Detroit Red Wings' Patrick Kane delivers shot to former head coach
Photo credit: Steven Bisig/Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane didn't hesitate to take a shot at his former coach Derek Lalonde, who led the team to a disappointing finish last season in Little Caesars Arena.
Derek Lalonde had a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season in Detroit. With a 13-17-4 record, Steve Yzerman fired Lalonde and cleaned house, getting rid of his staff..
Yzerman brought in Todd McLellan to help turn the page in Detroit. The Red Wings would look like a different team thanks to McLellan and his assistant, Trent Yawney.
He'd quickly gain the confidence of the Red Wings team, and his final record for the season, leading the team? 26-18-4.
A promising turn of events for a team that was considered down and out.
Patrick Kane Praises Todd McLellan, and Takes Shot at Derek Lalonde
In his latest interview on the NHL Media Player Tour in Vegas, Kane wouldn't hold back on his thoughts about Lalonde.
"It's a good situation for me, especially coming in with Todd McLellan as a coach," Kane said recently during the NHL's Player Media Tour in Las Vegas. "I played a lot better under him when we made the switch. The team started playing more aggressive and playing better. Playing in the top six, playing on the power play. As you get older you want to win and I think we can do that there."
The comment speaks for itself, as you can clearly see a shift in attitude when discussing the coaches themselves. Kane felt like a change was better, and that Lalonde wasn't giving him the chance to play his best game.
Quite a statement for Kane, who has played only one season under Lalonde, but still took a shot at him.
Lalonde's 13-17-4 record saw the team at its most disparate and lacked the kind of confidence you would see in a contending NHL team.
While McLellan would quickly whip the team into gear and find players buying in immediately, as it sounds like Kane did, so too.
The team would experience a resurgence with a 15-3-1 record after he took the reins from Lalonde.
Kane would finish the year with 21-38-59 and with a brighter outlook for the future with the coaching change.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 13 | 299 ANSWERS Detroit Red Wings' Patrick Kane delivers shot to former head coach Do you think forward Patrick Kane of the Detroit Red Wings is right about Coach Todd McLellan being a better leader for the team, rather than ex-coach Derek Lalonde? | ||
| Yes | 288 | 96.3 % |
| No | 11 | 3.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
