Head coach breaks his silence on being fired by the Detroit Red Wings
Photo credit: Amy Irvin / Hockey Writers
The former Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde broke his silence about being fired in an interview.
The Detroit Red Wings decided to part ways with head coach Derek Lalonde during the season after a tough start. Indeed, he was replaced by Todd McLellan in December, after getting a 13-17-0-4 record.
Being fired isn't easy, but when you're an NHL coach, it comes with the job:
Lalonde opened up on what led to his departure from the organization:
"You could feel it was uncomfortable... It's pro hockey, man."
Later, he pointed out that while it hurt him to be let go, he was the 27th coach to lose his job in the NHL in the past three years, and that he wasn't angry to have seen the team bounce back with another coach:
"It stings a little bit because it's your first time, but the reality is, because of the landscape, I was the 27th coach fired under three years, and we're into the low 30s now before the three-year cycle. It's almost the reality of it, and then the unique thing is the guys.
They were phenomenal, and they go on a heater. They had two seven-game win streaks, and I get the question all the time, did that hurt you? And I'm like absolutely not, because you root for [Dylan] Larkin, you root for Mo Seider, you root for Lucas Raymond... Those guys played hard for me, so it's more about the relationships."
They were phenomenal, and they go on a heater. They had two seven-game win streaks, and I get the question all the time, did that hurt you? And I'm like absolutely not, because you root for [Dylan] Larkin, you root for Mo Seider, you root for Lucas Raymond... Those guys played hard for me, so it's more about the relationships."
He also revealed that there was a sense that the team hadn't followed the plan in the summer, which is what possibly set the stage for his firing:
"To no one's fault, our summer was what it was, but we lose Shayne Gostisbehere, we lose Jake Walman, we lose David Perron, just things didn't go our way around July 1."
In the end, he shared how grateful he was to have worked with Yzerman for three years and how he's a better coach today than he was when he came into the organization:
"I'm grateful I got three years with him because he made me a ton better. Not the most comfortable in that time, but he made me better, and that's all you can ask."
It'll be interesting to see what happens next for Lalonde, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him land an assistant-coaching job before returning as head coach in the NHL.
| POLL | ||
MAI 22 | 141 ANSWERS Head coach breaks his silence on being fired by the Detroit Red Wings Do you think Derek Lalonde will find another NHL job this summer? | ||
| Yes | 67 | 47.5 % |
| No | 74 | 52.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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