time.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2016, file photo, Lou Lamoriello leaves an NHL hockey news conference in Toronto. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - New York Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello responds to questions after the second day of the NHL hockey draft, June 29, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, file)
BALTIMORE (AP) — Hopefully the rest of the NFL enjoyed the respite.
The New England Patriots are back in the playoffs — with an unflappable quarterback and a coach who is thirsty for more.
Sound familiar?
Drake Maye guided New England to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, rallying his team from an 11-point deficit to a 28-24 victory over Baltimore on Sunday night that clinched a postseason spot for the Patriots and dealt a devastating blow to the Ravens' playoff hopes.
“We're going to try to win the division. We're going to focus on that,” New England coach Mike Vrabel said. “I'm excited. All the credit to the players. When we win, it's because of them.”
Seven years after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick won their final Super Bowl together in New England — and four years after Belichick reached the playoffs with Mac Jones at quarterback — the Patriots return to the postseason in Maye's second year behind center. Maye certainly didn't hurt his MVP case Sunday, throwing for a career-best 380 yards and two touchdowns.
Down 24-13, Maye connected on a 37-yard scoring strike to Kyle Williams, and a 2-point conversion pass to Rhamondre Stevenson made it a three-point game with 9:01 to play.
After New England forced a punt, the Patriots drove 89 yards for the winning touchdown. Baltimore's pass rush, which was nonexistent earlier in the game, was much better toward the end, but Maye showed why he and his team are in first place in the AFC East.
New England remains a game ahead of second-place Buffalo despite losing to the Bills last week.
“It was kind of a wake-up call last week — we got a chance to win the game with a game-winning drive, and this week it was like, man, let's not have that feeling two weeks in a row," Maye said. “It was kind of the elephant in the room.”
Maye went 12 of 14 for 139 yards in the final quarter, although the winning touchdown came on one of New England's few productive running plays, a 21-yard dash by Stevenson with 2:07 left.
The Ravens, who lost Lamar Jackson to a back injury in the second quarter, turned the ball over on their final drive on a fumble by Zay Flowers. Baltimore (7-8) is now two games behind AFC North-leading Pittsburgh with two to play. To win the division, the Ravens would need to win at Green Bay and Pittsburgh and have the Steelers lose to lowly Cleveland in Week 17.
“Tough loss," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We didn’t do the winning things we need to do. We made some mistakes that cost us.”
The Steelers beat Detroit earlier in the day. The dramatic ending of that game came after many fans had already entered the stadium in Baltimore, and Steelers-Lions was shown on the big screen.
Pittsburgh's win put immense pressure on the Ravens, and things went from bad to worse when New England took a 10-7 lead and then Jackson left late in the second quarter with yet another injury.
Tyler Huntley — who led Baltimore to a huge win in Week 8 over Chicago when Jackson was out with a hamstring problem — helped the Ravens rally. Flowers scored on an 18-yard end around to give the Ravens a 17-13 lead in the third quarter. Baltimore then snuffed out a fake punt near midfield and went ahead by 11 on Henry's 2-yard run with 12:50 left in the fourth.
But that was the last time Henry touched the ball — another baffling set of decisions in another fourth-quarter collapse by a Baltimore team that's had plenty of those in recent years.
The Ravens took a 7-0 lead on a 21-yard run by Henry — just their third first-quarter touchdown in nine home games this season. After Maye was intercepted, Baltimore's offense was rolling before Henry fumbled. New England tied it on a 1-yard pass from Maye to Hunter Henry.
It was 10-all at halftime.
The Patriots lost Rookie of the Year candidate Tre'Veyon Henderson when the running back left with a head injury in the second quarter.
The Ravens entered the season 22-3 under Harbaugh in prime time games at home, but they've gone 0-3 this season, losing to Detroit, Cincinnati and now New England. In fact, Baltimore went 3-6 on its home schedule, the worst mark in franchise history.
The Patriots, meanwhile, improved to 7-0 on the road in Vrabel's first season at the helm.
Patriots: DT Joshua Farmer injured his hamstring, CB Charles Woods hurt an ankle, WR DeMario Douglas injured a hamstring and DL Khyiris Tonga hurt a foot.
Ravens: G Andrew Vorhees injured a foot.
Patriots: At the New York Jets next Sunday.
Ravens: At Green Bay on Saturday night.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) passes against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) runs against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, middle, runs toward the end zone to score against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) leaves the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New England Patriots wide receiver Kyle Williams, left, catches a touchdown against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey celebrates after intercepting a pass by New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) passes against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
