In 2024, this should not be happening.
Lou Lamoriello has strict rules for his teams in New Jersey, Toronto, and now New York. Players can’t have facial hair during the season, their hair can’t touch their jersey collars, and they can’t wear jewelry.
He also has a strange rule about high jersey numbers but sometimes makes exceptions for stars like Jaromir Jagr and Alexander Mogilny. These rules are similar to the ones George Steinbrenner enforced with the Yankees since the 1970s—no beards or long hair. The idea is to look uniform and professional, but it’s really about control. Lamoriello uses these rules to manage every detail of his team and strip players of individuality.
Duclair knew about these rules when he signed with the Islanders. He could have chosen not to sign if it was a big deal. But that doesn’t make these old-fashioned restrictions any less silly. Maybe such rules worked in the past; even then, that’s debatable. Today’s players need to express themselves and have their own identities.
Outdated Rules:
This kind of micromanagement doesn’t help a team win; it might even scare players away from signing up. Fans may think these rules are just too much control over small things that don’t matter on the ice.
Lamoriello did build a strong team with the Devils in the ’90s and early 2000s but hasn’t seen much success since then—certainly no championships in nearly twenty years! Maybe it’s time for him to rethink his approach because what he’s doing now isn’t working.
What do you think? Should Lamoriello change his ways?
