Penguins GM Kyle Dubas gets honest about his first impression of ex-Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello - "I was scared s**tless"

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas spoke about meeting Lou Lamoriello for the first time on Tuesday's The Cam & Strick podcast. Dubas was 29 years old and working for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He said he was nervous when Lamoriello first arrived in 2015.

"I was 29 years old. I was scared sh**less, like the first day he walks in," Dubas said. [1:41:52 onwards]. "My job was, from kind of doing a little bit of everything to, very specifically, running the Marlies.

"And at that time, our ECHL affiliate was with Orlando, so our minor league operation and player development operation, and for the first year, every single thing we did, he would question me on it, and he was hard."

For the first year, Lamoriello questioned every decision Dubas made, but it helped him learn. He learned to pay attention to every detail. Lamoriello’s focus and work ethic made a big impression. Dubas joked that Lamoriello would always arrive earlier.

"If you ever beat him into the office, he's going to get there like four hours before you the next day, and it's never going to happen again," Dubas said.

"But just his focus, energy level, commitment to every single detail, and educating you on how the details go into building a team that can be a successful team, like at the beginning, he's very hard on you about it, but it's with a purpose."

Dubas said that once you met Lou Lamoriello’s standards, he became supportive. He would help you and your family.

"He's a very, very special man," Dubas said.

Dubas still uses the lessons he learned during that time (from 2015 to 2018). He called working for Lamoriello one of the best opportunities of his career. Those lessons guide him in his role with the Penguins.

"There's something every day that goes by that I do in this job here, where I still think of, ‘What he would want to do or the different things that he hammered into me in the time together in Torotno," Dubas said.

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Lou Lamoriello left the Islanders in April

Lou Lamoriello left the New York Islanders after seven years with the team at the age of 82. He joined the team in 2018 after leaving the Leafs. In the past, he has also worked with the New Jersey Devils and won three Stanley Cups there. His NHL win total of 1479 places him second, below David Poile.

"The Islanders extend a heartfelt thank you to Lou Lamoriello for his extraordinary commitment over the past seven years," the Isles' statement read, via NHL.com.

The team decided not to extend Lamoriello after missing the playoffs this season. Although Lamoriello no longer serves in any active position in the NHL, his experience continues to help Kyle Dubas in his day-to-day operations.