Pete DeBoer Has No Ill Will Towards Panthers

When New Jersey Devils coach Pete DeBoer takes his spot behind the opposition’s bench at BankAtlantic Center on Friday night in the first game of their Eastern Quarterfinal playoff matchup against the Panthers, he will do so with absolutely no malice or revenge in his heart.

Why should he?

Three months after Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon fired DeBoer following his third straight playoff-less season in South Florida, he was hired by Devils GM Lou Lamoriello to coach an organization that had won three Stanley Cup titles since 1995 while reaching the playoffs for 13 straight seasons until last year’s miserable start (lost 15 of first 20) ended the streak.