The Detroit Red Wings have hired a familiar face to help them behind their bench: Former Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Tanguay.
Tanguay, 41, is expected to handle the forwards and the power play, replacing Dan Bylsma, whose contract was not renewed after the 2020-21 season.
Tanguay has spent the last two years as an assistant coach with the AHL Iowa Wild, helping to guide the team to a combined 54-31-8-4 record, with a second place finish in the Central Division and Western Conference during the 2019-20 campaign.
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Most importantly to the Wings, the Wild had the AHL’s fifth-best power play in Tanguay’s first season behind the bench at 21.9%, and its offense was among the league’s most productive, improving from 3.08 goals per game in 2019-20 to 3.15 goals per game over a 34-game schedule in 2020-21.
The Wings have struggled on the power play the last few seasons.
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Tanguay played 16 years in the NHL, with the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes, logging 863 points (283 goals), a plus-163 rating and 527 penalty minutes in 1,088 games.
Tanguay played for the Avs from 1999-2004, which was part of the heyday of the rivalry with the Wings.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.