Peter DeBoer Peter DeBoer ( born June 13 , 1968 in Windsor , Ontario ) is the head coach of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) and current part - owner of the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League ( OHL ) . He was an OHL head coach for 13 seasons behind the bench of the Detroit Whalers ( 1995 - 97 ) , Plymouth Whalers ( 1997 - 2001 ) , and Kitchener Rangers ( 2001 - 08 ) , and was the head coach of the NHL ' s Florida Panthers from June 13 , 2008 until he was fired on April 10 , 2011 . He was named the head coach of the New Jersey Devils on July 19 , 2011 . He is a two - time winner of the OHL Coach of the Year trophy and led the Kitchener Rangers to a Memorial Cup victory in 2003 . He holds a law degree from the University of Windsor / University of Detroit . Playing career . DeBoer was drafted 237th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft . At the time he was playing with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL , and in his best offensive season with them he scored 45 goals and 46 assists for 91 points . After Windsor , DeBoer went on to play for the Milwaukee Admirals of the International Hockey League , and played two full seasons with them . In his last season with the Admirals , he scored 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points and retired after that season . Coaching career . Detroit Whalers . DeBoer became an assistant coach for the Detroit Junior Red Wings during the 1994 - 95 season . During the 1995 off - season , the club was renamed the Detroit Whalers , and DeBoer was promoted to the dual position of head coach - general manager as Paul Maurice left the team to become the coach of the Hartford Whalers in the NHL . DeBoer guided the Whalers to a first place finish in the West Division , as Detroit advanced to the third round in the playoffs . In 1996 - 97 , Detroit struggled to a 26 - 34 - 6 record and was eliminated in the first round of the post - season . Plymouth Whalers . The Whalers renamed themselves to the Plymouth Whalers during the 1997 off - season , and the team rebounded to a second place finish in the West Division with a 37 - 22 - 7 record , and for the second time in three seasons they advanced to the third round of the playoffs . In 1998 - 99 , DeBoer led the team to a league leading 106 points , earning them the Hamilton Spectator Trophy , and DeBoer winning the Matt Leyden Trophy as OHL Coach of the Year . Plymouth had a disappointing playoff run though , as they were defeated by the underdog London Knights in the second round of the playoffs . In 1999 – 2000 , Plymouth once again had the best record in the league , earning DeBoer his second straight Matt Leyden Trophy . The Whalers advanced all the way to the J . Ross Robertson Cup finals , before losing to the Barrie Colts 4 - 2 in the seventh and deciding game . The Whalers had another very successful season in 2000 - 01 , winning the West Division for the third consecutive season , and having the second best record in the league . Plymouth got hot in the playoffs , winning their first nine games , and advanced to the J . Ross Robertson Cup for the second season in a row . In the final round , Plymouth lost to the Ottawa 67 ' s in six games . After the season , both DeBoer and his assistant , Steve Spott , decided to leave the Whalers and join the Kitchener Rangers in similar positions . Kitchener Rangers . DeBoer took over a Kitchener team that had missed the playoffs in the previous season and finished 10 games under . 500 , and quickly the club showed improvement , as the Rangers finished in third place in the Midwest Division with a 35 - 22 - 10 - 1 record . The team was then swept in the first round of the playoffs by their Highway 7 rivals , the Guelph Storm . The Rangers continued to improve in the 2002 - 03 season , winning the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as Kitchener had a league best 100 points . In the playoffs , the Rangers quickly swept the Sault Ste . Marie Greyhounds in the first round , followed by a five game series win over the Guelph Storm , setting up a Western Conference matchup against DeBoer ' s former team , the Plymouth Whalers . After the Whalers won the fifth game by a 2 - 1 score in overtime to take a 3 - 2 series lead , the Rangers rebounded and staved off elimination by winning the final two games of the series , advancing to the J . Ross Robertson Cup finals against the Ottawa 67 ' s . Ottawa took the series opener , however , Kitchener rebounded and won four in a row to win the cup and earn a berth in the 2003 Memorial Cup . DeBoer led the Rangers to a perfect 3 - 0 record during the round - robin portion of the tournament , sending Kitchener to the finals against the Hull Olympiques . The Rangers would easily defeat Hull 6 - 3 in the game to win their first Memorial Cup since 1982 . Kitchener saw themselves in a rebuilding season in 2003 - 04 , however , DeBoer helped the club finish fourth in the Western Conference with a 34 - 26 - 6 - 2 record , but the team struggled in the playoffs , and lost to the Plymouth Whalers in five games in the opening round . The 2004 - 05 season saw the team once again finish in third in their division and fourth in the conference . DeBoer led the Rangers to a first round victory over the Erie Otters , then helped Kitchener to a stunning series sweep over the powerful Owen Sound Attack . In the third round , the Rangers faced the record - setting London Knights , and were quickly eliminated in five games . In 2005 - 06 , Kitchener saw their point total improve to 96 , the third highest in the league , however , they were upset by the Owen Sound Attack in the first round of the playoffs . The team increased their point total to 98 in the 2006 - 07 season , finishing third in the Western Conference , and easily sweeping the Sarnia Sting in the first round . Kitchener would struggle in the second round , losing in five games to the Plymouth Whalers . With the Rangers being named the host of the 2008 Memorial Cup , Kitchener put together one of the best regular season ' s in OHL history , finishing with a 53 - 11 - 4 record , earning a league high 110 points to win the Hamilton Spectator Trophy . The DeBoer led Rangers quickly swept the Plymouth Whalers and Sarnia Sting in the first two rounds , before disposing the Sault Ste . Marie Greyhounds in the Western Conference finals . In the J . Ross Robertson Cup finals , the Rangers took the first three games of the series , however , the Belleville Bulls rebounded and took the next three games , setting up a seventh game at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium . In the last game of the series , the Rangers defeated the Bulls 4 - 1 to win the championship . During the 2008 Memorial Cup , the Rangers had a 2 - 1 record in the round - robin , setting up a rematch against the Bulls in the semi - finals . Kitchener exploded for a 9 - 0 win , and would face the Spokane Chiefs in the final game . The Chiefs spoiled the Rangers party though , defeating Kitchener 4 - 1 . Florida Panthers . DeBoer decided to take the next step in his career , and on June 13 , 2008 , he was named head coach of the Florida Panthers in the National Hockey League . The DeBoer led Panthers finished with the second best point total in team history , as they had a 41 - 30 - 11 record , earning 93 points , just behind the 1999 – 2000 Panthers , who had 98 . The 93 points though was not enough for the Panthers to earn a post - season berth , as they finished in ninth in the Eastern Conference . In the 2009 - 10 season , the Panthers struggled , as they finished with a 32 - 37 - 13 record , earning 77 points , and last place in the Southeast Division . The 77 points was the lowest point total by the Panthers since 2003 - 04 . The Panthers continued to struggle in the 2010 - 11 season , as Florida finished in last place in the Eastern Conference with a 30 - 40 - 12 record , earning 72 points . After the season , the Panthers fired DeBoer with one year remaining on his contract . New Jersey Devils . He was hired on July 19 , 2011 by the New Jersey Devils following two interviews with Devils GM Lou Lamoriello .