Detroit — Steve Yzerman likes familiarity. He admits he leans toward those he knows and formulas he recognizes. After nine years building the foundation of a championship team in Tampa, he came home to a familiar place.
So it’s no surprise Yzerman plucked the next Red Wings coach from his own tree. It’s only fair. If Yzerman took pieces of the Wings’ success to the Tampa Bay Lightning, he’s entitled to bring something back. Derek Lalonde won two Stanley Cups in his four seasons as an assistant in Tampa under Jon Cooper. The Lightning narrowly missed a third straight but fell to Colorado last week.
This is not Yzerman trying to recreate history. This is Yzerman knowing how important communication and relationships are, especially with a young team still facing a long slog to contention. There were no instant fixes, even with experienced coaches available. Yzerman looked around and settled on what he’d seen before, a coach who’d won on several levels and was ready for the next level.
The hire might resemble the one Yzerman made in 2013 when he appointed Cooper to his first NHL head-coaching job. The connection to another first-timer is unavoidable, although when Yzerman introduced Lalonde on Friday at Little Caesars Arena, he didn’t belabor it.
“What I like is, he’s going to be himself,” Yzerman said. “I expect him to do things his way, not necessarily the Tampa Bay Lightning way, or the Jon Cooper way. I think Derek is bright enough, and he’s gotten to where he is by adjusting, by learning and growing from his experiences. And I think his time in Tampa will make him an even better coach.”
The Wings’ tedious rebuild wasn’t derailed by previous coach Jeff Blashill, but after seven seasons, it had stalled. The team still isn’t ready for a win-now coach, but it also isn’t in position to take a shot at a complete unknown from the minor leagues.
In many sports, coaching hires sometimes alternate between tough guy and nice guy. For the Wings, Scotty Bowman was a tough guy. Dave Lewis was a nice guy. Mike Babcock was a tough guy. Blashill was a nice guy.
Way too simplistic, I know. And Yzerman made it clear he sought the appropriate blend, someone who can work with young players but not coddle them. The Wings actually had a decent record midway through last season before collapsing, primarily on defense, and tuning out the coach’s message.
Can Lalonde, 49, be demanding enough to get their attention?
“I have no doubt,” Yzerman said. “A good coach, like a good parent, ultimately needs to know when you back off, and when you needed to be firmer or lay down the hammer. He’s coached a long time and dealt with the same situations at every level. He’s a little bit different. But I think Derek is very comfortable being himself.”
Good humor man
Different, but familiar. Familiar in that Lalonde traveled the appropriate hockey back roads — from Ferris State to Denver to Green Bay to Toledo to Iowa — to get his shot in Tampa. Different in that he looks like a character from “The Addams Family” or the “Minions” and happily embraces it.
“Oh, I hear them all,” Lalonde said with a laugh. “I get Uncle Fester, or Gru. I got a Mr. Clean chant once. That was good.”
The glistening head and deep-set eyes do conjure the cinematic characters. Lalonde’s joke about it confirms he’s comfortable in his own clean-shaven skin. Self-deprecation isn’t necessarily a coaching tool, but it’s better than being self-centered, and it’s good to be self-aware.
Lalonde has an easy-going manner, and cheerfully told the story of his public debut as Uncle Fester. It was about 20 years ago at a Halloween party with his wife in Utica, New York. They entered a bar where a costume contest was underway, and when he walked in wearing an Uncle Fester-ish outfit, right down to the lightbulb in the mouth, the contest was over.
“The three finalists on stage were like, that’s it, he wins,” Lalonde said. “That’s no lie. Got a $100 gift certificate, too. You have to have fun with anything you do.”
With his good humor, he was considered a “players’ coach” in Tampa. That’s a common designation for a second-in-command behind an experienced leader like Cooper.
But when you’re part of a perennial Cup contender, you have to find the balance between tension and fun. Yzerman knows, spending all those years as captain of the Wings, trying to handle the pressure without getting beaten down.
“I like his character,” Yzerman said of Lalonde. “I like the way he communicates with his players and his staff. Yes, he does have a sense of humor. Talking to players that have played for him, don’t mistake the humor, or the congeniality, for a guy that’s gonna be passive.”
Or for a guy just happy to be freed from the weight of enormous expectations, at least for now.
“To sit here and talk about making the playoffs, I think that’s foolish and can hurt you,” Lalonde said. “You focus on the process, obviously the team defense, special teams improvement. … You see the young talent here, it’s very exciting. Obviously not all the pieces are here, but what attracted me to this job is that you can see some foundation being built. I ultimately don’t accept this position if I don’t see winning somewhere along the way.”
Still rebuilding
After making strides with rising stars Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, as well as Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, the Wings slipped badly in the second half of last season. They may have gotten passive, but there remains no panic. From a young talent standpoint, they’re in decent shape thanks to three years of Yzerman’s astute drafting. From a competitive standpoint, they can’t do much until they fix their horrid defense.
More: Improving team defense, special teams will be Lalonde’s priority with Wings
That will be one priority in next week’s draft. But the trust in Yzerman’s plan is rock solid, maybe even stronger after seeing what he helped build in Tampa. It’s certainly apparent in owner Chris Ilitch, unwavering despite the various struggles with his teams. I don’t know if Ilitch opts for a calm exterior but privately fumes, but he’s not straying from the process with the Wings or the Tigers.
He was asked it Friday and was typically unflappable. Fans might crave more passion and brashness, but he’s sticking with his deliberate ways.
“There’s temptation, and all types of influence and pressure to try and rush the process,” Ilitch said. “But having been in professional sports for 40 years, and having worked with Steve Yzerman and seen him construct a very talented NHL team (in Tampa) … you realize there really are no shortcuts.
“Obviously, you need to bring in young talent and develop them, then fill in gaps with free agents and trades. I’m very pleased with the progress of the Detroit Red Wings, and I’m very pleased with the progress at the Detroit Tigers, despite a very slow start this season.”
It’s a little surprising Ilitch opted for “very pleased” in his Tigers assessment, but he’s sticking with the long view. It can be frustrating and wearying, but it’s also Yzerman’s vision, if that makes fans feel better.
Has the rebuild — now six years without a playoff appearance — been uglier than expected? Maybe from the outside, but not really from the inside. That’s partly why Yzerman didn’t leap for an experienced coach like Barry Trotz or John Tortorella, knowing there’s much more to do, and it will take balance and patience.
The formula worked in Tampa, and before that in Detroit. It looks familiar, and that’s not by accident.
Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @bobwojnowski