Lou Lamoriello Shot An Arrow Right Through The Hearts Of Devils Fans With One Quick Quip Towards Gary Bettman

Classic! "@HockeyWebCast: Lou Lamoriello to Gary Bettman: "Commissioner, that's not the same reaction that you got" pic.twitter.com/o9EfXfuOWx"

— Medvescak Fan (@ZGBearsFan) February 11, 2016

I don't want to be misinterpreted here, Lou Lamoriello never left the hearts of Devils fans. His decision to go to Toronto was just as much of a necessary decision by the Devils new ownership group to start anew by taking a step in a different direction. Given the the unexpected results of this season thus far, it's looking like that was a positive change for both parties involved.

Still, watching Lou Lamoriello step to the podium, knowing that he was now calling the shots for another franchise felt a little bit weird...for about half a second. Once he threw shade at everyone's least favorite Commissioner, Gary Bettman, and flashed that oh-so-rare smile of his it felt just like the good old days. The days in which the NHL was creating polygonal rules to slow down the Devils' success to no avail. The days when the NHL was hitting the Devils with unforeseen penalties for signing contracts not unlike the contracts almost every other team in the league was handing out only to see them make a run to the Stanley Cup Finals a year later. Gary Bettman and Lou Lamoriello certainly respect one another, but it's not without some animosity from the past. An animosity that Lou Lamoriello shares with all Devils' fans, and most hockey fans. Everyone knows that the best way to become the most beloved man in the room is to take a shot as the most hated man in the room, and Lou did just that. He circumvented the awkwardness, if you will. He returned his relationship with the Devils' faithful to "status quo" with one quick, yet simple joke. So Lou-like. Out of nowhere, unexpected, and somehow just perfectly timed. That's how you create a culture of winning, and that's how you burn a commissioner in front of a sold-out building full of his detractors. During a night that was mostly tear jerking (joyously of course), it felt good to sneak in a laugh at the expense of the most universally disliked person in attendance. So much so that I feel like it's only right to ask the person responsible for the laugh one important question. Lou, will you be my valentine?