Steve Yzerman has chosen Derek Lalonde as the head coach to lead the Detroit Red Wings on their next step in the rebuild, the franchise announced Thursday.
The path of promoting a newcomer to the NHL head coaching ranks is one Yzerman has chosen twice before. Lalonde, 49, replaces Jeff Blashill, who was let go April 30.
It is the first time since Yzerman was named general manager in April 2019 that he has brought in his own head coach. At the time he made the announcement regarding Blashill, Yzerman cited a need for the team to be better defensively, and pointed to how the team regressed in the second half after an encouraging first half.
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“I’m very pleased to announce Derek as our new head coach,” Yzerman said in a released statement. “He has proven himself as an excellent coach at every level and has spent the last four seasons in the National Hockey League as part of a very successful program in Tampa Bay. We feel he is ready to take the next step in his career as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.”
Lalonde, mentioned early on as a candidate by the Free Press, was an assistant at Ferris State early in his coaching career, and has been a head coach at the USHL and ECHL level. He coached in the latter with the Toledo Walleye from 2014-16, before Yzerman’s return to Detroit but during Toledo’s affiliation with the Wings. During his first season, Lalonde led the Walleye to a 50-15-5-2 record, claiming the Brabham Cup as the ECHL’s regular-season champions.
Before being hired in Tampa in 2018, Lalonde was head coach for two seasons in the AHL with the Iowa Wild. During his tenure (69-58-17-8), the Wild posted team records for wins, home wins, road wins, fewest losses and total points in a season.
“I’m thrilled to be named head coach of the Red Wings,” Lalonde said in the statement. “I’d like to thank Chris Ilitch and the entire Ilitch family, as well as Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings management team for entrusting me with the opportunity to lead this historic franchise. I’m ready to get to work with our group. There’s a very bright future ahead in Detroit.”
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This is the Wings’ first new head coach since 2015, when Blashill was promoted in the wake of Mike Babcock’s departure. Blashill and Babcock combined to coach the Wings for 17 years.
“Derek has an impressive resume, particularly the work he’s done with young players and prospects throughout his career,” Red Wings owner Christopher Ilitch said. “We’re excited to have him leading the charge behind the Red Wings bench. I’d also like to commend Steve and his staff for conducting a very thorough and detailed search process.
“We have the greatest fans in hockey, and they deserve a team that consistently competes for Stanley Cup championships. We’ll continue to work diligently towards that goal under the leadership of Steve and Derek.”
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.